A/HRC/42/35 6. At its first meeting, on 29 April 2019, the Working Group re-elected by acclamation Zamir Akram as Chair-Rapporteur. In his opening statement, the Chair-Rapporteur reported on his intersessional activities, including meetings with the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner. Both interlocutors had reassured him of their support for the promotion of the right to development and for the Working Group. The knowledge produced by the Working Group would support the preparation of a legally binding instrument. The right to development required addressing the structural causes of inequality and discrimination. It involved empowering marginalized and vulnerable groups, which required good governance and policy coherence at all levels. 7. The Chair-Rapporteur then introduced a video message on the right to development by the Secretary-General. In his statement, the Secretary-General emphasized that the right to development was a key vehicle for driving shared progress. He recalled that the Declaration on the Right to Development put people at the centre of development. He called for transformative action and collective work with all partners to bring the Declaration and the 2030 Agenda to life for all. 8. The Working Group subsequently adopted its agenda (A/HRC/WG.2/20/1) and programme of work. 9. During the session, the Working Group heard general statements on the progress made in the promotion and implementation of the right to development, held an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the right to development, considered contributions made by States to the implementation of the right to development, held an interactive dialogue with experts on the implementation and realization of the right to development, including the implications of the 2030 Agenda, and held a discussion on the elaboration of a draft legally binding instrument on the right to development. III. Summary of proceedings A. General statements 10. Delegations delivering statements included those of Angola (speaking both on behalf of the African Group and in its national capacity), Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Chad, China, Cuba, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, the European Union, the Gambia, the Holy See, India, Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Japan, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan (speaking both on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and in its national capacity), Qatar, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Switzerland and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (speaking both on behalf of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries except Colombia, Ecuador and Peru and in its national capacity). Representatives of civil society organizations, including the Associazione Comunità Papa Giovanni XXIII (speaking on behalf of the Working Group on the Right to Development of the Forum of Catholic-Inspired NGOs in Geneva), the Europe-Third World Centre and the Nigeria-Togo Association also took the floor. 11. The Movement of Non-Aligned Countries reaffirmed its commitments on the right to development made at its seventeenth Summit Conference. The international community had to give the right to development the high profile that it merited, putting it at the centre of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. International cooperation was integral to the implementation and realization of the right to development and could help overcome lasting global challenges. The Working Group should advance in the discussion on the elaboration of a draft legally binding instrument on the right to development. Such an instrument would put the right to development on a par with all other human rights in compliance with the mandate of the Working Group. 12. The African Group considered that the majority of developing countries faced challenges in the realization of the right to development that could be overcome with enhanced global support, new methodologies, alternative mechanisms and vulnerabilityfocused indicators that went beyond economic growth. Development financing also required new indicators relating to resource mobilization policies and international 4