Right to development: A blueprint for unmet promises

Ahead of the 40th anniversary of the groundbreaking Declaration on the Right to Development this December, world leaders gathered at a High-Level Week meeting on Wednesday to map progress made and the 21st century challenges still ahead – from narrowing the digital divide to levelling the AI playing field – as the UN chief presented a “blueprint” to address promises that remain unfulfilled.What you need to know:The declaration broke new ground in the universal struggle for greater human dignity, freedom, equality and justice when the UN General Assembly adopted it in 1986The declaration can help provide guardrails on issues from AI to internet access, as well as accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development A legally binding treaty on the right to development has been in the works since 2018Watch live on UN Web TV:What is the declaration?Adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1986, it makes access to development an inalienable right.While a legally binding treaty has been in the works since 2018, the declaration states that everyone is “entitled to participate in, contribute to and enjoy economic, social, cultural and political development, in which al...