A/HRC/36/35
responsibilities of all actors and prohibit, rather than perpetuate, global obstacles. Existing
human rights norms provided a common set of standards and could be a useful yardstick for
assessing policy coherence for sustainable development.
56.
Mr. Wang considered eradicating poverty as the greatest global challenge, which
was indispensable for sustainable development. In order to effectively achieve that goal,
innovations in ideas, systems and action plans from the perspective of integrating poverty
reduction, human rights and development were necessary. The value of eradicating poverty
must be optimized based on the spirit of the right to development and constructing a
pluralistic and adaptable poverty reduction action model, which could be chosen by any
country, was crucial. He suggested eight action models. Regarding the reform of the
poverty governance system, he suggested five steps that the United Nations and the
international community should take, emphasizing that the legal principles and the legal
rights and obligations relating to poverty reduction should be taken into account.
57.
Ms. Oumarou Ibrahim drew attention to the serious challenges that Africa faced in
terms of climate change and gave the example of impacts in the Lake Chad basin, at the
heart of the Sahel. Impacts on the environment and on people were terrible. The adoption of
the Paris Agreement in 2015 was not enough; people needed real and concrete action; real
rain and real climate protection. While development was a fundamental right, it should not
be at any price. Indigenous peoples needed their land, natural resources and rivers for their
daily living and livelihoods. Sustainable development should respect the environment and
the peoples who depended on it. Investment in technological development was being made
to the detriment of development in health and education. Respect for indigenous rights
could also be a positive factor for tourism. Indigenous peoples were demanding that all
partners, in both the public and private sectors, make clear commitments to include
indigenous peoples in all development programmes. The inclusion of indigenous peoples in
the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals would be an essential strategy
for States to adopt as it would ensure that no one is left behind. Putting forward economic
and pragmatic arguments to highlight the benefits that could be obtained by implementing
the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was necessary to show that indigenous
peoples were part of the solution. Providing them with the space to get their voices heard
would enable them to play an effective role in sustainable development.
58.
Mr. Jazairy highlighted that unilateral coercive measures went against the spirit of
the Declaration on the Right to Development, article 7 of which provides that the resources
released by effective disarmament measures be used for comprehensive development,
particularly in developing countries, and article 3 asserts that States have a duty to
cooperate with each other in ensuring development and eliminating obstacles to
development. General Assembly resolutions 2625 (XXV) and 3281 (XXIX) and Human
Rights Council resolution 33/14 recognized the international responsibilities of States to
cooperate with each other to create conditions favourable and eliminate obstacles to the
realization of the right to development. Unilateral coercive measures constituted exogenous
obstacles to the right to development and undermined the attainment of equal opportunities.
The Security Council monitored the human rights impact of its sanctions and adjusted them
as necessary, but no similar systematic review and adjustment was done for unilateral
coercive measures. Furthermore, many instruments, including the 2030 Agenda, were
ambiguous or vague in the prohibition of unilateral coercive measures, while people were
dying from the impacts of the denial of some of their entitlements under the right to
development. There was consensus that joint international action was needed to address the
adverse human rights impact of unilateral coercive measures. In the context of the right to
development, priority consideration should be given to stopping the adoption, maintenance
or implementation of all unilateral coercive measures that could undermine the basic
entitlements — eliminating poverty and hunger, ensuring healthy lives, inclusive and
equitable quality education and gender equality — which were the key components of the
right to development.
59.
In the ensuing discussion, the representatives of Chile, the Non-Aligned Movement,
China, Pakistan, South Africa, Ecuador, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Bolivarian
Republic of Venezuela took the floor, followed by the representatives of Associazione
Comunità Papa Giovanni XXIII and International-Lawyers.Org. Many interventions
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