A/HRC/21/28
their meaningful participation in decision-making must be assured. States should resolve to
work to advance a human rights-based approach to the green economy, based on the
principles of participation, accountability at both the national and international levels, nondiscrimination, empowerment and the rule of law, and to pursue a model of economic
growth that is socially and environmentally sustainable, just and equitable, and respectful of
all human rights.
10.
In the period under review, new web stories were reported and widely disseminated
by OHCHR through social media and on the Internet. Themes included Rio+20 and human
rights on social media; human rights and development at the centre of globalization; human
rights in Rio; and people-centred development in the context of the “Arab Spring”.5
B.
Events and initiatives
11.
The twenty-fifth anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development
provided the international community with an opportunity to reflect on the lessons learned,
achievements made and the potential of the right to development to help address
contemporary global challenges in an increasingly interdependent and globalized world.
The anniversary inspired an unprecedented amount of initiatives and activities by
stakeholders, international organizations, academic institutions, non-governmental
organizations and civil society. OHCHR organized 13 international events, including
seminars, workshops, and panel and roundtable discussions, and developed and
disseminated three new information notes and a video, including on social media platforms.
Some 20 public statements were made in support of the right to development. Many of the
discussions echoed the four key messages that the High Commissioner emphasized at the
launch of the anniversary year: the right to development is a fundamental human right; the
right to development belongs to everyone, without discrimination; the right to development
is as relevant today as it was on the day the Declaration was adopted; and that we must act
together in a determined and coherent manner in order to realize the right to development.6
12.
In December 2011, OHCHR organized in New York an expert roundtable in
commemoration of the anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development on the
theme “People at the centre: human rights in global economics and development”, opened
by Nobel Laureate economist Joseph Stiglitz. 7 The discussion highlighted the need to pay
serious attention to human rights-based approaches, with a focus on active, free and
meaningful participation, higher levels of accountability, non-discrimination and attention
to vulnerability, the political and economic empowerment of people, fair distribution and an
explicit linkage to international human rights norms and standards, as well as effective
international cooperation in support of the right to development.
13.
The Non-Aligned Movement, in cooperation with OHCHR, the Friedrich Ebert
Foundation and Nord-Sud XXI, organized a panel discussion in December 2011 on the
theme “The relevance of the right to development in the context of global challenges”. 8 The
meeting underlined the current relevance of the Declaration on the Right to Development,
the importance of renewing political commitment to its realization and overcoming the
political impasse, in particular in the light of the popular uprisings in the Middle East and
5
6
7
8
See www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Development/Pages/FeatureStories.aspx.
A/HRC/19/45, para. 22.
See www.OHCHR.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/PeopleAtTheCentre.aspx.
See www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Development/Pages/ApaneldiscussionNAMincooperationwith
OHCHR.aspx.
5
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