‘Friday Exchange’ working breakfast with Permanent Mission of Denmark: The right to development

In February 2016, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark and the Universal Rights Group launched a new diplomatic initiative in Geneva: the ‘Friday Exchange.’

The Friday Exchange is a series of quarterly informal policy dialogues (small roundtable discussions) designed to allow States (ambassador level) from all regions to exchange opinions, bridge differences and identify common ground on some of the most difficult and intractable issues facing the Human Rights Council and the wider UN human rights pillar today.

The Friday Exchange aims to provide an informal ‘safe space’ (Chatham House rule) for States to understand each other’s positions, reflect upon obstacles to consensus, and identify practical solutions. In-so-doing, the Exchange seeks to support the work and effectiveness of the Human Rights Council and the wider UN human rights system, drive progress on key human rights questions facing the international community, and promote inter-State and inter-regional understanding and cooperation.

Friday Exchange meetings seek to secure the participation of delegations from each UN region, as well as from different political groups. Within those parameters, efforts are made, for each meeting, to invite those States most implicated by the issue(s) or initiative(s) under discussion.

The third meeting of the Friday Exchange, chaired by Danish Permanent Representative, Ambassador Staur, was held on 16 September, and focused on: “The right to development – why is this controversial, how to overcome differences, and how to make a meaningful contribution to the realisation of the SDGs?”