This edition of the "Yearbook on Human Rights in Developing Countries" contains contributions on the role of the right to development in the development assistance policies of Norway and of the European Union. These thematic studies will help to provide a better perspective on the place of the right to development, a human right which was recognised by the General Assembly of the United Nations back in 1986. The Yearbook also contains seven country reports, which assess human rights trends in countries in the South, covering civil and political as well as economic, social and cultural rights during the period 1993-1995. The reports follow a common structure to allow for comparisons among countries. The present volume contains reports on Bhutan, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, India, Mexico and Uganda. The "Yearbook on Human Rights in Developing Countries" is a joint project of the Chr. Michelsen Institute, Bergen; the Danish Centre of Human Rights, Copenhagen; the Norwegian Institute of Human Rights, Oslo; the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Lund; the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights (BIM), Vienna; and the Netherlands Institute of Human Rights (SIM), Utrecht.

The extractive sector is a particular area of expertise for Canada and more than half of Canada’s mining assets abroad are located in Latin America, specifically in Brazil, Peru, Chile, and Colombia. The Canada-Colombia accord was the first free-trade agreement in the world to include annual Human Rights Impact Assessments (HRIA), and also includes a labour side accord where abuse complaints can be formally registered. Using Colombia as a case study, James Rochlin and his international and multidisciplinary line up of Canadian and Colombian scholars, and activists working in the area of human rights, and the judiciary explore: What is the best way to identify and operationalize for mutual benefit the concentric space between the interests of extractive corporations in profit and security, on the one hand, and the interests of the host communities in the promotion of human rights and human security, on the other? What can the four emblematic and diverse cases in Colombia (Meta, Sergovia, Marmato, and Bolivar/La Guajira) tell us about how to fine tune and improve a newly implemented governmental HRIA to render it an increasingly useful global instrument to promote simultaneously corporate security and human security for host communities? What is the most efficient and effective way to design and implement Corporate Social Responsibility Programs in a manner that promotes simultaneously corporate security and community human security? Written in a clear and accessible style, Profits, Security, and Human Rights presents practical lessons on how to promote both corporate security and human security in communities where the extractive sector operates in the Global South.

Since 1985 seven Yearbooks have appeared containing articles on recent developments with regard to human rights in developing countries. Besides topical information on current issues and trends that pertain to these countries in general, the Yearbook describes the current situation in a selected group of developing countries. The Yearbook 1994 contains national reports on Angola, China, Ghana, Honduras, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Tanzania. The authors and editors of the Yearbook use a broad definition of "human rights" meaning not merely civil and political rights but economic, social and cultural rights as well. This broad and modern perspective on the issue is reflected in the contents of the national reports and in the thematic studies in the first part of the book, covering a wide range of issues relevant to human rights in the developing world. Among the topics covered by the thematic studies this year are the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the influence of recognized human rights standards in the national politics of Eastern Europe, the social cost of adjustment and human rights protection and an evaluation of recent positive measures taken in the sphere of North-South cooperation. The Yearbook is an initiative of human rights institutes in Austria, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands with the purpose of reaching a wide audience interested in both human rights and development aid issues.

Less Than a Roar

The chapters in this volume are based on the papers that were presented at a seminar in March 1994 organized under the auspices of the newly established ILA Committee on Legal Aspects of Sustainable Development. The seminar focused on the legal principles and international practice of sustainable development and good governance as one of its constitutive elements. The book is divided into four parts: Evolution of Concepts, Participatory Development, Development Cooperation and Human Rights, and Sensible Economic and Social Policies. They reflect the holistic concept of sustainable development advanced by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature sustainable development. This concept implies that maintaining a quality of life for many generations is socially desirable, economically viable and ecologically sustainable. The volume highlights the principle of sustainable development as a major topic in international law embodied in the international instruments agreed upon at the UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro (1992). The introductory chapter discusses the interlinking of development and good governance, including human rights, democracy, and sensible economic and social policies as presented in the 1994 UN Agenda for development. The management of the economy, society and environment towards sustainability will be one of the most momentous discussions of our times. According to one author sustainable development is incompatible with continuous growth of the economy, while good governance appears to be incompatible with the achievement, within a reasonable time scale, of a non-growth society. Other provocative opinions make this volume a highly challenging source for any scholar interested in the subject.

The Human Rights in Development Yearbook series takes its starting point in a development perspective and aims to be topical, comprehensive and multidisciplinary, exemplifying the “cross-fertilisation” of theoretical and practical approaches.

Preface to the first edition

This book explores the process of shipbreaking in developing countries, with a particular focus on Bangladesh. In the past, shipbreaking (the disposal of obsolete ships) was a very common industrial activity in many developed countries. However, due to stringent domestic environmental and labour laws it is almost impossible for the increasing number of vessels to be disposed of domestically, and now developing nations including Bangladesh, China, India, Turkey and Pakistan regularly participate in this activity. The shipbreaking yards in these countries are not only detrimental to the marine and coastal environment but also represent significant health hazards to local people and workers. Given the global importance of the issue, an effective legal and institutional framework for a sustainable operation of the shipbreaking industry is desperately needed. Sitting at the intersection of three distinct fields – environmental justice, international environmental law and international maritime law – this book offers an innovative take on the issues surrounding the shipbreaking process. Drawing on the case study of Bangladesh due to its prominence in the shipbreaking industry, the author implements an environmental justice framework to examine the issues of sustainability surrounding shipbreaking, and analyses the relationship between social development, economic development and environmental protection. Maritime perspectives of environmental justice will also be highlighted through a discussion of the International Maritime Organization’s role in the implementation of the Hong Kong Convention in developing countries. This book will be of great interest to scholars of environmental justice, international maritime law and international environmental law.