Right to Dev't Central to Food Sovereignty, Health and Other Rights: Scholars

Addis Ababa, August 23, 2025 (ENA)— For Africa and the developing world, the right to development is the central right from which all others, including food sovereignty, health, and environmental rights, ultimately derive, participants of the China-Africa Human Rights Seminar told ENA.

The China-Africa Human Rights Seminar, which attracted scholars from over 47 African nations and China to redefine the dialogue on human rights, is underway in Addis Ababa.

Seychelles Human Rights Commission Chairperson, Justice Bernardin Renaud, described the gathering as historic.

Development should be measured not by physical infrastructure alone, but by the tangible benefits it brings to every individual, especially those in remote villages, he said.

According to Renaud, the ability of a person to live a dignified life, with access to the same benefits as anyone else in the world, is the ultimate measure of development.

This perspective, he argued, re-centers the conversation away from traditional "North-South" dynamics toward a more equitable "South-South" collaboration, which is a crucial form of human development.

Echoing this sentiment, South Sudan Institute for Strategic and Policy Studies Executive Chairman Professor Melha Rout Biel broadened the definition of development as a human right.

He pointed out that it encompasses a wide range of entitlements, from access to good healthcare, quality education, and clean water to having clean roads and bridges.

For him, these are not just economic indicators, but foundational elements that allow every human being to lead a decent life.

The professor hailed the seminar as a vital platform for addressing these issues and fostering dialogue to overcome global human rights challenges.

Mauritania's former Foreign Minister and International Consultant, Professor Mohamed El Hacen Ould Lebatt also described the meeting as a valuable exchange between African and Chinese scholars and politicians.

For Lebatt, the seminar affirmed that the right to development is the central human right for Africans and Chinese, as all other rights —including health, food sovereignty, and technology —ultimately derive from it.

The Global South must approach human rights in a way that reflects its own unique history, culture, and priorities, which differ from those of the Western world, he added