A/HRC/15/24 Development to organize a panel discussion entitled “The WIPO Development Agenda and the right to development: towards bridging the gap?”. The participants exchanged views on the synergies between the Development Agenda implementation process and the right to development in the context of the wider nexus between intellectual property and human rights. It was stressed that technological innovation was one of the tools for realizing the right to development. In this context, the Development Agenda was identified as one of the most important global initiatives, with significant potential for the realization of the right to development. (b) Clean development mechanism 34. OHCHR commissioned an independent study to explore the interface between the right to development and climate change, with a focus on international cooperation, financial arrangements and, in particular, the clean development mechanism (A/HRC/15/WG.2/TF/CRP.3/Rev.1). The author of the study emphasized that the mechanism provided a clear example of an international partnership between developing and developed countries to achieve the objectives of promoting sustainable development and mitigating climate change. He also raised issues, with regard to the mechanism, of technology transfer, environmental integrity, and the adoption of a rights-based approach to development, all of which are crucial for effective and equitable climate change mitigation and the implementation of the right to development (para. 3). 35. The author of the study concluded that the mechanism needs to ensure that the host State follows an inclusive and participatory process, based on clear sustainability criteria, when determining whether a proposed project contributes to sustainable development. The study included a recommendation that the mechanism adopt a rights-based approach in order to avoid adverse impacts of its projects on peoples’ rights and to ensure environmental and procedural integrity. The author also stressed the need to ensure the equitable participation of developing countries in the mechanism with a view to achieving a fair distribution of development benefits, both within and across countries. With respect to the rule of law and governance, the author of the study noted with regret that the clean development mechanism does not include any tools or measures to provide affected stakeholders with recourse where required procedures have not been properly followed. 4. Debt relief 36. With regard to Millennium Development Goal targets 8.B and 8.D on debt relief, the Working Group recommended that “the task force should devote time during its next [January 2010] session to an examination, from the perspective of the right to development, of the experience of the institutions responsible for the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative and the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative, and other institutions and procedures that address the issue of debt relief” (A/HRC/12/28, para. 46 (c)). 37. Consequently, OHCHR facilitated the organization of the task force session devoted to discussing debt relief issues. Speakers included representatives of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), as well as the independent expert on the effects of foreign debt and other related international financial obligations of States on the full enjoyment of all human rights, particularly economic, social and cultural rights. The World Bank and IMF presented the debt relief issue in the context of their respective programmes, including the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative and the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative, the Debt Reduction Facility for IDA-only Countries, the Debt Sustainability Framework in Low-Income Countries, the Debt Management Facility for Low-Income Countries and the International Development Association. The independent expert presented several ideas to enhance the effectiveness of debt relief initiatives with regard to 10