A/HRC/19/52 I. Introduction 1. The open-ended Working Group on the Right to Development was established by Commission on Human Rights resolution 1998/72 and by Economic and Social Council decision 1998/269 with a mandate to monitor and review progress made in the promotion and implementation of the right to development, as elaborated in the Declaration on the Right to Development, at the national and international levels, providing recommendations thereon and further analysing obstacles to its full enjoyment, focusing each year on specific commitments in the Declaration; to review reports and any other information submitted by States, United Nations agencies, other relevant international organizations and nongovernmental organizations on the relationship between their activities and the right to development; and to present for the consideration of the Commission on Human Rights a sessional report on its deliberations, including advice to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) with regard to the implementation of the right to development, and suggesting possible programmes of technical assistance at the request of interested countries with the aim of promoting the implementation of the right to development. 2. The Human Right Council, in its resolution 9/3, decided to renew the mandate of the Working Group until it completes the tasks entrusted to it by the Council in its resolution 4/4, and that the Working Group would convene annual sessions of five working days and submit its reports to the Council. 3. The Working Group accordingly convened its twelfth session in Geneva from 14 to 18 November 2011. II. Organization of the session 4. At an organizational meeting of the Working Group, held on 7 September 2011, the Working Group elected by acclamation Tamara Kunanayakam (Sri Lanka) as ChairpersonRapporteur. 5. The twelfth session of the Working Group was opened and closed by the Chairperson-Rapporteur. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights delivered an opening statement.1 6. At its first meeting, on 14 November 2011, the Working Group considered its agenda (A/HRC/WG.2/12/1) and adopted it as amended (see annex I) as well as its programme of work. 7. At the session, the Working Group considered the reports of the ChairpersonRapporteur containing synthetic summaries of the submissions received from Governments, groups of Governments and regional groups as well as the inputs received from other stakeholders pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 15/25 (A/HRC/WG.2/12/2 and 12/3). The Working Group also had before it the summary of Human Rights Council panel discussion on “The way forward in the realization of the right to development: between policy and practice” (A/HRC/WG.2/12/4) submitted in accordance with Council decision 16/117. 1 For the text of the statement, see http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Development/Pages/12thSession.aspx 3