Mr. Chairman,
The Declaration on the
Right to Development adopted by the General Assembly in 1986
is a significant international instrument on human rights.
It stipulates that the right to development is an
inalienable human right and that states have the primary
responsibility for the creation of national and
international conditions favorable to the realization of
this right and have the duty to co-operate with each other
eliminating obstacles to development so as to facilitate the
full realization of the right to
development.
Mr.
Chairman,
Although globalization has brought
new opportunities to mankind, its benefits for the people of
various countries are far from even, with the gap between
the rich and poor widening even further. The imbalance of
development has become more serious in the world, and the
developing countries are confronted with special
difficulties in dealing with globalization. In the past
decade, the number of LDCs has increased from 36 to 48. In
view of the growing interdependence among countries, the
realization of the right to development not only has a
bearing on the enjoyment of human rights in the developing
counties, but also has far-reaching consequences for
international peace and prosperity. If nothing is done to
narrow the yawning gap between the north and the south,
poverty will eventually undermine the overall order of the
human society. The international community should pay due
attention to this issue and take practical actions earnestly
in this regard.
In order to realize the right
to development, all countries should, under the guidance of
the principles and purposes of the UN Charter, respect the
principle of the state sovereignty and equality, recognize
the diversified nature of the world, respect the right of
every country to choose its social system and path of
development on its own initiative and in the light of its
specific national conditions, and ensure common development
of different nationalities and civilizations. In the new
century, various countries should promote the
democratization of international relations, establish a fair
and equitable international political and economic order,
and guarantee the right of equal participation of developing
countries in the decision-making of global economic affairs.
The international community should also create a favorable
international environment for development through various
measures such as adjusting the system of international
financial institutions, opening up of the markets of
developed countries to developing countries, and the
expansion of trade with and the transfer of new and high
tech to the latter. At the same time, the developed
countries should pay close attention to the special
difficulties of the developing countries and actively engage
in international cooperation. They should adopt measures
such as the provision of ODA and debt relief to help the
developing countries develop their economy, eliminate
poverty as early as possible and realize the right to
subsistence and development.
Mr.
Chairman,
We have noted with satisfaction that
since his appointment as independent expert on the right to
development, Dr. Sengupta has conducted comprehensively
theoretic studies on this issue and has submitted three
reports to the Working Group on the Right to Development. On
the basis of reality, he has made specific recommendations
including the concept of a “development compact
” on cooperation through national and international
efforts in order to promote the full realization of the
right to development. In our view, his enlightening
recommendations merit attention and further discussion. We
should like to express our appreciation of his
efforts.
In the past year, the Wording Group on
the Right to Development has held two sessions and has
submitted a report to the Commission. We are impressed by
the rich experience and knowledge of Ambassador Dembri,
Chairman of the working group, and would like to express our
appreciation of his efforts to promote progress in the work
of the Working Group. We are glad to note that members of he
Working Group have reached more common ground on the
significance of the realization of the right to development
and that discussion on this issue is proceeding further in
depth. At the same time, we feel concerned and disappointed
with the fact that certain countries denied the right to
development and resorted to various pretexts to obstruct the
adoption of the conclusions at the 2nd session of the
Working Group. In order to ensure effective promotion and
implementation of the Declaration on the Right to
Development, the Chinese government supports the request of
developing countries for the establishment of an effective
follow-up mechanism of the Commission as well as the
extension of the mandates for the Working Group and the
independent expert.
Mr.
Chairman,
At the millennium summit, the leader
of all countries made the solemn commitment to eradicate
poverty and promote the realization of the right to
development through international cooperation. We hope this
commitment will become a reality at an early
date.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
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