CANBERRA (11 February 2011) – At the end of his official visit to Australia (7 to 11 February 2011), the United Nations Human Rights Council's Independent Expert on foreign debt and human rights, Cephas Lumina, underscored the need to integrate a human rights-based approach into Australia’s development aid policy and programmes to ensure sustainable development and to guarantee that all recipient countries are able to fulfill their human rights obligations.
The Independent Expert visited Australia to assess the impact of Australian development aid on the realization of human rights and the right to development, as well as the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals in recipient countries in the Pacific region.
The mission also explored the role of human rights within Australia’s foreign aid policy and assessed the human rights implications of Australia’s trade negotiations and development partnerships with the Pacific Island countries.
Mr. Lumina met with Government officials, including the representatives of AusAID (the Government’s international development aid agency) and members of the Development Effectiveness Steering Committee. He also had discussions with civil society representatives and academics in order to gain a broad perspective of the issues.
The Independent Expert noted that AusAID’s primary objective is “to assist developing countries reduce poverty and achieve sustainable development in line with Australia’s national interest.” Although some of its programme sectors directly or indirectly promote human rights, AusAID does not have a specific policy requiring all programmes to be consistent with a human rights-based approach to development.
“In order to adequately and fairly respond to the development challenges in recipient countries while promoting fundamental rights of the people, human rights should inform the design and delivery of Australian aid,” stated the Independent Expert, stressing that a human rights-based approach would not only enhance the effectiveness of AusAID’s programmes but would also contribute to achieving sustainable results.
“The Review of Aid Effectiveness currently being undertaken by an independent panel to assess whether the current systems, policies and procedures for the aid program maximize effectiveness and efficiency, is an invaluable opportunity for the Australian Government to ensure that human rights become an overarching objective of Australian international development work. The processes and practices of Australian agencies engaged in development assistance, particularly AusAID, need to entrench a human rights framework based on the international human rights instruments to which Australia is a party. Australian aid programmes should underpin people’s entitlement to basic standards of living, freedom from discrimination and participation, as well as transparency and accountability in public affairs,” said Mr. Lumina.
The Independent Expert added that “besides supporting capacity building for government in recipient countries, it is important that Australian aid programmes dedicate more efforts to sustain the work of local civil society organizations that play a vital role in ensuring public participation and accountability”.
The Independent Expert commended the commitment made by the Australian Government to increase the allocation of resources to development aid to 0.5 percent of Australian Gross National Income (GNI) by 2015 and urged the Government to adopt a clear road map for the achievement of the internationally agreed ODA target of 0.7 percent of GNI.
With regards to the free trade agreement negotiations currently underway in the region, such as PACER-Plus, Mr. Lumina stressed that development assistance should not be used as a means of inducing Pacific Island countries to enter into free trade agreements and that Australia’s aid programme should be guided by the needs of recipient communities, rather than focused on Australia's national interests.
The Independent Expert welcomed Australia’s policy decision to use, for the most part, grants, rather than loans as development assistance. However, he expressed concern that Australian development and trade programmes may be advocating public sector reforms (such as reducing public expenditure), privatisation and structural adjustment in the region and warned about the adverse effects that such policies may have on poorest members of the community in the Pacific region. To avoid impeding progress on health, education and other MDGs, the Independent Expert recommended that “human rights impact assessments are undertaken for development programmes and trade agreements with developing countries in the region”.
Mr. Lumina expressed particular concern about the lack of information available to the public about the transactions undertaken by the Australian Export Finance and Insurance Corporation (EFIC) given that some aid is delivered through the statutory corporation’s activities. He urged the Australian Government to “ensure accountability and transparency in EFIC’s operations, particularly those undertaken under its National Interest Account.”
The Independent Expert expressed his gratitude to the Government of Australia - which has issued a standing invitation to special procedure mandate holders of the Human Rights Council - for its cooperation during the mission and for sustaining an environment that encourages robust civil society advocacy.
The mission of the Independent Expert to Australia will be followed by a visit to the Solomon Islands, from 14 to 17 February 2011, where he will look at the impact of development aid on the realization of human rights, the right to development and the Millennium Development Goals. The Independent Expert will also assess the role of foreign debt and trade negotiations in the achievement of these rights and benchmarks.
The Independent Expert will submit a preliminary report on the visit to Australia and Solomon Islands to the Human Rights Council in June 2011 and a full report in 2012.
Mr. Cephas Lumina is an Advocate of the High Court for Zambia and holds a PhD in international law/human rights from Griffith University. He was appointed ‘Independent Expert on the effects of foreign debt and other related international financial obligations of States on the full enjoyment of all human rights, particularly economic, social and cultural rights’ by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2008. He is independent from any government or organization and serves in his individual capacity. The mandate covers all countries.
For additional information on the mandate of the Independent Expert, please visit the
website. A biography of Dr. Lumina is available
here.
For further information and media requests, please contact Brenda Vukovic (Tel: + 41 797520484 or
e-mail), or Mariah Mercer, United Nations Information Centre Canberra, at (02) 6270 9209 or 0404 516 558, or via
e-mail.