The Economic Aspect of the Right to International Self-determination and its Place in the Realization of the Right to Development

The right to self-determination and the right to development are among the most important of the third generation of human rights. Economic independence within the framework of self-determination can play a significant role in guaranteeing the right to development. Today, the authority of states in identifying the needs and rights of members of their society for including them in national development programs – which is the main goal of the right to development- faces serious challenges. In this context, the involvement of international financial institutions in arranging development programs, as well as the weakening of states’ sovereignty over their natural resources due to the activities of multinational corporations, are notable. Moreover, ensuring the economic independence of states within the framework of the right to self-determination can guarantee states sovereignty in regulating and implementing their development program, and in exploiting natural resources and allocating its benefits; a sovereignty that seems to be able to provide a suitable platform for the realization of the right to development, in the sense of the maximum realization of human rights in the development process.