A/HRC/19/39 There was a need to turn commitments to actions at the national level. National economic development plans should be rights-based and human-centred. 23. Some speakers emphasized that the effective implementation of the right to development required multidisciplinary dialogue and policy coherence. Human rights are not the rewards of development but are rather critical factors in achieving them. Peace and security, development and human rights were all required. States had the right to international cooperation; development may be a right but it was not equivalent to economic growth. Sustained poverty reduction was required. Poor people should have power and voice, institutions had to create mechanisms for accountability and transnational mechanisms had to operate in transparency. 24. In order to eliminate discrimination, several delegations emphasized, the international community should focus on vulnerable groups, ensure equal dignity and eliminate politicization. Vulnerable groups should be placed at the centre of attention, especially when solving problems of inadequate security for citizens, lack of opportunities for young people and imbalances in domestic development. There was a need for a shared and equitable stake in the outputs of development. 25. Development was a right; its definition was elaborate and there was no need to revisit it. There was a need for affirmative action for States that had not achieved their development needs. Some delegations stressed that development should be multifaceted, inclusive, sustainable and equitable. Development should be seen as a citizen’s revolution for a dignified life and the full satisfaction of all human needs. It should be comprehensive and involve the fair distribution of benefits, where the human person was the main participant and beneficiary. 26. Many speakers pointed out that the human person should be at the centre of development. Economic, social and cultural rights, on the one hand, and civil and political rights, on the other, were equally necessary for the right to development to be achieved. The indivisibility of all human rights and human beings should be at the heart of development since the aim was to improve their well-being. States had to invest in strengthening democratic processes and good governance, which integrate social inclusion. They should also invest in ensuring the progressive realization of economic, social and cultural rights and reduce poverty, including by means of collective international action. Making justiciable economic, social and cultural rights would contribute to the practical realization of the right to development and the Millennium Development Goals. There was a need to raise awareness among the population that they should be able to claim their rights. 27. Some delegates considered that the right to development should be the key priority of the work and object of more in-depth debates of the Human Rights Council with a view to identify essential elements in the development of public policies. The Council and OHCHR should advocate the incorporation of all human rights, including the right to development, in the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. This link should be realized even though the twenty-fifth anniversary being celebrated was also fraught with challenges. 28. Both national and international institutions shared the moral obligation to free people from poverty. Delegates pointed to the “lack of commitment” to the right to development by the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and international financial institutions. Further thought had to be given to how to bring these organizations on board, especially when designing development programmes that integrated right to development considerations. The launching of an impact assessment exercise was suggested to measure the extent to which United Nations activities had incorporated the right to development. All relevant stakeholders were called upon to make recommendations 8

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