Development as a Right: Unpacking Principles and Practices — Surya Deva

The right to development enables individuals and communities to actively participate in and benefit from various forms of development — economic, social, cultural, and political — while ensuring their human rights and freedoms. It involves a range of responsibilities, including the roles of states, multinational companies, NGOs, businesses, and educational institutions. Central to this right are principles of self-determination, intersectionality, intergenerational equity, and fair distribution, aiming for inclusive, diverse, and sustainable development. The shift towards a rights-based development framework is evident in initiatives like the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Bridgetown Initiative. Additionally, the role of businesses in this context is guided by frameworks like the UN Global Compact and the Business and Human Rights Guiding Principles, moving beyond the traditional "do no harm" approach. Despite its significance, the right to development faces challenges and legal critiques regarding its implementation and necessity.

Surya Deva is the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to development and a Professor of Law and Director of the Centre for Environmental Law at Macquarie University, Australia. @ProfSuryaDeva @UNSRdevelopment

Resources:

• Declaration on the right to development (1986)
• Reinvigorating the right to development: A vision for the future (report submitted to the Human Rights Council, August 2023)
• Role of business in realizing the right to development (July 2023)

Key highlights

• Introduction – 00:24
• The right to development and its added value– 03:46
• The value of binding conventions versus non-binding declarations– 09:25
• Why the judiciary often prioritizes civil and political rights – 15:16
• Legalization of the right and the role of the courts in upholding binding conventions– 26:18
• Has the definition of the right to development been overly broadened or inflated? – 31:31
• The Global North perspective and the role of businesses – 40:23
  
   

Host:

Professor Dan Banik, 

Centre for Global Sustainability, University of Oslo

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