Intergovernmental Working Group continues work to develop a draft Convention on the Right to Development

The UN Convention on the Right to Development is a multilateral framework currently being negotiated by the UN General Assembly Human Rights Council and drafted by a tasked drafting committee. It stems from the 1986 UN Declaration on the Right to Development, which establishes development as a right and puts people at the centre of the development process.

In 2016, the Human Rights Council tasked the Special Rapporteur with contributing practical guidance for realizing this goal at local, national, regional, and international levels. In 2018, the Human Rights Council voted by majority to adopt Resolution 39/9 to develop “a draft legally binding instrument on the right to development.” In 2020, they published a draft Convention on the Right to Development, building on existing international legal instruments. The new multilateral framework will aim to make it a binding human right, with both developed and developing countries being held to compliance standards.

The Intergovernmental Working Group on the Right to Development held its 23rd session from May 16 to May 20, 2022, where it continued reviewing progress made to implement a right to development. This session included an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur and the Chair of the Expert Mechanism on the right to development. It focused on the consideration of the revised draft convention, with commentaries, and on the way forward for its adoption. The report on the session will be submitted to the 51st session of the Human Rights Council in September 2022.