A/HRC/19/70 civil society organizations’ role at the micro, meso and macro levels were recognized as legitimate and necessary. He concluded by making an appeal to Governments to recognize that civil society should be embraced as a key player in changing governance and policy, as well as delivery, because if Governments only embraced civil society’s delivery role then it was akin to saying that they only viewed civil society as cheap labour and not as full partners comprehensively addressing development. 11. Antonio Tujan, co-chair, BetterAid, speaking on the right to development as a tool for promoting the struggle for human dignity and development, expressed concern that the current climate of crisis and depression was hindering or reversing progress made towards sustainable development. It had thus become even more urgent to consciously promote and monitor the right to development as a beacon for all who aspired to the well-being and development of humanity. As a human right, it placed emphasis on the dimension on enablement and empowerment, participation and accountability. It was, inter alia, the role of civil society to push for accountability, and civil society groups had consistently used human rights frameworks and the right to development in monitoring aid and development cooperation. Referring to the Third High Level Forum for Aid Effectiveness held in Accra in 2008, he pointed to some positive developments, such as the recognition of internationally agreed development goals and the recognition of civil society organizations as independent development actors in their own right. Their participation at all levels of development, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation was essential. Civil society groups had campaigned for rights-based development effectiveness to be included in the discussions at the Fourth High Level Forum in Busan, which was to be held on 30 November–1 December 2011. Human rights had to be at the heart of any new development cooperation architecture and complement the role of the Development Cooperation Forum. He mentioned a proposal for a convention on development effectiveness, to be under the aegis the United Nations system, and the need to explore how aid can have a catalytic role for right to development and development effectiveness. 12. Karin Arts, Professor, Institute of Social Studies, addressing the role of international law in the realization of the right to development, pointed out that the record of international law with respect to the right to development was mixed. Beyond the Declaration itself, several international legal instruments had played a major part in bringing development issues in the realm of binding obligations. She encouraged the use of existing legally binding norms for promoting the right to development, such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child. She also underlined that the right to development, although primarily being seen as targeting underdevelopment and the role of international cooperation, was a right that belonged to every human person and applied to all countries, both in the North and the South, in particular with the rise of poverty in the North and the emergence of new powers in the global economy. Positions and roles were changing, and that might help to create new dynamics, spaces and opportunities for action in pursuit of the right to development. She concluded with a plea to recognize existing binding international law relevant to the right to development, and mobilizing it by invoking it more systematically and vocally. 13. In ensuing interactive debate, Pakistan, North-South XXI, China, the Global Network for the Right to Development, Qatar, Maldives, Housing and Land Rights Network, Sri Lanka, Morocco, Indonesia, Civicus and Nepal made interventions. It was reaffirmed that there was a need to operationalize the right to development as a matter of priority. Concern was expressed at the impact of climate change, particularly in worsening the situation of vulnerable groups. Emphasis was put on the need for technology transfer, the reform of the international economic and financial architecture and policy coherence, but also the implementation of the Istanbul Declaration and Programme of Action on Least Developed countries (LDCs). Concern was further expressed that, despite the call from nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) for the establishment of a Human Rights Council 5

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