Failure to involve the affected community in decisionmaking generates development strategies which carry risks to the environment in the sense that they are generally inadequate and socially ill-oriented, do not respond to the basic needs of the population affected, and at times even threaten the fundamental rights of the vulnerable or underprivileged.
In a report devoted to popular participation, the Secretary-General of the United Nations quoted the views of Survival International which believed that:
“... denied even basic information about the projects that affect them, the peoples of the Third World are cast into the role of passive recipients of aid, and more often than not become victims of its arbitrary and illjudged effects. In improving [sic] this lack of accountability and excluding the public from any involvement in decision-making, these organizations are institutionalising undemocratic forces and reinforcing the very economic structures of exploitation and repression that are responsible for the poverty and underdevelopment they are trying to alleviate.”
Indeed, a national development strategy is viable from the economic, social, cultural and ecological point of view only if it gains the active support of the affected population. Such support will only be forthcoming if there is genuine participation of the various social strata of the population in the formulation and execution of the programs devoted to development.
As emphasized at the Global Consultation on the Right to Development:
“What constitutes development is largely subjective, and in this respect development strategies must be determined by the peoples themselves and adapted to their particular conditions and needs.”
Popular support will be lacking if the development model which is adopted ignores human rights, including civil and political rights, or is incompatible with the sociocultural characteristics of the populations concerned. It is now widely acknowledged that giving exclusive priority to economic growth and financial aspects of a project could lead to a failure of the development strategies.
The right to development is described in the 1986 Declaration as an “...inalienable human right by virtue of which every human person and 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 fully realized.”
The Earth Summit stressed the importance of participation and even recognized, in the specific context of the environment, “... the need for new forms of participation” and “...the need of individuals, groups and organizations to participate in environmental impact assessment procedures and to know about and participate in (..pertinent..) decisions.” One should also bear in mind the Rio Declaration, in particular Principle 10 on the participation of citizens, Principle 20 on the participation of women, and Principle 22 on the participation of indigenous peoples and their communities. Agenda 21 places special emphasis on the adequate reinforcement of the role to be played by individuals, groups and nongovernmental organizations for the implementation of the agreed programmes. A genuine involvement of all social groups and broad public participation in decision-making is considered as one of the fundamental prerequisites for the achievement of sustainable development.
The Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted by the World Conference on Human Rights on 25 June 1993 also underlined the importance of participatory democracy. It stated that:
“Democracy, development and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms are interdependent and mutually reinforcing. Democracy is based on the freely expressed will of the people to determine their own political, economic, social and cultural systems and their full participation in all aspects of their lives.”
The issue of popular participation becomes important in the context of the right to development. It has an added dimension in the context of the environment, bearing in mind the preventative aspects and the recognition at national, regional and international levels of the necessity to allow a broad participation in decision making regarding the environment, especially during the process of environmental impact assessments. This issue is directly related to the rights to education, information, association, expression and effective remedies. Their practical expression depends on the promotion of the related procedural rights such as the right of recourse and due
process.
In a report devoted to popular participation, the Secretary-General of the United Nations quoted the views of Survival International which believed that:
“... denied even basic information about the projects that affect them, the peoples of the Third World are cast into the role of passive recipients of aid, and more often than not become victims of its arbitrary and illjudged effects. In improving [sic] this lack of accountability and excluding the public from any involvement in decision-making, these organizations are institutionalising undemocratic forces and reinforcing the very economic structures of exploitation and repression that are responsible for the poverty and underdevelopment they are trying to alleviate.”
Indeed, a national development strategy is viable from the economic, social, cultural and ecological point of view only if it gains the active support of the affected population. Such support will only be forthcoming if there is genuine participation of the various social strata of the population in the formulation and execution of the programs devoted to development.
As emphasized at the Global Consultation on the Right to Development:
“What constitutes development is largely subjective, and in this respect development strategies must be determined by the peoples themselves and adapted to their particular conditions and needs.”
Popular support will be lacking if the development model which is adopted ignores human rights, including civil and political rights, or is incompatible with the sociocultural characteristics of the populations concerned. It is now widely acknowledged that giving exclusive priority to economic growth and financial aspects of a project could lead to a failure of the development strategies.
The right to development is described in the 1986 Declaration as an “...inalienable human right by virtue of which every human person and 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 fully realized.”
The Earth Summit stressed the importance of participation and even recognized, in the specific context of the environment, “... the need for new forms of participation” and “...the need of individuals, groups and organizations to participate in environmental impact assessment procedures and to know about and participate in (..pertinent..) decisions.” One should also bear in mind the Rio Declaration, in particular Principle 10 on the participation of citizens, Principle 20 on the participation of women, and Principle 22 on the participation of indigenous peoples and their communities. Agenda 21 places special emphasis on the adequate reinforcement of the role to be played by individuals, groups and nongovernmental organizations for the implementation of the agreed programmes. A genuine involvement of all social groups and broad public participation in decision-making is considered as one of the fundamental prerequisites for the achievement of sustainable development.
The Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted by the World Conference on Human Rights on 25 June 1993 also underlined the importance of participatory democracy. It stated that:
“Democracy, development and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms are interdependent and mutually reinforcing. Democracy is based on the freely expressed will of the people to determine their own political, economic, social and cultural systems and their full participation in all aspects of their lives.”
The issue of popular participation becomes important in the context of the right to development. It has an added dimension in the context of the environment, bearing in mind the preventative aspects and the recognition at national, regional and international levels of the necessity to allow a broad participation in decision making regarding the environment, especially during the process of environmental impact assessments. This issue is directly related to the rights to education, information, association, expression and effective remedies. Their practical expression depends on the promotion of the related procedural rights such as the right of recourse and due
process.