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At UN, Uganda pushes for binding covenant on right to development
In its statement, presented by foreign affairs minister Adonia Ayebare, Uganda said NAM wants the right to development to move from a declaration to an enforceable international commitment.
Foreign affairs minister Adonia Ayebare. (File photo)
By: John Masaba, Journalist @New Vision
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The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) has called on the United Nations General Assembly to negotiate and adopt a legally binding international covenant on the right to development.
The call was made by Uganda on behalf of the 120-member movement during a high-level General Assembly meeting in New York on September 23 to mark 40 years since the adoption of the UN Declaration on the Right to Development.
In its statement, presented by foreign affairs minister Adonia Ayebare, Uganda said NAM wants the right to development to move from a declaration to an enforceable international commitment.
“The Movement urges the General Assembly ... to ensure the operationalisation of the right to development as a priority through the consideration, negotiation and subsequent adoption of an International Covenant on the Right to Development as a legally binding instrument,” the statement said.
The proposed International Covenant on the Right to Development is an international human rights treaty intended to make the 1986 UN Declaration on the Right to Development legally binding.
The draft covenant seeks to transition the right to development from a broad political statement into an enforceable legal instrument. It would elevate the right to development to the same level as major treaties such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).
The movement also called for reforms to the international economic and financial system, arguing that developing countries continue to face conditions that constrain their development.
The proposed International Covenant on the Right to Development is an international human rights treaty intended to make the 1986 UN Declaration on the Right to Development legally binding.
The draft covenant seeks to transition the right to development from a broad political statement into an enforceable legal instrument. It would elevate the right to development to the same level as major treaties such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).
The movement also called for reforms to the international economic and financial system, arguing that developing countries continue to face conditions that constrain their development.
“Profound reforms of the international economic structure, and the international financial architecture ... are still needed,” Uganda said on behalf of NAM.
Uganda currently holds the NAM chairmanship under President Yoweri Museveni.
Uganda took over the leadership of NAM at the 19th Summit of the movement in January 2024 and will chair the movement for three years.
NAM is a group of states that are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc. The movement was founded in 1961 during the Cold War as a way for countries to remain independent of the major power alliances. It aimed to promote economic and political cooperation among member countries while maintaining their independence.
Read details of this story in the New Vision on Monday (September 28), or subscribe to our e-paper via http://epapers.visiongroup.co.ug.
Uganda currently holds the NAM chairmanship under President Yoweri Museveni.
Uganda took over the leadership of NAM at the 19th Summit of the movement in January 2024 and will chair the movement for three years.
NAM is a group of states that are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc. The movement was founded in 1961 during the Cold War as a way for countries to remain independent of the major power alliances. It aimed to promote economic and political cooperation among member countries while maintaining their independence.
Read details of this story in the New Vision on Monday (September 28), or subscribe to our e-paper via http://epapers.visiongroup.co.ug.