Summary: April 16, 2002: Statement of the European Union at the 58th Session of the Commission on Human Rights. Agenda Item 7: The right to development (18 March-26 April, 2002), (Geneva)
Mr. Chairman,
1. I have the honour to address the Commission on behalf of the European Union on Agenda Item 7 entitled "The right to development" . The Central and Eastern European countries associated with the European Union - Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia - and the Associated Countries Cyprus, Malta and Turkey expressed their wish to align themselves with this statement.
2. The human person is the central subject of development and should be the active participant and beneficiary of the right to development. The European Union stresses that the basic responsibility for the realisation of all human rights, including the right to development, lies with the State.
3. The European Union has repeatedly stated in the past its attachment to the right to development and expressed in many ways its solidarity and commitment with a new partnership between developed and developing countries which respects human rights, democratic principles, the rule of law and sound management of public affairs.
4. The European Union is a main actor in the development process that seeks achieving to halve by the year 2015 the proportion of the world's people living in extreme poverty and remains seized to the implementation of the development goals, targets and commitments of the Millennium Declaration and other UN major conferences and summits, such as the III UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries (III LDCs).
5. In this regard the European Union has been fully committed to the preparation of the International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD) that is taking place in Monterrey as a crucial component in the process started in the Millennium Summit and III LDCs and it considers of utmost importance to contribute to Financing for Development as a catalytic element to achieve those internationally agreed development goals. A successful Monterrey conference will pave the way for a positive
outcome of the UN Conference in Sustainable Development in Johannesburg.
6. Each country has a primary responsibility for its own economic and social development and the role of national policies and development strategies is also emphasised by the Declaration of the Right to Development. The Millennium Declaration identified good governance within each country as one of the main factors for success in meeting the development goals. In the preparatory process to Monterrey the international community has also pointed out the fight against corruption at all levels as
a priority as it imposes a serious barrier for development and it diverts resources away from activities that are vital for poverty eradication and economic and sustainable development.
7. At the same time national development efforts by the development of national poverty reduction strategies, need to be supported by the international community, for instance by granting a more generous development assistance especially to countries making genuine efforts to apply their resources to poverty reduction, as provided in the Millennium declaration. In this regard the Laeken European Council conclusions of December 2001 stressed the need to disburse as soon as possible the financial
resources available for development aid and noted with satisfaction the Council's undertaking to examine the means and timeframe for each EU Member State's achievement of the UN official development aid target of 0'7% of GNP and 0'15-0'20% for LDCs. The European Council in Barcelona of 15-16 March has taken a step further in examining means and timeframes for Member States to achieve the targets. Other ways of debt relief for the least developed countries will be examined by the European
Union.
8. The EU supports new regional initiatives that might be conducive to ensuring national ownership, while promoting partnership and accountability for development. We believe that the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), among other initiatives, is clearly one of those development frameworks initiated at the regional level to be supported. We encourage and support similar efforts in other regions and South-South cooperation to facilitate exchange of views on successful strategies,
practices, experiences and replication of projects.
9. The commitment to enhance the benefits of trade and globalisation taken by the international community in Doha has already made an important contribution for the achievement of the goals of development and for the success of Monterrey. Also, the European Union emphasises the need to make available to all the benefits of new technologies, especially information and communication technologies to bridge the "digital divide" We look forward to the next Summit on the Information Society making an
important contribution to that objective.
10. Indebted developing countries make a considerable effort to fulfil their debt servicing commitment despite the high social cost incurred. The enhanced HIPC Initiative provides an opportunity to strengthen the economic prospects and poverty reduction efforts of its beneficiary countries. Speedy, effective and full implementation of the enhanced Initiative, which should be fully financed through additional resources, is critical. We reaffirm our pledge to find effective, equitable,
development oriented and durable solutions to the external debt and debt servicing burdens of developing countries.
11. Improving global governance is essential. Emphasis should be placed on improved coordination and coherence between all relevant development actors, at the local, national, regional and multilateral level, that will increase complementarity and will avoid overlapping and duplication of tasks. The fragmentation of aid and poor coordination and the lack of harmonised procedures has been a major obstacle to aid effectiveness. If better policy performance in recipient countries is important,
likewise donors should do more to ensure the effectiveness of aid collectively.
12. Sustainable human development is a fundamental objective of the EU. The EU' s Sustainable Development Strategy forms part of the preparations for the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development. The EU also welcomes the outcome of the Marrakesh Conference on Climate Change and is determined to honour its commitments under the Kyoto Protocol. It further desires, as it was recalled in the Barcelona European Council, that it would come into force before the Johannesburg Summit on Sustainable
Development.
13. Doha, Monterrey and Johannesburg integrate common international efforts to deal with the issues of poverty, development, globalisation and trade liberalisation in a coherent manner. These efforts undoubtedly contribute to implementation of the right to development. As stated in the conclusions of the Working Group on the Right to Development, these forums are the right places to address and negotiate these complex issues. The Working Group, as expressed in the agreed conclusions, cannot and
does not substitute itself, for multilateral negotiations in areas where other international organisations are mandated to do so.
14. Good governance is essential for sustainable development. As stated in the Cotonou Agreement with ACP countries, good governance implies a political and institutional environment that upholds human rights, democratic principles, the rule of law, and a transparent and accountable management of human, natural, economic and financial resources. This also implies the strengthening of civil society. All dimensions of the right to development have to be reinforced involving civil society, the
private sector and other non-State players.
15. Access to information and communication are essential factors when it comes to the empowerment of individuals and to securing their active participation in the development process. A free and independent media, with their scrutiny and questioning of the public and private sector activities, has a crucial role to play in every society, achieving greater degrees of openness, transparency, responsibility, accountability and thus legitimacy. A free press is often useful in ending human rights
violations. Similarly, ensuring active, free and meaningful participation of the entire population and of all individuals in development needs, securing effective rights of participation including inter alia the rights to freedom of expression, assembly and association as well as the freedom to seek, receive and impart information of all kinds.
16. Without women's active participation in the civil, political, economic, social and cultural activities of a community, it is illusory to talk about the full realisation of the right to development. A key step in the empowerment of women is education. Primary education should be compulsory and free and states should ensure girl´ s access to primary education and equal access to secondary and vocational training. The full respect of children´ s rights, of boys and girls alike, is also
essential in the realisation of the right to development.
17. HIV/AIDS epidemic poses a real threat to all our efforts to achieve sustainable human development. Measures must be taken at both national and international levels to fight this epidemic. National responses to HIV/AIDS should be designed within the context of universal human rights standards, norms and principles, including the right to development. The EU supports the new Global Fund for combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis and will play an active role in the other processes
stemming from the Special Session held in June 2001.
Mr. Chairman,
18. The European Union expresses its appreciation to the Independent Expert on the Right to Development, Professor Arjun Sengupta, for his report and his efforts to concentrate on the methods for the implementation of the right to development. His notion of a development compact, however, deserves more discussion and we encourage him to pay further attention to comments and ideas presented by states on his report. The scope of his efforts should be broadened and he should look more attentively
at other frameworks and to already existing country level co-ordination mechanisms.
19. The European Union has considered the report of the Office ( E./CN.4/2002/27) with great attention. It shows how the Office has chosen to involve itself in implementing the right to development and the relevant resolutions of CHR and the General Assembly. There is one area of activities of the Office in pursuance of its mandate that appears to be crucial in the implementation of the right to development. We refer to the co-ordination, consultation and communication mechanisms within the
United Nations system, such us UNDG/UNDAF/CCA. The European Union encourages the Office to continue its efforts to enhance support from relevant bodies of the United Nations for the realisation of the right to development. The role of promotion and advocacy appears essential as is the role of the Office in participation in co-ordination mechanisms and initiatives within the United Nations system and information of the activities of organisations, funds and programmes for the implementation of
the Declaration, as well as obstacles identified by them in the realisation of the right to development.
Mr. Chairman,
20. The European Union considers it necessary to leave no ambiguity as to our position on international trade issues concerning paragraph 14e) of the conclusions of the Working Group. This paragraph is the result of a long and difficult negotiations and we welcome that a compromise was found. Nevertheless, we continue to believe that the results of the Doha Conference should in no case be interpreted in a manner that is not consistent with the texts approved at Doha, which we underline as the
only reference in matters of the competence of the World Trade Organisation.
21. The European Union holds the view that these conclusions should pave the way for a resolution adopted by this Commission by consensus and we are prepared to engage in constructive negotiations to that end, as a positive contribution to the progressive implementation of the right to development.
Thank you.
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