Joint Statement Delivered by H.E. Ambassador Chen Xu at the Interactive Dialogue with the Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development at the 48th Session of the Human Rights Council
2021-09-16 21:57

Madam President,

I have the honor to speak on behalf of over 50 countries. We appreciate the work the Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development has done on the realization of the right to development.

The right to development is a universal and inalienablehuman right. At present, the global realization of the right to development is far below expectation. The COVID-19pandemic has severely impacted the economic and social development and people’s livelihood of all countries, developing countries in particular, exacerbated inequality and brought new challenges to the realization of the right to development.

In the face ofthese challenges, we should pursue people-centred development andmeetpeople’s aspiration for a better life. We should give priority to development, step up efforts on poverty eradication and inequality elimination and guarantee people’s livelihood so as to ensure that development gains are enjoyed on a larger scale and in a more equitable way by all members of the society. We should respect the development pathindependently chosen by each country,and seek common prosperity through equal-footed and mutually beneficial cooperation. We should enhance international development cooperation in the spirit of openness and inclusiveness in order to bridge development gaps and achieve common development of all countries. We should highlight innovation and pursue green development to provide strong support for global sustainable development. The international community should provide unconditional necessary support to developing countries and safeguard their legitimate development rights and interests, so that the realization of the 2030 Agenda can be accelerated on the basis of cultural background and national circumstances of countries.

We call uponthe UN human rights bodies, including the Human Rights Council and the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights, to prioritize the right to development and mainstream it in the UN system.

We support the Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development in continuingto function actively and playing a greater role in promoting the effective realization of the right to development on a global scale.

Thank you, Madam President.