A/HRC/42/35 I. Introduction 1. The present report was prepared pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 9/3 in which the Council decided to renew the mandate of the Working Group until it had completed the tasks entrusted to it by the Council in its resolution 4/4, and that the Working Group should convene annual sessions of five working days and submit its reports to the Council. 2. The mandate of the Working Group on the Right to Development, as established by the Commission on Human Rights in its resolution 1998/72, is to monitor and review progress made in the promotion and implementation of the right to development as set out in the Declaration on the Right to Development (General Assembly resolution 41/128), at the national and international levels, providing recommendations thereon and further analysing obstacles to its full enjoyment, focusing each year on specific commitments in the Declaration; to review reports and any other information submitted by States, United Nations agencies, other relevant international organizations and non-governmental organizations on the relationship between their activities and the right to development; and to present for the consideration of the Commission a sessional report on its deliberations, including advice to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on the implementation of the right to development and suggesting possible programmes of technical assistance at the request of interested countries with the aim of promoting the implementation of the right to development. 3. The tasks entrusted to the Working Group by the Human Rights Council in its resolution 4/4, as amended in later resolutions, are to consider, revise and endorse the draft right to development criteria and operational subcriteria prepared by the high-level task force on the implementation of the right to development, which should be used, as appropriate, in the elaboration of a comprehensive and coherent set of standards for the implementation of the right to development; and to take appropriate steps to ensure respect for and practical application of these standards, which could take various forms, including guidelines on the implementation of the right to development, and evolve into a basis for consideration of an international legal standard of a binding nature, through a collaborative process of engagement. 4. In its resolution 39/9, the Council decided that the Working Group, at its twentieth session, should commence the discussion on the elaboration of a draft legally binding instrument on the right to development, through a collaborative process of engagement, including on the content and scope of the future instrument. II. Organization of the session 5. The Working Group convened its twentieth session in Geneva from 29 April to 3 May 2019. The session was opened by the Director of the Thematic Engagement, Special Procedures and Right to Development Division of OHCHR. In her opening statement, 1 delivered on behalf of the High Commissioner, she reassured the Working Group of the High Commissioner’s commitment to and support for the realization of the right to development and the Working Group. Through the Declaration on the Right to Development, States committed to development policies for the improvement of the wellbeing of everyone on the basis of active, free and meaningful participation, to the fair distribution of benefits of development and to international cooperation. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was a blueprint for achieving sustainable development for everyone. There were still challenges to overcome in order to make that a reality, including inequality and climate change. Making progress required bold and ambitious decisions, strong leadership and political choices that prioritized the needs and the voice of people. The Director urged the members of the Working Group to work together in the spirit of urgency and collaboration needed and owed to future and present generations. 1 All statements are available at www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Development/Pages/20thSession.aspx. 3