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14 May 2001
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Third United Nations Conference on
the Least Developed Countries,
Brussels, Belgium, 14 May 2001
General Segment
Statement by
Mary Robinson,
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
and Secretary-General,
World Conference against Racism,
Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia
and Related Intolerance
Chairperson, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen,
At the start of the twenty-first century, the international community as a whole is seeking to fashion a world order in which all human beings would have decent life chances and the opportunity to grow and develop in freedom and equality and to the fullness of their potential. The United Nations Charter provides a vision of peace grounded in respect for human rights and economic and social progress. The principle of equality runs throughout the Charter. So does the principle of international cooperation for the realization of the goals of the Charter and of its human rights precepts.
Article 28 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights offers an important concept as we look to the international order of the future. It states that everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms contained in the Universal Declaration can be realized.
What the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights give us is a vision of a world in which all countries would be grounded in good governance, democracy, the rule of law, and respect for human rights. Societies would be shaped and governed so as to help achieve the fundamental rights of every human being. International cooperation would emphasize this rights-based approach. Respect for fundamental human rights would be an imperative for all governments, all organizations, and all organs of society.
If one studies the experience of the United Nations since its establishment with regard to development cooperation and the quest for decent life chances for all human beings, one would see as a central concept the principle of equality of opportunity for development for all human beings regardless of where they are. Equality of opportunity for development is the core foundation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and of the United Nations Declaration on the Right to Development. Equality of opportunity for development was central to the GATT regime, to the various regimes of trade preferences, and should be a key objective of the World Trade Organization.
It is these important perspectives that I wish to bring to this Conference today: that we must pursue strategies of governance that aim to give everyone decent life chances and that seek to assure realization of fundamental human rights, economic, social and cultural as well as civil and political; that equality of opportunity for development must be an imperative principle of international cooperation; and that, through individual and joint action, the international community must strive to implement the International Bill of Human Rights.
The United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has submitted an important statement on poverty and human rights to this Conference. In its statement, the Committee recalls that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the two International Covenants on Human Rights all emphasize the importance of freedom from want.
The Committee underlines that international human rights provide a framework of norms or rules upon which detailed global, national and community-level poverty eradication policies can be constructed:
“While poverty raises complex multi-sectoral issues that are not amenable to simple solutions, the application of the international human rights normative framework to these issues helps to ensure that essential elements of anti-poverty strategies, such as non-discrimination, equality, participation, and accountability, receive the sustained attention they deserve.”
The Committee adds that non-discrimination and equality are integral elements of the international human rights normative framework. Sometimes poverty arises when people are unable to access existing resources because of who they are, what they believe, or where they live. Discrimination may cause poverty, just as poverty may cause discrimination.
On Monday, 7 May 2001, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights organized a path-breaking consultation on the role of economic, social and cultural rights in the development activities of international institutions. Based on the ideas advanced at the consultation, I plan to organize in the near future a workshop to identify, in very precise and practical terms, how to integrate human rights into poverty reduction strategies and programmes. I am also seeking to encourage HIPC States to seek technical advice and assistance regarding the integration of human rights into their poverty reduction strategies and programmes.
Keeping in mind the considerations I have placed before you, I would like to emphasize the importance and timeliness of this Conference. The 49 countries belonging to the Least Developed Country category represent some of the poorest and most vulnerable of the international community. Their position is characterized by serious disadvantages: limited productive capacity, poor access to services and resources, an acute susceptibility to external economic shocks, man-made and natural disasters. Ten years after the last LDCs conference and the adoption of the Paris Declaration and Programme of Action, development performance has remained elusive for a significant number of LDCs. Indeed, the level of development has actually declined in some cases, and regrettably, there are more LDCs now than at the time of the first conference.
As I indicated, a strong culture of human rights, including democratic systems and respect for the rule of law, is the only sure basis for peace, security and long-term prosperity. I firmly believe that a rights-based approach to development holds out the best prospects for improving the lot of the LDCs in all respects – civil, cultural, economic, political and social.
There has been progress on the normative front. Over the past decade there has been a marked increase in the number of ratifications of core human rights treaties by LDCs. Ratifications of the two Covenants have increased by more than 50 per cent, as have ratifications of the Convention against Torture and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. All but one of the LDCs have signed the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
But there can be no doubt that formidable challenges face LDCs in terms of implementing the provisions of these treaties. As well as the task of translating commitments into reality - which all countries face, there have been a worryingly large number of conflicts over the past decade with widespread human rights violations and, in some cases, disastrous effects on development prospects.
Respect for human rights and the rule of law are necessary components of any effort to secure peace and to put a country on a path to sustainable development. What can governments do to achieve this? One approach which I recommend is the development through an inclusive process involving both government and civil society of a national plan of action for human rights. This can be a valuable framework for advancing the ratification of human rights treaties, reviewing and amending legislation to ensure that human rights are adequately protected, promoting human rights training of judges, police officers, lawyers and prison officials, and human rights education in the broadest sense.
The establishment of credible, independent and impartial national human rights institutions can also be a significant confidence-building measure, and should be reinforced by the encouragement of the role of non-governmental human rights organizations and institutions.
My Office is at the disposal of Governments to help and advise in all of these areas, through our technical cooperation and advisory programmes and through the HURIST programme aimed at capacity-building in the field of human rights which we operate together with UNDP.
Chairperson,
Development is one of the keys to prevention of conflict, and to elimination of poverty. Development is also a human right. One of the most important texts in the human rights lexicon is the Declaration on the Right to Development. The right to development, which has been defined as “the right to participate in, contribute to and enjoy economic, social, cultural and political development”, has been reaffirmed by the international community on numerous occasions, for example at Vienna in 1993, and again at Copenhagen in 1995. In the Millennium Declaration, the Heads of State and Government committed themselves “to making the right to development a reality for everyone and to freeing the entire human race from want”.
This fundamental right envisages development as "a comprehensive economic, social, cultural and political process, which aims at the constant improvement of the well-being of the entire population and of all individuals on the basis of their active, free and meaningful participation in development and in the fair distribution of benefits resulting therefrom". One tangible step which could be taken at this conference would be to recommit ourselves to promoting the right to development, to achieving better clarity and broader consensus on its requirements for implementation, to reducing the controversy that has surrounded it in international discourse, and to working for its realization by all peoples.
Chairperson,
Enabling the LDCs to attain their full potential is a global responsibility. National Governments have the primary duty to pursue the path of development but the international community also has duties and obligations to assist the LDCs through international cooperation.
- I call on developed countries to halt the slide in Official Development Assistance and to be true development partners for the Least Developed Countries. A concrete step would be to meet the target already agreed in 1990 of providing at least 0.2 per cent of GNP as ODA to LDCs;
- I call on developed countries to make particular efforts to assist LDCs in meeting the international development targets agreed at the Millennium Summit. In this regard, I note that, if UNCTAD’s prognosis holds true, there is little hope for LDCs to reach these targets unless there is substantial increase in development aid;
- Access to markets is every bit as important for the LDCs as resource transfers. It is argued by some that “free trade will promote democracy”. But that requires that trade be truly free. The LDCs have heard many promises over the years but have too often found that, in practice, access to markets has been denied. I applaud the initiative of the European Union to open up markets to LDC products under the “everything but arms” programme. This is a positive step forward.
- I urge that the impact of globalization be taken into account in assessing the situation of LDCs. Trade liberalization has accelerated the free movement of goods and services and has brought benefits to the richer countries. But the benefits have yet to be enjoyed by the least developed countries. In some respects their condition has worsened. An example is the way in which globalization has intensified the movement of people across borders as many seek to escape dire poverty. For them, the choice is often between poverty at home, or discrimination abroad. A concrete step would be for more countries to ratify the 1990 International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families so that it can enter into force.
Chairperson,
Human rights – and development – are about people. If the Programme of Action that emerges here is to provide a realistic framework for cooperation for the sustainable development of LDCs, it must focus on people, and on their rights. Building human capacities – be they food, health, education or shelter – are not matters of investment choices, but of rights.
I regret that so little reference is made to human rights in the draft Programme of Action – and such references as there are still remain to be agreed. I call on all Governments to recognize the fundamental place of human rights in this important framework for development for the LDCs in the coming decade.
I call upon LDCs and their development partners to ensure that, in implementing the Programme of Action at the country level, the rights of the people, and particularly of poor and vulnerable groups, are protected and fully mainstreamed into development policies and programmes.
The achievement of human development in LDCs requires individuals to enjoy the full ambit of their human rights, personal freedoms, opportunities and choices. This in turn requires a supportive national environment based on the rule of law and good governance, as well as the laws, policies, institutions, infrastructure and services to support the full integration of the vulnerable groups in the development processes. A human rights approach to development can serve as the foundation on which the empowerment of individuals to achieve their full potential can be realized.
Chairperson,
At the heart of this conference is the one vital goal: to improve the lives and raise the standard of living of the millions who live in the Least Developed Countries. That means recognizing their right to be free from hunger, sickness and want and all the ills that accompany dire poverty. I have made my position very clear – poverty is a denial of human rights. You have only to consider the amount spent on health in LDCs - an average of $11 per person per year, compared with $100 for other developing countries and $1,700 for OECD countries – to realize the devastating impact of poverty. The poor are acutely aware of the indivisibility of human rights.
Let me conclude by quoting the words of the Secretary-General, Kofi Annan:
“Wherever we lift one soul from a life of poverty, we are defending human rights. And whenever we fail in this mission, we are failing human rights".
Thank you.
the Least Developed Countries,
Brussels, Belgium, 14 May 2001
General Segment
Statement by
Mary Robinson,
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
and Secretary-General,
World Conference against Racism,
Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia
and Related Intolerance
Chairperson, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen,
At the start of the twenty-first century, the international community as a whole is seeking to fashion a world order in which all human beings would have decent life chances and the opportunity to grow and develop in freedom and equality and to the fullness of their potential. The United Nations Charter provides a vision of peace grounded in respect for human rights and economic and social progress. The principle of equality runs throughout the Charter. So does the principle of international cooperation for the realization of the goals of the Charter and of its human rights precepts.
Article 28 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights offers an important concept as we look to the international order of the future. It states that everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms contained in the Universal Declaration can be realized.
What the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights give us is a vision of a world in which all countries would be grounded in good governance, democracy, the rule of law, and respect for human rights. Societies would be shaped and governed so as to help achieve the fundamental rights of every human being. International cooperation would emphasize this rights-based approach. Respect for fundamental human rights would be an imperative for all governments, all organizations, and all organs of society.
If one studies the experience of the United Nations since its establishment with regard to development cooperation and the quest for decent life chances for all human beings, one would see as a central concept the principle of equality of opportunity for development for all human beings regardless of where they are. Equality of opportunity for development is the core foundation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and of the United Nations Declaration on the Right to Development. Equality of opportunity for development was central to the GATT regime, to the various regimes of trade preferences, and should be a key objective of the World Trade Organization.
It is these important perspectives that I wish to bring to this Conference today: that we must pursue strategies of governance that aim to give everyone decent life chances and that seek to assure realization of fundamental human rights, economic, social and cultural as well as civil and political; that equality of opportunity for development must be an imperative principle of international cooperation; and that, through individual and joint action, the international community must strive to implement the International Bill of Human Rights.
The United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has submitted an important statement on poverty and human rights to this Conference. In its statement, the Committee recalls that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the two International Covenants on Human Rights all emphasize the importance of freedom from want.
The Committee underlines that international human rights provide a framework of norms or rules upon which detailed global, national and community-level poverty eradication policies can be constructed:
“While poverty raises complex multi-sectoral issues that are not amenable to simple solutions, the application of the international human rights normative framework to these issues helps to ensure that essential elements of anti-poverty strategies, such as non-discrimination, equality, participation, and accountability, receive the sustained attention they deserve.”
The Committee adds that non-discrimination and equality are integral elements of the international human rights normative framework. Sometimes poverty arises when people are unable to access existing resources because of who they are, what they believe, or where they live. Discrimination may cause poverty, just as poverty may cause discrimination.
On Monday, 7 May 2001, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights organized a path-breaking consultation on the role of economic, social and cultural rights in the development activities of international institutions. Based on the ideas advanced at the consultation, I plan to organize in the near future a workshop to identify, in very precise and practical terms, how to integrate human rights into poverty reduction strategies and programmes. I am also seeking to encourage HIPC States to seek technical advice and assistance regarding the integration of human rights into their poverty reduction strategies and programmes.
Keeping in mind the considerations I have placed before you, I would like to emphasize the importance and timeliness of this Conference. The 49 countries belonging to the Least Developed Country category represent some of the poorest and most vulnerable of the international community. Their position is characterized by serious disadvantages: limited productive capacity, poor access to services and resources, an acute susceptibility to external economic shocks, man-made and natural disasters. Ten years after the last LDCs conference and the adoption of the Paris Declaration and Programme of Action, development performance has remained elusive for a significant number of LDCs. Indeed, the level of development has actually declined in some cases, and regrettably, there are more LDCs now than at the time of the first conference.
As I indicated, a strong culture of human rights, including democratic systems and respect for the rule of law, is the only sure basis for peace, security and long-term prosperity. I firmly believe that a rights-based approach to development holds out the best prospects for improving the lot of the LDCs in all respects – civil, cultural, economic, political and social.
There has been progress on the normative front. Over the past decade there has been a marked increase in the number of ratifications of core human rights treaties by LDCs. Ratifications of the two Covenants have increased by more than 50 per cent, as have ratifications of the Convention against Torture and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. All but one of the LDCs have signed the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
But there can be no doubt that formidable challenges face LDCs in terms of implementing the provisions of these treaties. As well as the task of translating commitments into reality - which all countries face, there have been a worryingly large number of conflicts over the past decade with widespread human rights violations and, in some cases, disastrous effects on development prospects.
Respect for human rights and the rule of law are necessary components of any effort to secure peace and to put a country on a path to sustainable development. What can governments do to achieve this? One approach which I recommend is the development through an inclusive process involving both government and civil society of a national plan of action for human rights. This can be a valuable framework for advancing the ratification of human rights treaties, reviewing and amending legislation to ensure that human rights are adequately protected, promoting human rights training of judges, police officers, lawyers and prison officials, and human rights education in the broadest sense.
The establishment of credible, independent and impartial national human rights institutions can also be a significant confidence-building measure, and should be reinforced by the encouragement of the role of non-governmental human rights organizations and institutions.
My Office is at the disposal of Governments to help and advise in all of these areas, through our technical cooperation and advisory programmes and through the HURIST programme aimed at capacity-building in the field of human rights which we operate together with UNDP.
Chairperson,
Development is one of the keys to prevention of conflict, and to elimination of poverty. Development is also a human right. One of the most important texts in the human rights lexicon is the Declaration on the Right to Development. The right to development, which has been defined as “the right to participate in, contribute to and enjoy economic, social, cultural and political development”, has been reaffirmed by the international community on numerous occasions, for example at Vienna in 1993, and again at Copenhagen in 1995. In the Millennium Declaration, the Heads of State and Government committed themselves “to making the right to development a reality for everyone and to freeing the entire human race from want”.
This fundamental right envisages development as "a comprehensive economic, social, cultural and political process, which aims at the constant improvement of the well-being of the entire population and of all individuals on the basis of their active, free and meaningful participation in development and in the fair distribution of benefits resulting therefrom". One tangible step which could be taken at this conference would be to recommit ourselves to promoting the right to development, to achieving better clarity and broader consensus on its requirements for implementation, to reducing the controversy that has surrounded it in international discourse, and to working for its realization by all peoples.
Chairperson,
Enabling the LDCs to attain their full potential is a global responsibility. National Governments have the primary duty to pursue the path of development but the international community also has duties and obligations to assist the LDCs through international cooperation.
- I call on developed countries to halt the slide in Official Development Assistance and to be true development partners for the Least Developed Countries. A concrete step would be to meet the target already agreed in 1990 of providing at least 0.2 per cent of GNP as ODA to LDCs;
- I call on developed countries to make particular efforts to assist LDCs in meeting the international development targets agreed at the Millennium Summit. In this regard, I note that, if UNCTAD’s prognosis holds true, there is little hope for LDCs to reach these targets unless there is substantial increase in development aid;
- Access to markets is every bit as important for the LDCs as resource transfers. It is argued by some that “free trade will promote democracy”. But that requires that trade be truly free. The LDCs have heard many promises over the years but have too often found that, in practice, access to markets has been denied. I applaud the initiative of the European Union to open up markets to LDC products under the “everything but arms” programme. This is a positive step forward.
- I urge that the impact of globalization be taken into account in assessing the situation of LDCs. Trade liberalization has accelerated the free movement of goods and services and has brought benefits to the richer countries. But the benefits have yet to be enjoyed by the least developed countries. In some respects their condition has worsened. An example is the way in which globalization has intensified the movement of people across borders as many seek to escape dire poverty. For them, the choice is often between poverty at home, or discrimination abroad. A concrete step would be for more countries to ratify the 1990 International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families so that it can enter into force.
Chairperson,
Human rights – and development – are about people. If the Programme of Action that emerges here is to provide a realistic framework for cooperation for the sustainable development of LDCs, it must focus on people, and on their rights. Building human capacities – be they food, health, education or shelter – are not matters of investment choices, but of rights.
I regret that so little reference is made to human rights in the draft Programme of Action – and such references as there are still remain to be agreed. I call on all Governments to recognize the fundamental place of human rights in this important framework for development for the LDCs in the coming decade.
I call upon LDCs and their development partners to ensure that, in implementing the Programme of Action at the country level, the rights of the people, and particularly of poor and vulnerable groups, are protected and fully mainstreamed into development policies and programmes.
The achievement of human development in LDCs requires individuals to enjoy the full ambit of their human rights, personal freedoms, opportunities and choices. This in turn requires a supportive national environment based on the rule of law and good governance, as well as the laws, policies, institutions, infrastructure and services to support the full integration of the vulnerable groups in the development processes. A human rights approach to development can serve as the foundation on which the empowerment of individuals to achieve their full potential can be realized.
Chairperson,
At the heart of this conference is the one vital goal: to improve the lives and raise the standard of living of the millions who live in the Least Developed Countries. That means recognizing their right to be free from hunger, sickness and want and all the ills that accompany dire poverty. I have made my position very clear – poverty is a denial of human rights. You have only to consider the amount spent on health in LDCs - an average of $11 per person per year, compared with $100 for other developing countries and $1,700 for OECD countries – to realize the devastating impact of poverty. The poor are acutely aware of the indivisibility of human rights.
Let me conclude by quoting the words of the Secretary-General, Kofi Annan:
“Wherever we lift one soul from a life of poverty, we are defending human rights. And whenever we fail in this mission, we are failing human rights".
Thank you.