The Right to Development (RTD) is a new and highly contested right. Its emergence is linked to the demand for a `new international economic order’ by developing countries. Composite in nature and integrating civil and political rights with economic, social and cultural rights, the RTD approach underscores participation, a fair sharing of benefits, transparency and non-discrimination. The present volume explores the theoretical and practical aspects of RTD as an alternative to existing approaches to development. It brings together the reflections and insights of some of the finest scholars on the specific aspects of RTD.

The concept of the common heritage of mankind is one of the most extraordinary developments in recent intellectual history and one of the most revolutionary and radical legal concepts to have emerged in recent decades. The year 1997 marks the thirtieth anniversary of the advent of the concept in the domain of public international law. Ever since its emergence, it has become evident that no other concept, notion, principle or doctrine has brought as much intensive debate, controversy, confrontation and speculation as the common heritage phenomenon did. This is because it is a philosophical idea that questions the regimes of globally important resources regardless of their situation, and requires major changes in the world to apply its provisions. In other words, the application and enforcement of the common heritage of mankind require a critical reexamination of many well-established principles and doctrines of classical international law, such as acquisition of territory, consent-based sources of international law, sovereignty, equality, resource allocation and international personality. This book aims to explore the legal theory and implications of the concept of the common heritage of mankind. It addresses almost all aspects of the concept in the light of the experience of three decades. The author takes into account the elements of the common heritage concept in the fields of jurisprudence, outer space law, the law of the sea, the law of Antarctica, international environmental law, human rights and general principles of public international law. It tries to develop a normative framework through which the concept may offer alternatives for the governance of the global commons.

This open access book analyses the interplay of sustainable development and human rights from different perspectives including fight against poverty, health, gender equality, working conditions, climate change and the role of private actors. Each aspect is addressed from a more human rights-focused angle and a development-policy angle. This allows comparisons between the different approaches but also seeks to close gaps which would remain if only one perspective would be at the center of the discussions. Specifically, the book shows the strong connections between human rights and the objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations in 2015. Already the preamble of this document explicitly states that "the 17 Sustainable Development Goals ... seek to realise the human rights of all". Moreover, several goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda correspond to already existing individual human rights obligations. The contributions of this volume therefore also address how the implementation of human rights and SDGs can reinforce each other, but also point to critical shortcomings of the different approaches.

The adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by the United Nations General Assembly on 13 September 2007 was acclaimed as a major success for the United Nations system given the extent to which it consolidates and develops the international corpus of indigenous rights. This is the first in-depth academic analysis of this far-reaching instrument. Indigenous representatives have argued that the rights contained in the Declaration, and the processes by which it was formulated, obligate affected States to accept the validity of its provisions and its interpretation of contested concepts (such as 'culture', 'land', 'ownership' and 'self-determination'). This edited collection contains essays written by the main protagonists in the development of the Declaration; indigenous representatives; and field-leading academics. It offers a comprehensive institutional, thematic and regional analysis of the Declaration. In particular, it explores the Declaration's normative resonance for international law and considers the ways in which this international instrument could catalyse institutional action and influence the development of national laws and policies on indigenous issues.

This work explores a new development paradigm whose central focus is on human well-being. Increase in income is treated as an essential means, but not as the end of development, and certainly not as the sum of human life. Development policies and strategies are discussed which link economic growth with human lives in various societies. The book also analyzes the evolution of a new Human Development Index which is a far more comprehensive measure of socio-economic progress of nations than the traditional measure of Gross National Product. For the first time, a Political Freedom Index is also presented. The book offers a new vision of human security for the twenty-first century where real security is equated with security of people in their homes, their jobs, their communities, and their environment. The book discusses many concrete proposals in this context, including a global compact to overcome the worst aspects of global poverty within a decade, key reforms in the Bretton Woods institutions of World Bank and IMF, and establishment of a new Economic Security Council within the United Nations.

This book is devoted to the 25th anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on the Right to Development. It contains a collection of analytical studies of various aspects of the right to development, which include the rule of law and good governance, aid, trade, debt, technology transfer, intellectual property, access to medicines and climate change in the context of an enabling environment at the local, regional and international levels. It also explores the issues of poverty, women and indigenous peoples within the theme of social justice and equity. The book considers the strides that have been made over the years in measuring progress in implementing the right to development and possible ways forward to make the right to development a reality for all in an increasingly fragile, interdependent and ever-changing world.

As the world continues to grapple with a range of practical development challenges that are directly linked to livelihood concerns about human well-being and declining living standards, often overlooked is the human right to development, which remains largely unfulfilled. In the face of successive global initiatives seeking to remedy these challenges, it has become urgent to ask what the universal recognition of the right to development implies if it cannot be translated into improved well-being for impoverished peoples around the world. The contributors in this timely volume argue that setbacks to development are deeply rooted in the failure to implement the right to development, which by nature guarantees equality of opportunities and equitable redistribution of the resources that contribute to better living standards. Assessing policy and practical measures (or the lack thereof), they offer practical suggestions for implementation that will make the right to development a reality for everyone.