CISDL News & Press Releases

Monterrey Mexico| March22, 2002

LOOKING FORWARD FROM MONTERREY –
A NEED TO INTEGRATE HUMAN RIGHTS AND SUSTAINABILITY IN DEVELOPMENT FINANCING

In Monterrey, Mexico, world leaders have concluded a consensus on the role of financing in development. The CISDL advises states and IGOs to integrate major principles of sustainable development in the implementation of the Monterrey consensus, and in preparation for the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg:

At the conference, the CISDL has released a legal brief on the role of human rights obligations in development financing. It also hosted a side event in cooperation with the Norwegian Forum on Environment and Development. The speakers included Stephen Browne, Principal Advisor on Capacity Development at the UNDP, Ashfaq Khalfan, CISDL Director, Bacre Ndiaye, Director of the New York Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and Molefe Tsele, General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches.

In its legal brief, the CISDL advises states, IGOs and NGOs to implement the Monterrey Consensus in a manner consistent with their obligations under human rights law, including to:

>> acknowledge human rights obligations in their domestic and international financial policies;
>> develop the capacity of state and IGO officials, and of NGO officers in the content of human rights at the national and international level;
>> integrate human rights into financial decision making by states and IGOs, thereby aiming to meet the Millennium Development Goals well before the 2015 deadline, and further progress made before this date.

"We advise states and inter-governmental organisations to ensure that development financing respects human rights and the environment, and prioritises the needs of vulnerable communities" said CISDL Director, Ashfaq Khalfan in Monterrey.