The New International Economic Order And The Promotion Of Human Rights

Rights into development strategies.

The growing population of Europe needs adequate and wholesome food at reasonable prices and a sufficient supply of pure drinking water. Accommodating this need and the many other pressures on land while maintaining biodiversity, ecosystems, and cultural landscapes is a matter of continuing concern and debate in Europe. The changing nature of agriculture, concerns about agricultural subsidies and surpluses, food and water quality issues, and discussion of the future of the European Union (EU)'s Common Agricultural Policy have all increased the intensity of this debate in recent years. Through its discussion of how best to achieve sustainable land use, Agriculture and Sustainable Land Use in Europe tackles this wide range of issues, examining problems faced by the EU concerning the future of rural communities, the maintenance of an attractive and diverse countryside, and more. This work comprises papers presented at two conferences organised by groups of European Environmental Advisory Councils. These papers offer the reader access to a broad range of experience and points of view, making Agriculture and Sustainable Land Use in Europe a contribution of particular value to the debate on these issues.

The United Nations is commemorating the 25th anniversary of the 1986 Declaration on the Right to Development, which proclaimed the right to be: 'an inalienable human right by virtue of which every human person and all peoples are entitled to participate in, contribute to, and enjoy economic, social, cultural and political development, in which all human rights and fundamental freedoms can be realized'. The UN now aims to mainstream the right into its policies and operational activities, and is reviewing prospects for an internationally-binding legal instrument. The evolution of the right to development, however, has been dominated by debates about its conceptual validity and practical ramifications. It has been hailed as the cornerstone of the entire human rights system and criticized as a distracting ideological initiative. Questions also persist about the role of the right in reforming the international economic order. This book examines the legal and moral foundations of the right to development, addressing the major issues. It then considers the right to development in the global economy, noting the challenges of globalization and identifying key principles such as differential treatment of developing countries, participation and accountability. It relates the right to broad objectives such as the Millennium Development Goals, the human rights-based approach to development, and environmental sustainability. Implications for international economic law and policy in the areas of trade, development finance and corporate responsibility are assessed. The conclusion looks to the legal and ethical contributions - and limitations - of the right to development in this new context. With an academic and professional background in international law, human rights and moral theology, the author brings a unique interdisciplinary focus to this timely project.

Developing countries have quietly constructed a network of international agreements that redistribute wealth from the rich to the poor.

The chapters in this volume are based on the papers that were presented at the Calcutta seminar organized in March 1992 by the ILA Committee on Lehal Aspects of a New International Economic Order (NIEO). The conference focused on the right to development, in particular its ideas and ideology, human rights aspects and implementation in specific areas of international law. The volume is accordingly organized in three parts. The chapters cover a vast area of subjects, derived from the UN Declaration of the Right to Development. From the developed and underdeveloped world 33 authors discuss topics including: contents, scope and implementation of the right to development; human rights of individuals and peoples; co-operation between the European Community and the Lomé IV states; current developments in investments treaties; refugee protection; development and democracy; concept of sustainable development; environmental issues; protection of intellectual property; transfer of technology; human rights in international financial institutions; and the legal conceptualization of the debt crisis. Professor Oscar Schachter observes in the first chapter that the Declaration continues to be a `challenging subject for legal commentary' for its `detable legal status, its combination of collective and individual rights, its expansive conception of development and its equivocal obligation'. Apart from support, doubts about the concept to the right to development may also be found in this volume.

International Economic Law with a Human Face addresses a vital question in contemporary international economies: the design, structure and content of the legal and institutional framework within an increasingly globalized civil society and market economy. It is based on the belief that liberalized global markets cannot be expected to provide the public goods required to secure the acquis communautaire for human rights worldwide, let alone to extend those rights to peoples hitherto deprived of their benefits. Scholars from Europe, America, Asia and Australia examine a variety of aspects of relevant state practice in a fresh and stimulating manner. They combine `international social critique' of state practice with ideas for `social engineering', offering critical legal analysis and ideas about policy options for setting standards to induce legal change and development. International Economic Law with a Human Face is a `user-friendly' book. Twenty-seven chapters are sub-titled and arranged under three main headings: Towards a new human and economic order (chapters 1-8); Trade, environmental protection and resource management (chapters 9-18); and Investment and finance (chapters 19-27). It also contains a detailed Table of Contents and an Index.