ITEM 10: Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Delivered by Mboje Mjomba on 11 April 2002
Financing for Development
Pax Romana, together with a coalition of non-governmental organisations, has been following closely the Monterrey process towards Financing for Development (FfD).
The outcome has been meagre, when seen from the perspective of financing for Defence. The contributions provided by the European Union and the United States of America, around US$ 12 billion, do not even cover the costs envisaged, neither the health targets of the MDG estimated around an additional US$ 15 billion a year nor dealing with universal primary education estimated around a similar amount.
Moreover, the entire human rights perspective, development as freedom, has been pushed aside to the margin. Further, the FfD is absolutely silent about implementation of the promises made at the UN Conferences during the nineties. For the year 2000, the entire global outlay for Defence was around US$ 825 billion, whereas the ODA (Overseas Development Assistance) was around US$ 53 billion.
Projections indicate that for the year 2003, the global defence outlay will be around US$ 900 billion and the quantum of increase in ODA for 2003 will be only US$ 12 billion. This is totally unacceptable, and could only aggravate the growing inequalities already so pronounced through the ongoing mechanisms of globalisation.
In that respect, Monterrey failed to strike a different note that would have made a contribution to "real and concrete equalisations of conditions" including "effective reciprocity." The other fifty percent of the global poor have many more decades to wait and not just 2030.
Hence, Pax Romana calls upon the European Union, Japan and the United States of America, the need for deep structural changes and genuine commitment in ODA to create resources for the poor. We say this as the current condition of competition and the transfer of the meagre resources of the poor and the vulnerable to the already extremely rich under disinvestments and privatisation practices of the developing countries continue. As long as finance, the dominant factor of globalisation remains footloose, and eradication of poverty becomes densely politicised, the poor have no place to sleep, no food to eat and no school to send their children in the 21st century.
But the poor are not giving up the struggle not only to survive but also to flourish. All they are saying is that do not skirt the issue of global responsibility for development that would effectively enhance human security through a uniting human rights framework, including the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights.
The Right to Food
Today, hunger and malnutrition coexist with a surplus of food grain. And that agricultural policies and practices are no longer synonymous with food security goal. These demand better domestic and global remedies, particularly under the rule based regime of World Trade Organisation through agreement on agriculture. WTO must give up its "trade related, market related human rights regime" that are merely concessionary and must adopt right-based approaches, so that the poor need not face death sentences when they cannot neither afford costly medical treatment nor the consumer based fast food practices.
In this connection, Pax Romana welcomes the studies provided by the High Commissioner for Human Rights on TRIPS and the right to health, and the review of trade liberalisation related to agriculture from a right-based perspective.
Pax Romana asks the Commission on Human Rights to strengthen the enforcement of mechanisms that would make the right to food at the national and international levels, justiciable. The effects of lack of adequate food are not only seen directly through death of victims but more so as a vicious cycle in several generations of people with underdeveloped brains, as was clearly stated by the Special Rapporteur on the right to food.
Toxic Waste
Pax Romana welcomes the current report on the question of dumping toxic wastes and dangerous product and encourages her to review such policies and practices in a number of Asian countries. Currently, the debris of WTC due to 11 September attacks are in the process of being dumped in India.
Right to Education
Given the limitations in financing for development as well as the alarming decrease in social expenditure in the nineties, Pax Romana cannot help worrying about the crisis in implementing the goal, "Education for all," especially the right to education of the marginalized, in the context of globalisation.
(Equally, we do worry about the incapacity of the member-states of the UN at the Durban Conference to agree upon the victims’ list.)
The consequences are grave. The students’ fees in many countries have increased dramatically. As a result, many poor students face, on an everyday, basis the struggle to continue their studies, or finally, to give up their studies. Moreover, the contents of education do not equip them to enjoy the right to livelihood.
On the other hand, some governments, instead of formulating effective policies and practices, are deeply engrossing in tampering with history textbooks (Japan, India etc.).
In this scenario, we also notice that people are resorting to legal remedies, wherever their constitutions recognise the inclusion of a fundamental right to education, for example, India, South Africa, France, Argentina, Switzerland etc.
Pax Romana calls upon the Special Rapporteur to explore adequately the ways and means of reinforcing the right to education, which would contribute towards universalising primary education as well as preventing drop-outs, particularly the marginalized. Such enforcement would enhance the right to popular participation towards democratic governance, as envisaged in the right to development.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
