A/HRC/30/22
Forum on 15 October 2014 in Geneva. OHCHR also intervened at the plenary of the
International Investment Agreements Conference, the UNCTAD World Investment Forum,
on 16 October. This was later followed up with a statement at the UNCTAD Expert
Meeting on the Transformation of the International Investment Agreement Regime, held on
25 February 2015 in Geneva.5
18.
On 2 December 2014, in commemoration of the anniversary of the Declaration on
the Right to Development, OHCHR organized a panel discussion on the theme of
“Sustainable Development with Dignity and Justice for All – Realizing the Right to
Development for Present and Future Generations”.6 The event was attended by
representatives of Member States, international organizations and civil society and other
stakeholders, with notable and active participation by young people and students.
Participants shared stories, good practices, case studies and practical suggestions
illustrating how the right to development can help realize sustainable development. Themes
included: the obstacles posed by the international economic architecture on realizing the
right to sustainable development; the right to development and the SIDS Accelerated
Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway; Ebola virus and the right to development:
realizing State responsibility; implementing the right to development for justice and peace;
the path to sustainable development: lessons from the Bhopal disaster; the implications of
hazardous substances on the rights of future generations; advancing the right to
development: a child rights-based perspective; and young people’s participation at the
United Nations to shape the world they want to see. The discussions reaffirmed the critical
importance of fulfilling the right to development so as to meet equitably the developmental
and environmental needs of present and future generations. They reflected broad agreement
that the right to development presents a vision for transformative development as it
mandates an enabling environment, at both the national and international levels, for
development that addresses root causes, systemic issues and structural challenges.
19.
During the 2015 Social Forum of the Human Rights Council, which took place from
18 to 20 February, participants considered the issue of access to medicines in the context of
the right to health. OHCHR organized the three-day meeting, which brought together
participants representing States, international organizations, civil society organizations,
pharmaceutical companies, academia, medical professionals, patients and other
stakeholders. They engaged in discussions that included the intersection of intellectual
property and human rights law, health-care financing, strengthening health systems,
improving health delivery systems in challenging contexts, access to medicines for women
and children, lessons learned and emerging challenges in the global response to AIDS,
patient-centred approaches to access to medicines, and innovative approaches to promoting
access to medicines. Several side events, including documentary film screenings,
complemented the main programme.7
20.
Together with the Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice, OHCHR hosted the
Climate Justice Dialogue on 7 February 2015. The Dialogue brought together over 50
representatives of the climate change and human rights constituencies to discuss links
between human rights and climate change in advance of the February meeting of the Ad
Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action in Geneva. Those
meetings resulted in the launch of the Geneva Pledge for Human Rights in Climate Action,
5
6
7
More information on the work of OHCHR on human rights, trade and investment can be found at
www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Globalization/Pages/GlobalizationIndex.aspx.
More information on the panel discussion can be found at
www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Development/Pages/DignityAndJustice.aspx.
More details available at www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Poverty/SForum/Pages/SForum2015.aspx.
5
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