Opening statement by Mehr Khan Williams, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Sixth session of the Working Group on the Right to Development, 14 February 2005, Palais des Nations

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Distinguished delegates,
Dear colleagues,
Ladies and gentlemen,


I would like to welcome to all of you to this session of the Working Group on the Right to Development.

The work of this group is very important because it will help to determine the kind of world we live in today, and in the future. I feel very privileged to have the opportunity to say a few words at this opening session since I have devoted my adult life to working on development issues. Initially as a journalist in Pakistan, and then as a development worker in UNICEF, I have observed first hand the degrading, and even dehumanising impact of poverty. And of lack of choices. People trapped in desperate and humiliating situations over which they have no control are stripped of their dignity and of hope. On the other hand, I have also seen that when given the means and the opportunities, people can transform not only their own lives but also the future of their communities and nations.

Fortunately, today there is much better understanding of what is important in development than when I began my own involvement in it some thirty years ago. We have now come to realize that while economic development is critical, technology transfers are very important, the success of development efforts can only really be measured by their impact on the lives of people.

We are learning to put people at the heart of the debate and to make them the primary focus of our attention. In my view, this is the essence of the Declaration of the Right to Development. Unless the poorest and most vulnerable people are recognized as actors and are empowered to participate, change will come too slowly and it is likely to be unequal and unjust.


Much more must be done at national level. States have the primary responsibility for their own development. This requires a supportive national environment in which laws, policies, institutions, infrastructure, services and resources, all support the full integration of vulnerable groups in the development process. The recognition in the Declaration on the Right to Development of the indivisibility of civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights further strengthens this notion, making the whole body of human rights an indispensable tool, a foundation for a development agenda that is sustainable, empowering and just.


Thus, while not all issues have been resolved, we must also acknowledge the progress made in a relatively short time. We have come a long way in our intellectual understanding of important issues. In seeking to clarify the right to development and to build consensus on thorny issues, the progress you have made in this group is also remarkable. I would like to pay tribute to Ambassador Salama, and to all of you. A critical factor in this progress has been your focus on practical ways to realize the right to development. The contribution of the high level task force led by Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has been useful


We must continue to build on all your work by continuing to focus on the practical, both nationally and internationally.. Five years ago, the Millennium Summit resolved to “make the right to development a reality for everyone”. A new consensus has emerged in the Millennium Declaration and in the Monterrey Consensus around a “global compact” for poverty reduction, based on global partnerships to implement our collective responsibilities. Later this year, Member States will review progress on their commitments to the poorest people.


The recently released report of the UN Millennium Project, reaffirms that the MDGs are achievable goals and they are important for the realization of human rights. Its key recommendations emphasize both the need to enhance international cooperation for global development as well as the need to secure the fulfilment of human rights through the national MDG-based poverty reduction strategies.


I am aware that the Millennium Development Goals are only one step – albeit a very important one – in implementing the right to development. But they are an important step since they enjoy the moral and political commitment of the international community. Perhaps this Working Group could further reflect on how to substantively contribute to practically meeting the challenge of translating the ambitions of the Millennium Declaration into reality. This could help to implement the principle of accountability, already recognized by this Working Group as key for the realization of the right to development.

The recommendations that you will develop to the Commission during this session of the Working Group, will be very important. Our Office, under the High Commissioner, is committed to providing the highest level of support to this process.

I look forward to following your debate and its recommendations on the way forward.



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