A/HRC/33/21 A. Contributions of panellists 15. Ms. Piovesan recalled that 30 years ago the United Nations adopted the Declaration on the Right to Development, which established a framework that provided individuals and peoples, both domestically and globally, the right to equitable, sustainable and participatory development in accordance with the full range of human rights and fundamental freedoms. The incorporation of a human rights-based approach to development was among the greatest achievements of the Declaration. Since then, that approach had guided the integration of norms, standards and principles of the international human rights system into the plans, policies and processes of development, including the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. 16. It was essential to review the Declaration’s contributions and explore its perspectives, inspired by the human rights-based approach to development as well as by the development approach to human rights. By making the human person the central subject of development through their active participation in development instead of being mere beneficiaries, the Declaration played a crucial role in redefining development, shifting it from the purely economic dimension based exclusively on gross domestic product to a conception based on the human dimension and human dignity. The Declaration took a holistic, human-centred approach to development, seeing it as a comprehensive process aiming to improve the well-being of all individuals on the basis of their active, free and meaningful engagement and the fair distribution of its gains. 17. The attributes and components of a human rights approach to development were social justice, participation, accountability and transparency, and international cooperation. Concerning social justice, the Declaration recognized development as an economic, social, cultural and political process aimed at the constant improvement of human well-being. Nevertheless, there was a process of feminization of poverty, as women constituted 70 per cent of the people who lived in poverty. About 80 per cent of the world’s population lived in developing countries, marked by low income and educational levels and high rates of poverty and unemployment; 85 per cent of the world’s income went to the richest 20 per cent, whereas 6 per cent went to the world’s poorest 60 per cent. The answer of the Declaration was that, in promoting development, equal consideration must be given to all human rights as incorporated in the 2030 Agenda, especially the eradication of poverty, gender equality and reduced inequalities. 18. Ms. Piovesan, quoting Mary Robinson on the right to development, stated that the great merit of a human rights approach was that it drew attention to discrimination and exclusion. It permitted policy makers to identify those who did not benefit from development. Its democratic component embraced participation, accountability and transparency. The Declaration was the only international instrument that made the nature of participation in development so explicit. In its pursuit of peaceful and inclusive societies, justice for all and effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels through Goal 16, the 2030 Agenda reinvigorated the Declaration’s principle of participation. Political liberties and democratic rights were among the constituent components of development, since democracy was conditioned not just by institutions, but by the extent to which different voices could be heard. 19. Regarding international cooperation, the Declaration foresaw that States had a duty to take steps, individually and collectively, to formulate international development policies with a view to facilitating the full realization of the right to development. They were bound to cooperate in ensuring development and eliminating obstacles to development. In that sense, Goal 17 of the 2030 Agenda demanded further strengthening of international cooperation. The former high-level task force on the implementation of the right to development had identified criteria regarding the responsibilities of States acting 5