For far too long, the debate on human rights has been dominated by the assumption that human rights are all about civil and political rights, while development is all about economic growth. This is not the case. Combating poverty is one of the most important human rights challenges we are facing. Most of the industrialized world has turned a blind eye to this important fact.

Human development is "the process of expanding people's choices"; this UN-definition should guide all our efforts. Human rights are an integral part of such a process. They are indeed a precondition for development. Expanding people's choices means respecting people's rights -- all of them. This is what development is all about.

While Western countries have often focused on civil and political rights, many developing countries have been more concerned with social, economic and cultural rights. However, it is not a question of either/or. One might rightly say that certain human rights are of little value to people who are starving and in need. The struggle for human rights is basically about human dignity, about individual human beings, about protecting the individual against oppression and exploitation, poverty and injustice, marginalization and degradation.

Consider primary health and education. No investment is more important than an investment in these areas, in human capital. No investment yields a higher return. Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights addresses the need for "food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services"; in the next article of the Declaration, the right to education is explicitly defined in terms of availability, accessibility, content and parental rights. I know of no major development programme that does not also seek to implement this human right. World Bank studies show that educating girls is the single most profitable investment of all. Investing in girls' education means higher productivity, lower infant and maternal mortality, and lower fertility rates. Educating women means educating the whole family.

Only healthy children can fully benefit from schooling. Only healthy adults can realize their full potential in the service of their families and communities.

Health is essential for choice. Illness breeds dependency and diminishes everyone's possibilities. It is an obstacle to development.

Indeed, when conducted in the right way, poverty-oriented development -- almost by definition -- enhances economic, social and cultural rights.

Development projects are more often successful and achieve better results in countries where civil rights are respected. Where authorities act in a responsible manner, inhabitants enjoy legal protection, and there is room for criticism and scrutiny. Enhanced respect for political and civil rights will often reduce tension in society and stimulate economic development.They are in fact mutually reinforcing.

The United Nations plays a pivotal role in the progressive development of human rights. Economic, social and cultural rights are prominent on the agenda of the Human Rights Commission. The Declaration on the Right to Development, adopted by the General Assembly in 1986, links the right of peoples and nations to economic development to respect for the individual citizen's civil and political rights. Reform of the development system within the United Nations underscores the importance of mainstreaming human rights into all UN activities. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, at this year's session of the Commission, said: "promotion and defence of human rights is at the heart of every aspect of our work and every article of our Charter."

In October last year, I had the pleasure of co-hosting, together with the High Commissioner of Human Rights, Ms. Mary Robinson, and the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, Mr. Gus Speth, a seminar on human rights and development in Oslo. It brought together leading figures in the development and human rights fields from all over the world, meeting as individuals for a frank and open discussion on ways of promoting a better understanding of the interdependence of two concepts. Now, there are follow-up initiatives under way. informed by the awareness that Human rights constitute an integrated and mutually reinforcing whole. Development means respecting people's human rights -- all of them; every single one of them. This is the task we must embark upon.