A/HRC/7/15 page 16 resources in society. Given that wealth and resources are limited, the key question is how to distribute such resources in a fair and equitable manner.16 The concept of international cooperation may also be attributed to the theory of cosmopolitanism.17 62. Articles 55 and 56 of the Charter of the United Nations requires all Member States to pledge to take joint and separate action in cooperation with the United Nations for the promotion of peaceful and friendly relations among nations based on the principles of equality and self-determination of peoples. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights also stresses the need for international cooperation for the realization of economic, social and cultural rights (arts. 22 and 28). 62. The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights recognizes the relevance of international cooperation for the fulfilment of economic, social and cultural rights and lays down that richer countries should provide assistance individually and through international assistance and cooperation, especially economic and technical to poorer countries that face a resource constraint in fulfilling the rights under the Covenant. Article 11 (1) of the Covenant requires States parties to take appropriate steps to ensure the realization of the right to an adequate standard of living, recognizing to this effect the essential importance of international cooperation based on free consent. Article 11 (2) requires States parties to take relevant action individually and through international cooperation, regarding the right to freedom from hunger. 64. The Declaration on the Right to Development of 1986 emphasizes the importance of international cooperation (art. 3 (3)) as a duty of States individually and as members of the international community. The Vienna Declaration of 1993 reiterates the notions of international solidarity and cooperation. 65. The United Nations Millennium Declaration of 2000 states that international solidarity is one of the key values of international relations in the twenty-first century, wherein “global challenges must be managed in a way that distributes the costs and burdens fairly in accordance with basic principles of equity and social justice. Those who suffer or who benefit least deserve help from those who benefit most”. Goal 8 of the Millennium Development Goals, to develop a global partnership for development, can be described as the means to achieve the other seven 16 The theory of international distributive justice can be located in jurisprudential theories. John Rawls’ notion of the duty of assistance to assist burdened societies to become full members of the society is crucial to this understanding. Ronald Dworkin, on the other hand, emphasizes just distribution through the envy test, whereby distribution of goods is not satisfactory unless it causes a person to envy another person because of the bundle of resources he has received. This can be resolved through an auction where everyone gets the same amount that enables him to bid for all available resources. Robert Nozick explains the concept of distributive justice through the entitlement theory whereby everyone is entitled to the holdings they possess under distribution by just means. 17 Charles R. Beitz referred to social liberalism and cosmopolitan liberalism based on an understanding of an international society. Thomas Pogge distinguished between institutional and interactional approaches to cosmopolitanism.

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