The General Assembly,
 
      Reaffirming the Declaration on the Right to Development, which it
proclaimed at its forty-first session,
 
      Noting that 4 December 1996 marked the tenth anniversary of the adoption
of the Declaration on the Right to Development, which represents a landmark
and a meaningful instrument for countries and people worldwide,
 
      Reaffirming the commitment contained in the Charter of the United
Nations to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger
freedom, 
 
      Recalling its resolutions 45/97 of 14 December 1990, 46/123 of 17
December 1991, 47/123 of 18 December 1992, 48/130 of 20 December 1993, 49/183
of 23 December 1994 and 50/184 of 22 December 1995 and those of the Commission
on Human Rights relating to the right to development, and taking note of
Commission resolution 1996/15 of 11 April 1996,
 
      Recalling also the report on the Global Consultation on the Realization
of the Right to Development as a Human Right,
 
      Recalling further the principles proclaimed in the Rio Declaration on
Environment and Development of 14 June 1992,
 
      Mindful that the Commission on Human Rights continues to consider this
matter, which is directed towards the implementation and further enhancement
of the right to development,
 
      Noting the need for coordination and cooperation throughout the United
Nations system for a more effective promotion of the right to development,
 
      Recognizing that the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
and the Centre for Human Rights of the Secretariat have important roles to
play in the promotion and protection of the right to development,
 
      Reaffirming the need for action at the national and international levels
by all States to realize all human rights, and the need for relevant
evaluation mechanisms to ensure the promotion, encouragement and reinforcement
of the principles contained in the Declaration on the Right to Development,
 
      Welcoming the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted by the
World Conference on Human Rights on 25 June 1993, which reaffirms the right to
development as a universal and inalienable right and an integral part of all
fundamental human rights and reaffirms that the human person is the central
subject of development,
 
      Recalling that the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action examined
the relationship between democracy, development and human rights, and
recognizing the importance of creating a favourable environment in which
everyone may enjoy their human rights as set out in the Vienna Declaration and
Programme of Action,
 
      Recalling also that, in order to promote development, equal attention
and urgent consideration should be given to the implementation, promotion and
protection of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, and
recognizing that all human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent
and interrelated and that the universality, objectivity, impartiality and
non-selectivity of the consideration of human rights issues must be ensured,
 
      Noting that aspects of the Programme of Action of the International
Conference on Population and Development, adopted by the Conference on 13
September 1994, the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and the
Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development, adopted by the
World Summit on 12 March 1995, the Beijing Declaration and the Platform for
Action, adopted by the Fourth World Conference on Women on 15 September 1995,
and the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II), held at
Istanbul, Turkey, from 3 to 14 June 1996, are relevant to the universal
realization of the right to development, within the context of promoting and
protecting all human rights,
 
      Expressing concern that obstacles to the realization of the right to
development still exist, at both the national and international levels, ten
years after the adoption of the Declaration on the Right to Development,
 
      Noting that the first session of the Intergovernmental Group of Experts
established by the Commission on Human Rights 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 integrated and
multidimensional aspects, was held at Geneva from 4 to 15 November 1996,
 
      Having considered the report of the Secretary-General prepared pursuant
to General Assembly resolution 50/184,
 
      1.    Reaffirms the importance of the right to development for every
human person and all peoples in all countries, in particular the developing
countries, as an integral part of fundamental human rights;
 
      2.    Urges States to pursue the promotion and protection of economic,
social, cultural, civil and political rights and the implementation of
comprehensive development programmes, integrating these rights into
development activities;
 
      3.    Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General;
 
      4.    Reiterates its commitment to implementing the results of the World
Conference on Human Rights, which reaffirm that all human rights are
universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated and that democracy,
development and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms are
interdependent and mutually reinforcing;
 
      5.    Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the Commission on
Human Rights at its fifty-third session a report on the implementation of
Commission resolution 1996/15;
 
      6.    Reiterates 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 favourable economic
environment at the international level;
 
      7.    Calls upon the Commission on Human Rights to consider carefully
the report of the first session of the Intergovernmental Group of Experts 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 integrated and multidimensional aspects, bearing in mind the conclusions
of the Working Group on the Right to Development established by the Commission
on Human Rights in its resolution 1993/22 of 4 March 1993 and the conclusions
of the World Conference on Human Rights and of the United Nations Conference
on Environment and Development, the International Conference on Population and
Development, the World Summit for Social Development, the Fourth World
Conference on Women and the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements
(Habitat II);
 
      8.    Notes the efforts made by the United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights within his mandate, and encourages him to continue the
coordination of the various activities with regard to the implementation of
the Declaration on the Right to Development, including a programmatic
follow-up to the establishment in the Centre for Human Rights of the
Secretariat of a new branch, the primary responsibilities of which include the
promotion of the right to development, as part of the effort to implement the
Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action;
 
      9.    Requests the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights,
within his mandate, to continue to take steps for the promotion and protection
of the right to development by, inter alia, working in conjunction with the
Centre for Human Rights and drawing on the expertise of the funds, programmes
and specialized agencies of the United Nations system related to the field of
development;
 
      10.   Requests the Secretary-General to inform the Commission on Human
Rights at its fifty-third session and the General Assembly at its fifty-second
session of the activities of the organizations, funds, programmes and
specialized agencies of the United Nations system for the implementation of
the Declaration on the Right to Development, as well as obstacles identified
by them to the realization of the right to development;
 
      11.   Calls upon all Member States to make further concrete efforts at
the national and international levels to remove the obstacles to the
realization of the right to development;
 
      12.   Calls upon the Commission on Human Rights to continue to make
proposals to the General Assembly through the Economic and Social Council, on
the future course of action on the question, in particular on practical
measures for the implementation and enhancement of the Declaration on the
Right to Development, including comprehensive and effective measures to
eliminate obstacles to its implementation, taking into account the conclusions
and recommendations of the Global Consultation on the Realization of the Right
to Development as a Human Right, the reports of the Working Group on the Right
to Development and the report of the Intergovernmental Group of Experts to
elaborate a strategy for the implementation and promotion of the right to
development;
 
      13.   Calls upon all States to address, within the declarations and
programmes of action adopted by the relevant international conferences
convened by the United Nations, the elements for the promotion and protection
of the principles of the right to development as set out in the Declaration on
the Right to Development;
 
      14.   Requests the Secretary-General to submit a report on the
implementation of the present resolution to the General Assembly at its fifty-
second session;
 
      15.   Decides to consider this question at its fifty-second session
under the sub-item entitled "Human rights questions, including alternative
approaches for improving the effective enjoyment of human rights and
fundamental freedoms".