Special Rapporteur on the right to development

Purpose of the mandate

More than 30 years after the adoption of the Declaration on the Right to Development, billions of people in all parts of the world have been left behind and are yet to see their right to development realised.

The 2015 Millennium Development Goals’ report indicated that 800 million people still lived in extreme poverty and suffered from hunger. In 2015, over 160 million children under age five still suffered the consequences of malnutrition. Almost fifty percent of global workers were still working in vulnerable conditions. Today, over 880 million people are estimated to be living in slum-like conditions in cities across the developing world.

About the mandate

The Human Rights Council, in its resolution 33/14 of 29 September 2016, established the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the right to development. Mr. Saad Alfarargi was appointed Special Rapporteur for a period of three years and took up his functions on 1 May 2017.

As part of his mandate, the Special Rapporteur contributes practical guidance for the effective realisation of the right to development at local, national, regional and international levels. He also participates in integrating human rights in development work as well as representing the right to development in the 2030 sustainable development agenda.

Learn more about the history of the mandate

Current mandate holder

Mr Surya Deva

Mr Surya Deva took up the role of the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to development on 1 May 2023. Deva is a Professor at the Macquarie Law School and Director of the Centre for Environmental Law at Macquarie University, Australia. He conducts research in the areas of business and human rights, comparative constitutional law, international human rights law, sustainable development, climate change, and gender equality. Deva served as a member of the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights (2016-22). He has advised UN agencies, governments, national human rights institutions, multinational corporations, trade unions and civil society organisations on issues related to business and human rights.

Read Mr Surya Deva’s full biography

Calls for Input

Call for input for the 2024 reports by Special Rapporteur on the right to development

Deadline:

29 February 2024

Manpreet Testing OH 5752-1

Deadline:

02 February 2024

Call for inputs: Country Visit to Vietnam

Deadline:

30 October 2023

See all

Key documents

Special Rapporteur on the right to development - Climate Action and the Right to Development: a Participatory Approach (POLICY BRIEF)

This document examines the relationship between the right to development and climate change, notes the challenges that developing countries continue to face owing to limited participation, access to information, accountability and remedies, funding and technology and provides recommendations for furthering the right to development and for combating climate change.

Special Rapporteur on the Right to Development - An introduction to the mandate

This document provides an overview of the role of the Special Rapporteur for the right to development, the challenges involved and his plan for the mandate. It also gives a summary of the human rights aspect of development.

Special Rapporteur on the Right to Development - Guidelines and Recommendations on the Practical Implementation of the Right to Development