Unfortunately, however, public discourse on human rights and development too often ignores their fundamental two-way relationship. The world now accepts that sustainable development is impossible without human rights. What has been missing is the recognition that the advancement of an interconnected set of human rights is impossible without development. Enlightened legislation and vigorous civil society are essential. But they are not enough.
Human rights are in a sense both the design and the product of people organized through government.
They don't just happen. With the final document of the 1993 Vienna World Conference on Human Rights, the international community has moved toward accepting the equality and indivisibility of all human rights. Governments must continue to work to advance all human rights for all people. The Bank contributes directly to the fulfillment of many rights articulated in the Universal Declaration. Through its support of primary education, health care and nutrition, sanitation, housing, and the environment, the Bank has helped hundreds of millions of people attain crucial economic and social rights.