CANADIAN SECRETARY OF STATE CALLS FOR FRANK DISCUSSION OF HUMAN RIGHTS PROBLEMS AT COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS

Press Release
HR/CN/772

CANADIAN SECRETARY OF STATE CALLS FOR FRANK DISCUSSION OF HUMAN RIGHTS PROBLEMS AT COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS

(Reproduced as received.)

GENEVA, 19 March (UN Information Service) -- Frank discussion of human rights situations in specific countries was not an alternative to dialogue, but an essential element of the process, especially in cases where governments denied the existence of problems or challenged the authority of the Commission on Human Rights to consider them, said Canada's Secretary of State for Latin America and Africa this morning.

The official, Christine Stewart, said that during the Commission's forthcoming debate on human rights in all parts of the world, Canada would express its views on a range of situations, like that in Nigeria, whose Government Canada had sought to engage in dialogue, with disappointing results.

Ms. Stewart called for the early completion at the Commission of the draft declaration on human rights defenders, tabled 11 years ago by Canada and Norway. Jan Egeland, State Secretary of Norway, told the Commission the draft instrument was not an endeavour to define new rights and freedoms, but an affirmation of the rights of those persons who strived for the promotion and respect of the rights of others.

Mr. Egeland added that no existing international mechanism had been able to correct the intolerable situation caused by Iran and its fatwa against Salman Rushdie. The time had now come for joint, coordinated international action on this issue; international economic sanctions should be imposed on Iran, he said.

The statements from the officials came as the Commission continued to debate the realization of economic, social and cultural rights and the right to development. This morning the Commission's Special Rapporteur on the adverse effects of the illicit movement and dumping of toxic and dangerous products and wastes on the enjoyment of human rights. The report concludes

that in recent years, there has been a notable increase in the movement of waste from the developed countries to the developing countries in the form of recycling or recovery operations. According to the Special Rapporteur, shortage of time and staff made it impossible, at this stage, to produce a list of the countries and transnational corporation engaged in the illicit dumping of toxic and harmful product and wastes in developing countries.

The Commission also received the first report of Intergovernmental Group of Experts on the Right to Development established last year. The group recommends in the document that the right to development be included in the basic texts which establish, or govern the activities and projects of, United Nations organizations, organs and bodies, as well as international organizations whose mandate relates to the right to development. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund should take account of the right to development in their guiding principles, decision-making criteria and programmes, according to the group.

During the ensuing discussion, a number of speakers charged that not enough attention was paid within the United Nations to the realization of economic, social and cultural rights and the right to development. The representative of China said only one of the 32 Special Rapporteurs appointed by the Commission -- and only six out of 85 resolutions passed during the last session -- dealt with these rights.

Also taking part in the debate were the representatives of the Netherlands, on behalf of the European Union, Japan, South Africa, Cuba and Yemen. The following non-governmental organizations (NGOs) also took the floor: the International Federation of Social Workers, the United Towns Agency for North-South Cooperation, the International Federation Terre des Hommes, the International Federation of Rural Adult Catholic Movements, the Himalayan Research and Cultural Foundation, the International Institute for Non-Aligned Studies and the Centre Europe - Tiers Monde.

The Commission will continue its general debate on these items this afternoon at 3 p.m.

Statement by Secretary of State for Latin America and Africa of Canada

CHRISTINA STEWART, Secretary of State for Latin America and Africa of Canada, said that over the past 50 years, the Commission had presided over a transformation of the common values of humanity -- freedom and democracy, sharing and community -- into internationally recognized norms -- universal standards of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. The task of implementing these norms was complex and must be met by each society in its own way, but the United Nations Charter stated that all governments were pledged to promote "human rights and fundamental freedoms for all".

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The preferred approach to this shared responsibility was one of dialogue and engagement, Ms. STEWART continued. Frank, forthright discussion of specific situations and problems was not an alternative to dialogue, but an essential element of the process, especially in cases where governments denied the existence of problems or challenged the Commission's authority to consider them. Therefore, when the Commission took up its debate on human rights situations in all parts of the world, Canada would participate actively. It would express its views on a range of situations, like that in Nigeria, whose Government Canada had sought, with disappointing results, to engage in dialogue.

The review of specific situations was a matter of obligation -- obligation under the Charter and, above all, obligation to victims of human rights violations, she said. Among these victims were members of non-governmental and other organizations who daily placed their own rights on the line to defend others. Paying tribute to those human right monitors and other who had lost their lives in the past year, she called for the early completion at the Commission of the draft declaration on human rights defenders. In the 11 years since Canada and Norway had tabled the first draft for this declaration, individuals and members of NGOs had come to play an increasingly important role, as an essential front-line force, in promoting and protecting human rights throughout the world.

She added that the Canadian Government had also made the rights of children a priority and strongly supported the work of the Commission on two optional protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child: one on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography; and the other on children in situations of armed conflict. And Canada believed that the Charter's promise of "human rights for all" would not be fulfilled until the rights and full equality of half the world's population, women, were recognized and respected.

The fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights should provide a critical opportunity to respond to the human rights challenges of the new millennium, concluded Ms. STEWART. A crucial milestone on that path would be the creation in 1998 of an effective and independent International Criminal Court.

Statement by State Minister of Norway

JAN EGELAND, State Minister of Norway, said it was unacceptable that only one per cent of the United Nations budget was earmarked for human rights. Norway had increased its contributions to bilateral and multilateral projects and aimed to give real force to the mechanisms for monitoring and enforcing human rights and preventing violations throughout the world. Norway had advocated the establishment of a United Nations human rights high commissioner for 20 years. The High Commissioner functioned as a tool with great potential

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for generating dynamism and innovation in all aspects of the United Nations human rights programme and in strengthening coordination within the United Nations system. It was therefore crucial to find a successor to the first High Commissioner, who had recently resigned.

Mr. EGELAND then drew attention to the draft declaration on human rights defenders, saying it was not an endeavour to define new rights and freedoms. Rather, it affirmed the rights of those persons who strived for the promotion and respect of the rights of others. Too many human rights defenders paid a high price for their courage, suffering arbitrary detention, torture, disappearance or execution.

Protecting and promoting human rights required special attention to particularly vulnerable communities, he went on. To this end, his Government welcomed the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, whose major aims should be the adoption of a declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples and the establishment of a permanent forum within the United Nations to monitor their situation.

During this session of the Commission, he continued, Norway intended to table a draft resolution to spell out minimum humanitarian standards and the urgent need for basic human rights protection in situations of crisis, strife and turmoil.

Mr. EGELAND added that no existing international mechanism, nor bilateral dialogue, had been able to correct the intolerable situation caused by Iran and its fatwa against Salman Rushdie. The time had now come for joint, coordinated international action on this issue; international economic sanctions should be imposed on Iran.

Realization of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and Study of Special Problems Developing Countries Face in Efforts to Achieve these Human Rights

The Commission began consideration today of the progress report submitted by Fatma Zohra Ksentini, Special Rapporteur, on the adverse effects of the illicit movement and dumping of toxic and dangerous products and wastes on the enjoyment of human rights (document E/CN.4/1997/19). The Special Rapporteur's mandate stems from Commission resolution 1995/81, which noted with grave concern that the increasing rate of illicit dumping of toxic and dangerous products and wastes in developing countries continues adversely to affect the human rights to life and health of individuals in those countries.

In her report, the Special Rapporteur concludes that in recent years, there has been a notable increase in the movement of waste from the developed countries to the developing countries in the form of recycling or recovery operations. According to some sources, 95 per cent of the dangerous wastes

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forming the subject of transboundary movements between countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and other countries are intended for recovery operations. In addition to dangerous recycling operations, such as the installations of incineration and lead recycling plants or the export of highly pollutant industries and technologies, numerous transboundary movements of dangerous wastes for recycling purposes are apparently of a fictitious nature.

In this regard, at their third meeting in 1995, the States parties to the Basel Convention amended the Convention in such a way as to prohibit the export of hazardous wastes, even for recycling purposes, from OECD member countries to non-member countries, she notes. The ban on recycling is due to enter into force at the end of 1997.

But the ban on the export of hazardous products, including those intended for recycling, which has now been imposed by the Basel Convention will remain a dead letter if it is not accompanied by practical measures for the detection of illicit practices, she continues. This can be achieved only by strengthening the capacities of the developing countries.

The Special Rapporteur recommends, among other things, that developing countries should be provided with legal aid and assistance for the purpose of training their magistrates and agents concerned with a view to the formulation of national legislation that would make it possible to effectively combat the illicit traffic and strength national capacities to detect, prevent and punish fraudulent practices. States should develop their penal legislation in this field and introduce administrative, civil and penal sanctions in order to prosecute and punish this illicit traffic. Regional initiative, such as that of the Council of Europe which is formulating a convention for the protection of the environment through criminal law, should be encouraged. States should develop legislative provisions concerning the civil and criminal liability of individuals and bodies corporate.

According to the Special Rapporteur, shortage of time and staff made it impossible, at this stage, to produce a list of the countries and transnational corporation engaged in the illicit dumping of toxic and harmful product and wastes in the developing countries, particularly as the communications that were examined seemed to refer to only a very small proportion of the transboundary flow of toxic wastes and dangerous products.

Also under this item, the Commission has before it a report of the Secretary-General (document E/CN.4/1997/17) on the measures to be implemented in order to achieve a durable solution to the debt crisis of developing countries, so that they might fully enjoy human rights. The document was drawn up pursuant to Commission resolution 1996/12, which calls for continued efforts to carry out political dialogue to find a durable solution to the debt crisis. It contains information from a handful of governments, including

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Switzerland's, which told the Secretary-General that the Swiss Parliament approved funds for debt-reduction measures as long they applied to heavily indebted least-developed countries which were engaged in medium-term economic reforms. The debt which is bought off must have a marked impact on the growth of the country in question. A total of 1.1 billion Swiss francs of guaranteed bilateral loans to poor countries were cancelled in the 1990s as a result of this policy.

The report also contains the replies of the Governments of Croatia and Cuba, and of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions and Pax Romana, two non-governmental organizations, also provided replies. The latter said it supported proposals made by the Commission and by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, and including the sale of part of the IMF's gold reserves to alleviate the debt burden without resorting to funds earmarked for development assistance; and the cancellation and/or reduction of part of the official debt and of its servicing.

In another report from the Secretary-General (document E/CN.4/1997/18), the Commission will find replies to a request for comments and observations on the final report of the Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment of the Subcommission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities (document E/CN.4/Sub.2/1994/9 and Corr.1). Among the governmental replies, Croatia, Cyprus, Sudan and the Philippines set out how they seek to give legal effect to the right to a healthful environment. But the Government of the United Kingdom, while stressing its role as an activist for international action to protect the environment, indicated it did not believe the Commission was the right forum for debate in this area since it lacked the necessary expertise. It suggested that international action could take place through other fora, like the United Nations Environment Programme.

The Commission has also received the following documents, among others: a note by the Secretary-General on the decisions adopted by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights at its fifteenth session (E/CN.4/1997/106); a note transmitting relevant documents from the Subcommission concerning the realization of economic, social and cultural rights (E/CN.4/1997/110); and a contribution by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (E/CN.4/1997/115) indicating that the 186 countries at last November's World Food Summit in Rome reaffirmed the right of everyone to have access to safe, nutritious and adequate food and to be free from hunger. These governments vowed in the Rome Declaration on World Food Security to make every effort to implement the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and relevant provisions of other international and regional instruments.

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Realization of Right to Development

The Commission today received the progress report of the Intergovernmental Group of Experts on the Right to Development on its first session, held at Geneva from 4 to 15 November 1996 (document E\CN.4\1997\22). The Commission decided to establish the group to elaborate a strategy for the implementation and promotion of the right to development, as set forth in the Declaration on the Right to Development. In its report the group proposes, among other things, that it has to be determined how the right to development can be specifically included in the applicable human rights texts, especially the International Covenant on Civil and political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The inclusion of the right to development would give it more weight in legal terms because the instruments in question are binding in nature and it would expand the terms of reference of the bodies set up under these treaties.

The right to development must also be included in the basic texts which establish, or govern the activities and projects of, United Nations organizations, organs and bodies, as well as international organizations whose mandate relates to the right to development, the report continues.The Bretton Woods institution (the World Bank and the IMF) should take account of the right to development in their guiding principles, decision-making criteria and programmes. The same is true of NGOs which work at the international and national levels and whose activities relate to human rights, development and democracy.

The IMF and the World Bank should be required to submit regular reports to the general assembly and the Economic and Social Council to keep them informed of the extent to which these institutions are taking account of the right to development in their programmes and activities, says the group.

As for the practical aspects of the realization of this right, the group concludes that it is important to consider the possibility of implementing a broad information, training, popularization and education programme on the right to development and to entrust the implementation of such a programme to the Centre for Human Rights; and to support and coordinate efforts to include the right to development in more school curricula, particularly at higher levels.

With a view to debt relief, writes the group, debt negotiations have to take account of the social aspects of development and the implications of the declaration; the institutions involved in the design and implementation of structural adjustment programmes together with the countries concerned have to take account of the social and cultural dimensions of development and the establishment of the necessary conditions for the full exercise of the right

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to development. It will also be important to establish follow-up machinery for the implementation of the Declaration, as well as the implementation and promotion of the right to development.

The Commission will also study a report of the Secretary-General prepared in accordance with Commission resolution 1996/15 (E/CN.4/1997/21), which invited the High Commissioner for Human Rights to ensure widespread dissemination and promotion of the Declaration on the Right to Development. Resolution 1996/15 also requested the High Commissioner to continue his dialogue with appropriate specialized agencies and bodies of the United Nations System with regard to the impact of their programmes and activities on the implementation of the right to development. The report contains information from, among others, the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat), the United Nations Population Fund, the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees, the World Food Programme and the World Health Organization.

Among the other documents before the Commission is a written statement from the International Federation of Adult Catholic Movements (document E/CN.4/1997/NGO/2) highlights the plight of rural populations and the "ever widening gulf between rich and poor, whether in the countries of the North or in those of the South". Neoliberal policies are destroying the fragile economic system of the rural world and the orientation of agricultural activities towards the market are creating serious imbalances, according to the group, which calls for debt burdens to be cancelled and for the promotion of sustainable and mutually beneficial development, among other measures.

Statements in Debate

Introducing her report, FATMA KSENTINI, Special Rapporteur on the adverse effects of the illicit movement and dumping of toxic waste and dangerous products on the enjoyment of human rights, said the document attempted, among other things, to review the background of the problem and to produce a list of the special difficulties facing African and other developing countries in this regard.

Ms. KSENTINI said she had also tried to investigate complaints, but this had been done under difficult circumstances, as illicit traffic of toxic products took a wide and complex range of forms. It was agreed that there had been an increase of the movement of toxic wastes from developed to developing countries in the form of recycling operations. International provisions and regulations related to this issue were "quite inadequate." She warned against legal procedures that sometimes targeted vulnerable populations in developing countries or countries in economic transition which did not have the power to counter such procedures.

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KRZYSZTOF DRZEWICKI (Poland), Chairman-Rapporteur of the Intergovernmental Group of Experts on the Right to Development, said that in the 10 years since the adoption of the Declaration on the Right to Development, there had been a number of positive and negative trends. The accumulation and persistence of some trends could pose serious threats to international peace and security. The right to development called for a triple obligation on the part of the international community and States: to respect, to protect and to fulfil all human rights.

During deliberations, he continued, some members of the working group had expressed different views on the relationship between the right to development as a human right and development as a whole. Different attitudes had also been aired on the relationship between domestic and international dimensions of the right to development and its implementation. The right to development was not a universal panacea for, nor a remedy against, all violations of human rights, and it should not be perceived as a substitute for the "right to happiness". It was, rather, a useful instrument for strengthening respect for human rights, democracy and sustainable development.

PETER VAN WULFFTEN PALTHE (Netherlands), speaking on behalf of the European Union and associated countries, said in tackling poverty and underdevelopment, linking human rights, democracy and development was crucial. The European Union had given particular attention to this link. Promotion of human rights and democratic principles was one of the objectives of the common foreign policy and of the development cooperation policy of the Union. The latter was centred on human beings and their needs and was closely linked to the realization of human rights and application of democratic principles. The European Union gave priority to a positive and constructive approach in relation to countries in which human rights violations and threats to democracy occurred. Depending on the seriousness and persistence of such acts, the European Union might decide on measures that included, among others, the suspension of existing trade and cooperation agreements.

Assistance from the international community was not an excuse for avoiding what were basically national responsibilities, he continued. Huge debts could have a negative effect on development in countries, but in the end, no favourable international conditions could remedy the defects of national governments, which should eradicate corruption and abuse of power. Denial of human rights constituted an obstacle to development, while development that failed to take into account the promotion of human rights would ultimately have little effect.

TAKASHI KOEZUKA (Japan) recalled that Japan was party to both the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Japan believed, he said, that those two categories of human rights were equally important and deserving of respect. In 1995 and 1996, Japan had held a Symposium on Human

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Rights in the Asia-Pacific Region with a view to build a partnership for the promotion and protection of human rights in the region. The country wished to emphasize the importance of development; it had called for a "new development strategy" with an emphasis on the sense of ownership by developing countries of the development process. The strategy also emphasized the establishment of a "new global partnership" in which developed and developing countries cooperated with each other. It was important to address development by organically combining various elements, including trade, investment, economic policy, debt relief, technology transfer and the development of social infrastructure.

JACK CHRISTOFIDES (South Africa) said his country was a party to the Basel Convention, an instrument it considered of great importance in regulating the safe movement and handling of toxic and hazardous waste. Ordinarily, South Africa was happy to cooperate with the Special Rapporteur and other mechanisms of the Commission. However, South Africa was intrigued by the latest report of the Special Rapporteur, in which she included an allegation relating to his country. The case involved neither illicit dumping nor trafficking, but rather a case of poor practices within a factory situated and operating entirely within South Africa. Those guilty had been punished by a South African court of law. He was concerned that the Special Rapporteur had published unsubstantiated allegations without giving South Africa an adequate opportunity to respond. He was disappointed that South Africa's reply had not published in the same report, which raised serious concerns about objectivity. This notwithstanding, South Africa reiterated its strong support for the principle of the international control of toxic waste.

WANG MIN (China) said the international community had made immense efforts in the field of economic, social and cultural rights and the right to development in recent years. Some developing countries, including China, had experienced sustained, rapid and healthy economic growth and significantly improved the standard of living of their peoples thanks mainly to their own efforts. However, many difficulties and obstacles remained on the path towards the realization of economic, social and cultural rights and the right to development. Only one of the 32 Special Rapporteurs appointed by the Commission -- and only six out of 85 resolutions passed during the last session -- dealt with economic, social and cultural rights. Growing poverty levels, along with irrational international economic relations, unfavourable external economic environment and stalled international development cooperation, aggravated the situation in the developing countries and impeded the realization of these rights.

CARLOS AMAT FORES (Cuba) said the World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna in 1993 had called on all countries to refrain from adopting unilateral measures which would inhibit trade relations between States and prevent the rights of all persons to adequate standards of living, food, health care, housing and social services. Such measures were contrary to the United

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Nations Charter. Almost a year ago, the United States had unfortunately adopted such a coercive measure in violation of international law. The Helms-Burton law reinforced the economic blockade against Cuba and punished other countries for trading with Cuba. As such, this law, and the blockade, had been repudiated by the international community. This law was not only against Cuba, but against the whole of humanity.

FARAG BIN GHANEM (Yemen) said cooperation with the international community in the field of economic development should be based on full respect between parties. Such cooperation between developed and developing countries could form a solid basis to ensure economic, social and cultural human rights. Without permanent development, these rights would not be possible. The international community should take measures to remove obstacles in the path of development, like the burden of foreign debt, diminished financial aid and international trade regulations which did not take into consideration the challenges faced by developing countries. For its part, Yemen was committed to making development a priority based on a market economy which encouraged development investments and redistributed national resources. Yemen also realized the importance of a democratic policy in reaching these aims.

ELLEN MOURAVIEFF-APOSTOL, of the International Federation of Social Workers, said she welcomed the final report on human rights and extreme poverty submitted to the Subcommission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities (document E/CN.4/Sub.2/1997/13); she hoped a procedure to facilitate the implementation of its most pressing recommendations would be put in place. The United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty would hopefully reinforce the implementation of commitments of governments made at international conferences to combat poverty. The International Federation of Social Workers believed that growing marginalization and social exclusion had to be countered. In some of the poorer countries, the majority of the population comprised of poor and extremely poor people was excluded from the mainstream of economic, social and cultural life. Excessive economic disparities exacerbated other divisive factors such as race, ethnicity and religion. These bred strife, despair and violence. Governments should respond by adjusting their policies to match the commitments made at the international conferences held in Vienna and Copenhagen in 1993 and 1995, respectively. Intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations and civil society also had to participate in this endeavour.

DAGMAR ROSENKRANZ, of the International Federation Terre des Hommes, said she hoped the Commission would not get bogged down in theoretical discussion of economic, social and cultural rights. The reality was that 1.5 billion extremely poor people in the world were plagued by crumbling social protection, exclusion and urban violence. Words had to be accompanied by deeds to change this. Terre des Hommes recognized that communities and social organizations of the poor were the first to act for their own development, and

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it therefore wanted to support their efforts in Africa and Latin America with, among others, credit programmes. It was possible for a poor person to repay a loan -- poor people could be trusted. Global economic progress had hindered progress made in the field for the struggle against poverty. Governments had to participate in this process and not just depend on non-governmental organizations.

PIERRE MIOT of the International Federation of Rural Adult Catholic Movements, said that for numerous rural and peasant movements, the realization of the right to development was a vital and essential issue. These movements were paying particular attention to the process leading to the elaboration of a strategy to implement and promote the right to development; such a process would also examine the social ramifications of the policies of international financial institutions and bring a sustainable solution to the debt crisis. Concrete actions would bring hope to the millions of families living in poverty and who felt the destructive effects of the globalization of the world economy on their economic, social and cultural rights.

WILDA SPALDING, speaking on behalf of the United Town Agency for North-South Cooperation, said she welcomed the overall positive results of the debt swap policies linked to environmental improvements; these should equally be applied to other areas in human rights agenda. The organization was concerned about the status of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, and watched with some trepidation the "metamorphosis of the necessary international cooperation to fulfil its urgent mandate presently even more at risk"; and it called for investors to be better informed as to the short- and long-term human and fiscal consequences of their actions in the regions they sought to invest in, as well as in the global market in general. Concrete projects towards the realization of economic, social and cultural rights should be undertaken to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1998.

ASHOK BHAN, of the Himalayan Research and Cultural Foundation, said all citizens, without distinction, had the right to develop adequate economic, social and cultural conditions. Everyone had a responsibility, individually and collectively, to promote and protect political and social environments. The right to development could not be separated from the right to life, freedom and the pursuit of happiness. This right implied that the world community had to act to preserve the heritage, both physical and spiritual, of people everywhere. His countrymen in Jammu and Kashmir were striving to improve their lot and provide a brighter future for their children. But they were at the mercy of terrorists and foreign mercenaries whose only aim was to establish a reign of terror. It was imperative that the world community took notice of countries that would thwart flourishing societies.

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REENA MARWAH, of the International Institute for Non-Aligned Studies, said the developmental process covered not only material aspects but also social, cultural, educational and political facets of the lives of individuals and societies. Differences in religion, race, colour, creed or political ideology should not be used to benefit one segment of society at the expense of others. It was imperative that the world acted to preserve the heritage, physical and spiritual rights of people to ensure the pursuit of development. But the world today was witnessing quite the opposite. The most horrifying aspect of the past decade had been the emergence of proxy armies and mercenaries who hired their services to wreak havoc and death on the orders of the highest bidder.

CYNTHIA NUERY, of Centre Europe - Tiers Monde, said the right to development encompassed all fundamental rights. The fact that this issue was given such scant attention in the work of the Commission was a reason for the Centre's call that at future sessions of the Commission, the question be dealt with as a separate item. Despite the fact that the Vienna and Copenhagen Programmes of Action affirmed the interdependent, indivisible and non-selective nature of fundamental rights, the question of economic, social and cultural rights were marginalized in the work of the Commission. There was a lack of resources for the committee on these rights; there was no special rapporteur on the subject nor a specialist on these rights at the Centre for Human Rights, and only 5 per cent of the projects of the Centre were devoted to this topic.

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