UN officials, diplomats call for stronger cooperation on right to development

UN officials and diplomats on Friday called for stronger international cooperation and concrete action to advance the right to development as they gathered at UN headquarters in New York to mark the 40th anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Right to Development.

"Development should be put front and center on the international agenda," said Sun Lei, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, warning that implementation of the 2030 Agenda is "woefully behind schedule and the North-South gap keeps widening".

"Development has become politicized and pushed to the margins when it is needed most. Divisions and confrontation are being fueled when solidarity is more critical than ever," Sun said.

He called for renewed partnerships, a more equitable international economic and financial architecture, and greater cooperation on technology transfer and innovation.

"Without development, there would be no human rights to speak of, nor could any enjoyment of rights be sustainable," he said.

Sun called for recognizing and defending the right to development, reinvigorating partnerships for development, improving the environment for development, and fostering new drivers of development.

He highlighted China's Global Development Initiative, which he said has mobilized more than $23 billion in funding and supported over 1,800 projects benefiting communities in more than 120 countries.

The event was co-organized by China's Permanent Mission to the UN and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Claudia Fuentes Julio, UN assistant secretary-general for human rights, warned that mounting debt burdens are undermining development opportunities worldwide.

"Today, 3.7 billion people, or nearly half of the global population, live in countries that spend more on servicing external debt than on health or education," she said.

"When resources are diverted from essential public services, the consequences are ultimately borne by people. Educational opportunities diminish, health systems weaken and social protection erodes."

She said developing countries face disproportionately high borrowing costs and have limited influence in international economic governance.

"Development is not simply about economic growth. It is about ensuring that the benefits of development are shared fairly and equitably," she said.

Bjorg Sandkjaer, UN assistant secretary-general for policy coordination at the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, echoed concerns over persistent inequalities.

"Today, the world's richest 1 percent own more wealth than 95 percent of humanity combined, and two-thirds of the world's population live in countries where income inequality has grown since the 1990s," she said.

Sandkjaer also welcomed China's GDI, saying its emphasis on development, a people-centered approach and practical cooperation "aligns closely with the right to development and the 2030 Agenda".

"The challenge, as always, is to translate those shared principles into sustained action and tangible improvements in people's lives," she said.

Godfrey Kwoba, Uganda's charge d'affaires and chair of the Non-Aligned Movement's Coordinating Bureau, called for moving "from reaffirmation and words to implementation".

"The principles contained in the Declaration must be translated into practical policies and actions at the national, regional and international levels," he said.

Kwoba reiterated the movement's support for a legally binding international instrument on the right to development, saying constructive engagement by all countries would be essential.

Adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1986, the Declaration on the Right to Development recognizes development as an inalienable human right.