MEDIA ADVISORY
High-level Meeting to Commemorate 30th Anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development
UNITED NATIONS, New York, 21 September 2016 — The United Nations Declaration on the Right to Development establishes development as a right and puts people at the centre of the development process. Adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 4 December 1986, the Declaration proclaims that everyone is “entitled to participate in, contribute to, and enjoy economic, social, cultural and political development, in which all human rights and fundamental freedoms can be fully realized.”
The year 2016 marks the Declaration’s 30th anniversary. This historic document remains very relevant in guiding our responses to a series of contemporary issues and challenges, including combating climate change, achieving sustainable development, reforming the global trade and financial system, including the reformation of the international financial institutions and addressing international trade governance issues without harming developmental efforts, as well as addressing democratic deficits and inequalities within and among countries.
A one-day High Level Plenary Event to Commemorate 30th Anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development will take place on 22 September, from 10:00am to 6:00pm, in the Trusteeship Council in UNHQ, New York. The primary objective of the event is to build common ground on how the international community defines and understands the right to development. The High Level Plenary Event also aims to identify how efforts to fulfil the right to development can be fortified in the future by building synergies and coherence with mutual and consensual understanding of the right to development based on the experience of progress and challenges in the last 30 years.
Opening remarks will be delivered by the President of the UN General Assembly, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Secretary-General of UNCTAD. This will be followed by a General Debate
WHAT One-day High Level Plenary Event to Commemorate the 30th Anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development
WHEN September 22, 2016, 10:00am-6:00pm
WHERE Trusteeship Council Chamber, United Nations HQ, New York
Hashtags #RightToDevelopment #Right2Development #right2dev
Watch live at webtv.un.org
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Media contacts
Office of President of the UN General Assembly
Tomas Pico picot@un.org | Tel: +1 646 763 3709
Dan Thomas daniel.thomas@un.org | Tel: +1 917 225 1913