OHCHR and the right to development

About the right to development

The goal of development is to improve the wellbeing of every member of society. People are not the how of development - not tools that can be exploited to produce greater wealth for limited elites. They are the why. True development generates greater social justice, not deeper exploitation; and it reduces the towering inequalities which threaten fundamental human rights, in particular of those who are marginalised and poor.

Read more about why the right to development is a human rights issue

OHCHR’s work on the right to development

Over thirty years ago, the Declaration on the Right to Development broke new ground in the universal struggle for greater human dignity, freedom, equality and justice.

It called for every member of society to be empowered to participate fully and freely in vital decisions. It demanded equal opportunities, and the equitable distribution of economic resources - including for people who are traditionally disempowered and excluded from development.

The United Nations has played a key role throughout the emergence and development of the right to development, both before and after the adoption of the Declaration. It has done this through supporting political dialogue, a series of task forces, working groups and expert mechanisms, advocacy, research and analysis, civil society engagement and partnership.

Read more about OHCHR’s work on the right to development

Key documents

The Declaration on the Right to Development
Published in 1986, the declaration outlines how everyone, without distinction, is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights can be fully realised.

Frequently Asked Questions, Fact sheet No.37 (2016) 

Realising the Right to Development e-Book
A compilation of essays to commemorate 25 years of the United Nations Declaration on the Right to Development

Latest reports, publications and resources

Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General (2023): The upcoming consolidated report of the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights will contain an analysis of the realization of the right to development and challenges in the context of the response to and the recovery from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The report will also provide an overview of the activities of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from June 2022 to May 2023 on the promotion and realization of the right to development. View document A/HRC/54/38

Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General (2022): The present report contains an analysis of the efforts undertaken for and the challenges to the realization of the right to development in the context of the response to and the recovery from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The report also contains an overview of the activities of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the promotion and realization of the right to development. | View document A/HRC/51/22

Annual progress, focus on least developed countries and the COVID-19 pandemic (2020): An overview of OHCHR activities on the promotion and realisation of the right to development between June 2019 and May 2020. The report also contains an analysis of the implementation of the right to development in least developed countries, taking into account existing challenges, including in the context of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and recommendations on how to overcome them. View report page | View document A/HRC/45/21