The first high-level task force on the implementation of the right to development was set up in pursuance of the Commission on Human Rights resolution 2004/7, within the framework of the Working Group on the Right to Development.

The objective of the task force is to provide the necessary expertise to the Working Group to enable it to make appropriate recommendations to the various actors on the issues identified for the implementation of the right to development. The task force comprises five experts nominated by the Chairperson of the Working Group on the Right to Development in consultation with the regional groups of member-States, and representatives from the identified international trade, finance and development institutions.

The first high-level task force meeting took place in Geneva from 13 to 17 December 2004, mandated to reflect on the following issues, taking into account both national and international perspectives:

(a) Obstacles and challenges to the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals in relation to the right to development;

(b) Social impact assessments in the areas of trade and development at the national and international levels; and

(c) Best practices in the implementation of the right to development.

The meeting arrived at a set of conclusions and recommendations on the mandated issues, reflected in the report of the first task force.

Its mandate was renewed for the second time in Commission on Human Rights resolution 2005/4 upon recommendation of the Working Group at its sixth session. The second task force meeting considered for its analysis and recommendations to the Working Group the following issue:

• Millennium Development Goal 8, global partnership for development, and suggest criteria for its periodic evaluation with the aim of improving the effectiveness of global partnerships with regard to the realization of the right to development.

Its report, containing conclusions and recommendations, (E/CN.4/2005/WG.18/TF/3) were presented to the seventh session of the Working Group. On the basis of these recommendations, the Working Group adopted - by consensus - a set of criteria for periodic evaluation of global partnerships as identified in MDG 8 from the perspective of the right to development, and recommended that these criteria be applied on a pilot-basis to selected partnerships, with a view to operationalizing and progressively developing these criteria, and thus contributing to mainstreaming the right to development in the policies and operational activities of relevant actors at the national, regional and international levels, including multilateral financial, trade and development institutions. (Report of the 7th session of the Working Group: E/CN.4/2006/26).

The seventh session of the Working Group on the Right to Development also recommended that the mandate of the high-level task force be renewed for a further period of one year to enable it to apply the abovementioned criteria.

At its first session in June 2006, the Human Rights Council, the successor of the Commission, renewed the mandate of the task force for a third time in its resolution 2006/4.

The third task force meeting, to be held from 22 to 26 January 2007 in Geneva , will consider progress made towards application of the criteria to selected partnerships. In preparation for this meeting, members of the Task Force and the Secretariat will undertake the methodological ground work, in consultation with selected international and regional development organizations, with a view to practically applying the criteria at the country level in the future.

LIST OF DOCUMENTS :

• Provisional agenda
• Programme of work
• Information note
• Background documentation
• A/HRC/2007/WG.2/TF/CRP.1 - Background document on the criteria for periodic evaluation of global development partnerships from the perspective of the right to development: initial analyses of the UNECA/OECD-DAC Mutual Review of Development Effectiveness in the context of NEPAD, the African Peer Review Mechanism and the OECD Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness
• Short biographies of the members

SUBMISSIONS :

• Submission to the task-force on right to development, global partnerships and peer and partner review by — Susan Mathews
• Submission to the task-force on right to development by Felix Kirchmeier

See also previous sessions>>