PM Shehbaz Sharif Calls For Early Adoption Of UN Covenant On Right To Development
PM Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday called for the early adoption of the International Covenant on the Right to Development, emphasizing that every individual deserves the right to seek a better future and that every nation must have the tools to build it.
Addressing a high-level meeting at the United Nations Headquarters marking the 40th anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development, he said the declaration had placed humans at the heart of development four decades ago, affirming it as an inalienable right of the people.
He noted that the declaration's message was profound: progress must not merely create wealth but advance social development and uphold human dignity. The prime minister regretted that this promise today confronted a stark reality across the developing world, where shrinking fiscal space and scarce resources were being diverted from human development.
Climate disasters, he added, were erasing hard-earned gains, while technological inequalities threatened to carry old divides into a new digital age. He emphasized that a right could not be realized where the means to realize it were denied, calling for a proactive approach.
Highlighting Pakistan's development efforts, the prime minister described the country's pursuit as anchored in a homegrown economic transformation plan focusing on:
- Enhancing exports
- Embracing digital technologies
- Taking effective climate action
- Strengthening energy infrastructure
- Ensuring equity and empowerment
He also mentioned the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor as complementary to this agenda.
Beyond national efforts, Shehbaz Sharif called for addressing debt distress, termed a "debt trap," and reforming the international financial architecture to provide concessional finance, deliver climate adaptation and loss and damage support, and bridge the digital and AI divide.
He affirmed Pakistan's support for the early adoption of the International Covenant on the Right to Development. The prime minister concluded by expressing hope that the anniversary would mark a transition from declaration to action, with humanity advancing together collectively.