Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly called for stronger international efforts to advance the right to development, stressing the need for a fairer global economic and financial system and greater international cooperation.
Madbouly delivered Egypt’s address at a high-level meeting marking the 40th anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Right to Development, held as part of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York. He participated in the meetings on behalf of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.
Madbouly said the 1986 declaration represented an important milestone in the development of the international human rights framework by linking human rights with development, national responsibility with international cooperation, and people’s participation in development with their right to share fairly in its benefits.
He noted that Egypt was among the countries that voted in favor of the declaration and has continued to support it.
Four decades after its adoption, Madbouly said a wide gap remains between recognition of the right to development and the ability of people and countries to fully exercise it. He pointed to ongoing conflicts and geopolitical and economic crises as growing pressures on developing countries that risk undermining development gains.
Madbouly stressed that effectively realizing the right to development requires a supportive international environment and a more equitable global economic and financial system. He called for addressing debt burdens, supporting technology transfer and capacity building, removing structural barriers facing developing countries and avoiding unilateral coercive measures that are inconsistent with international law.
He also highlighted Egypt’s efforts to translate the right to development into policies and programs focused on improving people’s lives. These efforts have included expanding infrastructure in transport, energy, drinking water and sanitation, while investing in healthcare and education and expanding social protection programs.
Madbouly also highlighted initiatives aimed at empowering women, youth and persons with disabilities, as well as development programs targeting rural areas and communities most in need. He cited the presidential Decent Life initiative, known as Hayah Karima, as a model for local development.
The prime minister stressed that the right to development cannot be fully realized amid ongoing conflicts, occupation, displacement, destruction of infrastructure and deprivation of resources and basic necessities.
Regarding the Palestinian issue, Madbouly said the Palestinian people’s right to development is inseparable from their right to self-determination and to establish an independent state along the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
He also welcomed ongoing efforts to establish a binding international legal framework through constructive dialogue that promotes consensus and preserves the substance of the right to development.
Wed, Sep. 23, 2026
