A/HRC/24/37 6. By resolutions 12/23, 15/25, 18/26, 19/34 and 21/32, the Human Rights Council reiterated its decision at its 9th session that, once considered, revised and endorsed by the Working Group, the criteria and corresponding operational subcriteria 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 that the Working Group shall take appropriate steps to ensure respect for and practical application of the above-mentioned 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. 7. By resolution 21/32, the Human Rights Council welcomed the launching of the process by the Working Group of considering, revising and refining the draft right to development criteria and corresponding operational subcriteria, with the first reading of the draft criteria, and acknowledged the need to further consider, revise and refine them. It further endorsed the recommendations of the Working Group at its thirteenth session that it, inter alia, pursue, at its fourteenth session, its work on the consideration of the draft operational subcriteria. 8. The Working Group accordingly convened its fourteenth session in Geneva from 13 to 17 May 2013. II. Organization of the session 9. In her opening statement, the representative of OHCHR, speaking on behalf of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, recalled the importance the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action placed on the right to development. Three overarching themes were at the heart of the World Conference on Human Rights: the universality of human rights, the importance of democratic participation and the imperative of development. She highlighted a number of fundamental challenges confronting the world: climate change, environmental degradation and loss of biodiversity impacted heavily on the human rights of present and future generations; rising inequalities; and demographic changes and the changing contours of geo-political and economic relations, as well as multiple crises, placed new demands on governance at all levels and called for coherent and human rightsbased policies. The Declaration on the Right to Development enshrined a comprehensive, human-centred development paradigm that aimed at the improvement of human well-being for all. It recognized that every human person was entitled to participate in, contribute to and enjoy a development process in which all human rights could be fully realized. The statement pointed out that the right to development was not confined to declarations, summit outcomes or political debates within the United Nations. Real democratic participation can be measured by the extent to which – in the words of the Declaration on the Right to Development – “active, free and meaningful participation” determines policy and law. The global conversation about post-2015 development goals is an important opportunity for meaningful popular participation in global governance.1 10. At its first meeting, on 13 May 2013, the Working Group re-elected by acclamation Tamara Kunanayakam (Sri Lanka) as Chairperson-Rapporteur. 1 4 For the full text of the High Commissioner’s statement, see http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=13320&LangID=E.