A/HRC/15/23 access to essential medicines, technology transfer and debt relief, as well as of the discussion on the right to development criteria. An overarching consideration of the task force was to reflect the balance between national and international responsibilities by looking at sustainable development through international cooperation. He noted that the task force had covered virtually all of the aspects of international economic relations of concern to developing countries, including debt sustainability; national ownership of development policies; the mitigating effects of international financial and economic crises; protection against volatility of international commodity prices; bilateral, regional and multilateral trade rules; ODA flows; innovative sources for financing international development; technology development targeted at poor people’s needs; use of TradeRelated Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) flexibilities; equitable sharing of environmental burdens and just compensation for the negative impact of development investments and policies; prioritizing poverty and social justice; and effective participation of all countries in international decision-making. Since these issues of concern to developing counties arose from national policies that have a global impact, including through multilateral institutions, it would be misleading to find that the references to national policies reflected a neglect of the international enabling environment; on the contrary, the task force had been particularly attentive to the interests of developing countries, which are at the heart of the right to development. 18. The European Union expressed its appreciation for the work of the task force, and supported extending its mandate as an option in view of the need for further work. The right to development was complex, as it contained both rights and obligations at various levels. Development was also a matter of enhancing the capabilities of individuals. Stressing the importance of devising the criteria in a way that they could be applied to all countries, the European Union underlined the fact that the work on the right to development involved both developed and developing countries. It drew attention to good governance at the global level and aid effectiveness. The Working Group should focus on the most appropriate way to operationalize the right to development in deciding on the way forward. Brazil noted that the new version of the right to development criteria represented a step in the right direction and in the interest of all countries. Nevertheless, it needed to address better the issues of poverty and exclusion and to balance the different approaches to the right to development. The right to development was a key element in achieving development, both individually and collectively. 2. Consolidated findings 19. The Chairperson-Rapporteur of the task force presented the report on the consolidation of findings of the task force (A/HRC/15/WG.2/TF/2/Add.1 and Corr.1). He noted the challenges that stakeholders faced when making the right to development a useful framework for development practitioners owing to differing mind-sets, especially in the trade and debt fields, the relative neglect of human rights in the Millennium Development Goals, the structural impediments to global justice, the lack of incentives for policymakers to introduce this right into their decisions, and the need to measure the impact of efforts to implement this right through impact assessments and the use of indicators. The suggestions for further work were directed at responding to these challenges, such as the one regarding the Millennium Development Goals Review Summit, to be held in September 2010, regional consultations, context-specific reporting and so on. 20. During the ensuing discussions, Brazil, Canada, Cuba, the European Union, India, the Philippines, Portugal, Senegal and the United States of America, as well as the observer representing the Indigenous Peoples and Nations Coalition, the International Council for Human Rights and the Indian Council for South America, took the floor. Some delegations suggested that an agreement should be reached on the definition and main components of the right to development proposed by the task force. Additional concerns were raised about GE.10-14167 7

Select target paragraph3

Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents