A/HRC/19/70 I. Introduction 1. The Human Rights Council, in its resolution 6/13, decided to preserve the Social Forum as a vital space for dialogue between the representatives of Member States, civil society, including grass-roots organizations and intergovernmental organizations on issues linked with the promotion of the enjoyment of all human rights by all. Consequently, the Social Forum met annually since 2008.1 2. In accordance with resolution 16/26 of the Council, the 2011 Social Forum was held in Geneva from 3 to 5 October 2011. In September 2011, the President of the Council appointed Minelik Alemu Getahun, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and Permanent Representative of Ethiopia to the United Nations Office at Geneva, as the Chairperson-Rapporteur of the 2011 Social Forum. 3. The present report contains a summary of discussions held at the 2011 Social Forum, as well as its conclusions and recommendations. II. Organization of the Social Forum 4. The Chairperson-Rapporteur, in his opening remarks, highlighted that in the 25 years since the adoption of the Declaration on the Right to Development, the understanding of the right to development has evolved and matured, with due credit to be given to the mandate of the Working Group on the Right to Development and the high-level task force on the implementation of the right to development. He stressed that the right to development would help bridge the gaps in current realities and how to mould responses and actions. That would entail highlighting genuine implementation of human rights at the ground level, making the aid environment more effective, seeking a fairer and equitable trade regime, ensuring that development was environmentally sustainable, keeping to the forefront of one’s mind that people were the touchstone that drove the entire process.2 5. On behalf of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Marcia V.J. Kran, Director of the Research and Right to Development Division, delivered welcoming remarks. She referred to the numerous commemorative activities undertaken thus far during the anniversary year and the wealth of information contained in the background report submitted by the High Commissioner to the Social Forum (A/HRC/SF/2011/2). She particularly highlighted the role of civil society in the promotion and protection of the right to development and stressed that their engagement was essential to identify challenges and obstacles but also solutions to current problems. 6. The President of the Human Rights Council, Laura Dupuy Lasserre (Uruguay), in her remarks, recalled that she had chaired the previous year’s Social Forum and emphasized that the Social Forum was an ideal space for interactive dialogue between Member States, civil society and international organizations. She underlined the multiple dimensions of development and highlighted in particular sustainability. Development was a means of achieving well-being of populations, social inclusion and justice. Development went hand in hand with the promotion of a democratic society and human rights. Despite the progress 1 2 For further details on the Social Forum, see www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Poverty/SForum/Pages/SForumIndex.aspx. The full version of the statements and presentations made available to the Secretariat are posted on the OHCHR website at www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Poverty/SForum/Pages/StatementsPresentations.aspx. 3