The activities related to economic and social rights, and especially the right to fair distribution of income, cannot be considered at the national level exclusively. In this connection, the requirement foreseen in the Universal Declaration, in its article 28, of an international order in which human rights for all can be fully realized, should be evoked. Likewise, the Declaration on the Right to Development provides, in its article 3, that States have the primary responsibility for the creation of national and international conditions favourable to the realization of the right to development and that States have the duty to cooperate with each other in ensuring development and eliminating obstacles to development. Moreover, in article 4, the Declaration provides that States have the duty to take steps, individually and collectively, to formulate international development policies with a view to facilitating the full realization of the right to development.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights is specifically charged with promoting and protecting the realization of the right to development and enhancing support from relevant bodies of the UN system for this purpose. This mandate is placed firmly within the perspective of the World Conference, which clearly announced the interdependent, interrelated and indivisible nature of all human rights, and called for action at the national and international levels to promote and protect those rights.
In order to provide direction and focus to the implementation of his mandate in this area the High Commissioner is undertaking the formulation of a strategy for the implementation of the right to development and the protection of cultural, economic, and social rights. This will be done in consultation with the organizations, agencies, programmes, bodies and organs involved in the various aspects of the subject and will include: cooperation with the agencies and treaty-based bodies, especially the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and experts of the Sub-Commission in order to identify ways of improving implementation of the right to development and cultural, economic, and social rights; consideration of the application of findings and recommendations made by the Working Group on the Right to Development; concluding the preparation of the procedures to enable communications to be made concerning cultural, economic, and social rights; pilot projects to implement the right to development and cultural, economic, and social rights; promotion of the right to development and cultural, economic and social rights at the national level; and identification of the international action necessary to promote the right to development. Cooperation with international/regional finance and development organizations and with the regional economic commissions will be an important part of the strategy. In its resolution 49/183, the General Assembly expressed its support for the current initiatives of the High Commissioner to consult with all relevant bodies, funds, programmes and specialized agencies of the UN system on how they may promote the right to development.
An other important part of the strategy will be the translation of the multidimensional concept of the right to development to the national level. Here, the UN advisory services and technical assistance programme in the field of human rights has an important role to play. Criteria can be elaborated which could be applied in needs assessment country missions to identify areas where assistance focusing on cultural, economic, and social rights and the right to development might be suggested. Model projects in this area to provide a basis for decision, a roster of experts, and a manual on promoting the right to development could be developed. Training programmes at the national and local levels addressed to policy makers, parliamentarians and others whose decisions affect human rights could be designed to raise awareness of the interdependent nature of human rights and social and economic development activities. Finally, concrete projects supporting popular participation may be proposed.
The results of the dialogue established within the Administrative Committee on Coordination concerning the development of indicators of progress in human rights and the assessment of the impact of the strategies and policies of the various agencies and programmes on the enjoyment of all human rights will play an important role in promoting the right to development and cultural, economic and social rights. In addition, a senior-level meeting of experts will be convened to evaluate results achieved in the implementation of cultural, economic, and social rights. These measures will be carried out in the context of the Secretary-General's Agenda for Development.
It is essential to give high priority to promoting cultural, economic, and social rights and the right to development as areas which have not always received adequate attention. The High Commissioner has participated in two sessions of the Working Group on the Right to Development of the Commission on Human Rights and met with the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to present his views on these matters. The High Commissioner is also following closely the implementation of the Commission's request for high-level consultations with heads of state or government, heads of multilateral financial institutions, specialized agencies and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations on adequate measures to be implemented to find a durable solution to the debt crises of the developing countries.
Protecting cultural, economic, and social rights is particularly important during periods of structural adjustment and during transitions to market economies. Too often basic rights such as those to health, food, shelter and education receive insufficient protection and the victims are often children. This is a matter which government policy makers and parliaments in particular should keep in mind.