Exploring the right to development through the right to food indicator in Bangladesh: potentials and pitfalls

Bangladesh has committed to socio-economic policies that would strengthen its people’s right to development in a way covering economic, social, and cultural rights, as well as civil and political rights. The commitment is evident from the various human rights instruments it has ratified. The extent to which its development policy coheres to the demands of the right to development is examined here. Application of a rights-sensitive methodology to one specific right, namely, the right to food, reveals that although Bangladesh claims to have made a good progress in terms of socio-economic indicators, concerns persist when looked at through a human rights lens. The major areas of concern relate to the principles of equity and non-discrimination, participation and accountability. While the government has shown adherence to these principles, there are instances where these policies are, in practice, subverted. The study concludes that fundamental reorientation is needed in the way the government functions before its development policy can be said to meet the demands of the right to development approach.