Default title

18 March 2002


Message of

Mary Robinson,
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

to the

International Conference on Financing for Development

Monterrey, Mexico, 18-22 March 2002




The Monterrey Consensus emerging from this first International Conference on Financing for Development is of critical importance to the greater realization of human rights around the world.

Today there can be no denying that good governance is essential for sustainable development. Democratic institutions that respond to the needs of people, and effective national legal systems that ensure respect for human rights and the rule of law, are vital if countries are to unlock domestic resources and attract the foreign investment that fosters economic and social development.

Primary responsibility for good governance lies with each country, but national efforts are often not enough. As world leaders affirmed in the Millennium Declaration: “in addition to our separate responsibilities to our individual societies, we have a collective responsibility to uphold the principles of human dignity, equality and equity at the global level.” I would hope that the Monterrey Conference produces a sharpened understanding of what is meant by “collective responsibility” in practice. This involves a renewed commitment to achieving the Millennium Development Goals and a deepened resolve to ensure respect for all internationally recognized human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the right to development.

Part of that responsibility is to ensure that developing countries benefit more from international trade. Monterrey must build on the commitments made in Doha and guarantee that developing countries have seats at the table and the capacity needed to participate actively in future trade negotiations. At the same time, the Conference should provide clear direction to the United Nations, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, with the World Trade Organization, in pursuing greater policy coherence, coordination and cooperation for sustainable development. Implementation of international norms and standards, including in the field of human rights, must be the central objective of these efforts.

But it is clear that greater access to markets and greater coherence within the international system are not the only components. Many countries are too small or lack the basic infrastructure and institutions necessary to attract the investment needed for their development. Monterrey must involve the private sector in finding innovative approaches to increase private investment that is sustainable and that supports developing countries in implementing their human rights obligations. We have not even begun to scratch the surface of what the private sector could contribute in improving access to primary health care, basic education and adequate food, or to fostering entrepreneurial development and employment and closing the technology gap between the developed and the developing world.

I call on the business and academic communities to take the lead in sharing their expertise and skills with the poorest countries of the world. Think of the breakthroughs possible if these actors allocated a small fraction of their resources to developing and replicating sustainable development activities world-wide.

And while the importance of the private sector cannot be underestimated, we must also ensure that Governments live up to their Millennium Declaration commitments. That must begin by halting the decline in Official Development Assistance. I join the Secretary-General’s call for an additional US$50 billion in development aid as a short-term target towards achieving the recognized goal of 0.7 percent of gross national product for the donor countries. Monterrey should also produce new approaches to addressing debt relief and foster examples of partnership already in the making which recognize the links between development and human rights.

The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), adopted last July at the OAU Summit in Lusaka, is one such example. It sets out a comprehensive vision of development with a program that embraces initiatives for peace and security, democracy and political governance as well as economic development. Significantly, African countries have recognized through NEPAD that in forming partnerships for development with industrialized countries that include increased ODA, capital flows and debt relief, they must commit to, in their words, “accountable government, a culture of human rights and popular participation.” The international community, through the Monterrey Conference, should support the efforts of African countries under NEPAD.

As the Secretary-General has put it, there is a global deal on the table in Monterrey: Developing countries agree to do more to reform their economies and increase spending on the needs of the poor, while rich countries agree to support this with trade, aid, investment and debt relief.

Let us remember that at the heart of that deal is something non-negotiable: the human rights of all people.




* *** *