President of the General Assembly,
Secretary-General,
High Commissioner for Human Rights,
Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development,

I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the Joint Coordination Committee or JCC, comprising member states of the Non-aligned Movement and the Group of 77 and China. It gives me great pleasure to speak on behalf of two of the largest regional and political groupings here at the United Nations.

It is a powerful statement in itself in commemoration of this 30th Anniversary of the Declaration of the Right to Development and a true testament to the strength of our collective desire to realize that right.

Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

We are gathered here today to commemorate the adoption of a foundational document in 1986. Thirty years ago, we recognized the human person as "the central subject of the development process and that therefore development policy should make the human being the main participant and beneficiary of development." It placed people at the center of development while demanded equal opportunities and equitable distribution of economic resources.

Since then, the international community has embraced the concept of "people-centred" development. At the same time, it has recognized that, despite continuous efforts on the part of the international community, the gap between developed and developing countries remains unacceptably wide, that most of the developing countries continue to face difficulties in participating in the globalization process and that many risk being marginalized and effectively excluded from its benefits. Development as a human right is still an unfulfilled promise for billions of people.

In the last year, we adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development and the Paris Climate Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. We have vowed to "leave no one behind." There is no doubt that in order for us to reach that goal, the right to development must be central to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development taking into account countries and peoples who face specific challenges, in particular, African countries, least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States as well as specific challenges that many middle-income countries face, as well as countries facing conflict and post-conflict situations, humanitarian emergencies, the effects of climate change and global pandemics.

We must "take resolute steps to eliminate the massive and flagrant violations of human rights of peoples and human beings affected by situations such as those resulting from apartheid, all forms of racism and racial discrimination, colonialism, foreign domination and occupation, aggression, foreign interference and threats against national sovereignty, national unity and territorial integrity, threats of war and refusal to recognize the fundamental right of peoples to self-determination."

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

This year's 30th Anniversary coincides with the first year of implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. So it is an opportune time to demonstrate and reiterate our unequivocal commitment to the right to development, in particular the need to strive for greater acceptance, operationalization and the realization of this right at the international level.

We must continue our efforts also, to mainstream this right in our work at the national and regional level and in the United Nations, particularly in the Human Rights mechanisms, as well as international financial and multilateral trading systems in the context of the elaboration of their policies in line with the 2030 Agenda.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Earlier this year, a Panel Discussion was held on the promotion and protection of the right to development in commemoration of the 30th Anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development. One of the recurring themes in those conversations was the understanding that the realization of the right to development is a necessity now, more than ever. The ambitious goals we have committed ourselves to, the massive challenges and violations of human rights caused by situations resulting from, among others, unilateral coercive measures and unfair sanctions, can only be reached and overcome if we embrace the tenets of the Declaration.

In this regard, we urge all States to expand and deepen mutually benefiting cooperation with each other in promoting development and eliminating obstacles to it, in the context of promoting an effective international co-operation for the realization of the right to development, bearing in mind that lasting progress towards the implementation of the right to development requires effective development policies at the national level as well as equitable economic relations and a favorable economic environment at the international level; and to work together towards the elaboration and adoption of a Convention on the Right to Development.

We would also like to stress that there are different approaches, visions, models and tools available to each country to achieve sustainable development, in accordance with its national circumstances and priorities as well as its own development context.

In closing, it is our collective hope that on this auspicious 30th Anniversary of this landmark Declaration, we are rightly reminded of the work that still needs to be done to realize this fundamental right.

I thank you.