Human Rights and Post-2015 Development Agenda by United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights 9:34pm 21st May, 2013   Human rights are essential to achieving and sustaining development. The Millennium Declaration, adopted by all the world’s leaders in 2000 recognized the link between human rights and development. The UN General Assembly’s High-level Plenary Meeting on the MDGs in 2010 (The MDGs Summit) reaffirmed that common fundamental values, including freedom, equality, solidarity, tolerance, respect for all human rights, respect for nature and shared responsibility, are essential for achieving the MDGs.    The commitment was further reaffirmed by Member States in the 2012 Rio+20 Conference, where states emphasized their responsibilities “to respect, protect and promote human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, without distinction of any kind as to race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth, disability or other status”.    They also stressed the need to reduce inequalities as well as foster social inclusion and acknowledged that democracy, good governance and the rule of law, at the national and international levels, are “essential for sustainable development, including sustained and inclusive economic growth, social development, environmental protection and the eradication of poverty and hunger.”    With only two years left until the MDGs expire in 2015, these human rights commitments need to be honoured in the implementation of the MDGs and of the development agenda that follows the MDGs. Human rights are solemn legal obligations of governments, inalienable entitlements of people everywhere, and must be the bedrock of a new development framework to succeed the MDGs.    The post-2015 development framework must be a truly universal and balanced agenda that is applicable to all; that addresses the freedom from want and from fear; that is consistent and aligned with all human rights, that addresses pervasive inequalities and dismantles discrimination, is built on strong accountability mechanisms, and an agenda that fosters policy coherence and allows free and meaningful participation for all.    Global Consultations    In 2012, the UN Secretary-General set up a process which will support member states in determining the post-2015 development framework. In June 2012, his Task Team on Post-2015, of which OHCHR is an active member, delivered a first report which identified human rights (along with equity and sustainability) as a fundamental principle for the post-2015 agenda.    In addition, the Secretary General tasked the UN system to: facilitate national consultations in nearly100 countries; hold eleven global thematic consultations on key issues; and provide a web portal for interaction and information exchange.    The results of these efforts are contributing to the work of the High-Level Panel (HLP) of Eminent Persons, appointed by the UN Secretary-General in July 2012, and the intergovernmental Open Working Group (OWG) on Sustainable Development Goals, agreed at the Rio+20 conference in June 2012. The findings and recommendations of the HLP and OWG, in turn, will inform the 68th General Assembly’s Special Event on the MDGs in September 2013, the first intergovernmental event on the development framework that should follow the MDGs.    OHCHR has been actively contributing to and supporting various consultation processes. For example, jointly with UNDP, the Office has co-led the global thematic consultation on governance and accountability, and has substantively contributed to other thematic consultations such as on inequality (consultation report), health, food and water.    A number of OHCHR regional and country presences are supporting national consultation processes, led by the Resident Coordinators and the UN country teams.    Initial results from the global thematic and national consultations are summarised in ‘The Global Conversation Begins’ Report prepared by the MDG Task Force of the United Nations Development Group.    http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/MDG/Pages/MDGPost2015Agenda.aspx    * On 6 June 2013, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) issued an open letter to all Member States urging to further and fully reflect human rights in the on-going discussions and outcomes on the post-2015 development agenda. There are 10 critical human rights messages highlighted, that must guide and be included in the post-2015 development frameworks, its goals, targets and indicators:    http://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6XUJ0SW4C68SXlhV0RfNG5Gb00/edit?pli=1    21 May 2013    Post-2015 development agenda must focus on equality say UN experts    United Nations independent experts today called on countries to ensure the post-2015 development agenda focuses on equality, social protection and accountability, noting that one billion people around the world are still living in poverty.    “The rise of inequality has severely undermined the achievements of the Millennium Development Goals, or MDGs,” the independent experts said in their message to Member States which will meet this week in New York to discuss how to a shape a new set of global development goals for the period after the 2015 deadline of the MDGs.    “Development targets that pay no attention to which groups are being left behind are just like economic growth targets – they can be met without having any real impact on ensuring a more equal and just world,” they added.    The experts stressed that as the 2015 deadline approaches, countries must not forget that one billion are still hungry and that poverty is still rife across the world.    “Future goals must be sensitive to who benefits and at whose expense, and must go beyond blunt, aggregate targets that allow us to pick the ‘low-hanging fruit’ and ignore the most vulnerable groups, while leaving systemic injustices untouched,” they said.    Agreed by world leaders at a UN summit in 2000, the eight MDGs set specific targets on poverty alleviation, education, gender equality, child and maternal health, environmental stability, HIV/AIDS reduction, and the creation of a Global Partnership for Development.    Over the next three days, the UN Open Working Group on the Sustainable Development Goals will meet to discuss the contours of a set of post-2015 targets to succeed the MDGs.    The experts called for the post-2015 agenda to include stand-alone goals to eliminating inequalities, a goal on the provision of social protection floors, and a double accountability mechanism to hold countries responsible for their commitments at a national and international level.    “Political commitments are a stepping stone towards the fulfilment of legally binding human rights, and should therefore be as universal and ambitious as possible,” they said.    “Inequality itself often triggers social problems that further marginalize groups that are left behind and neglected, while unequal access to wealth allows runaway resource use by the wealthy, leading to environmental degradation and climate change, whose impacts fall disproportionately on the most vulnerable,” the experts said, noting that the richest 1 per cent of the world’s population own 40 per cent of global assets, while the bottom half holds just 1 per cent of global wealth.    The experts underlined that social protection is indispensable to tackle inequalities and ensure that the post-2015 agenda leaves no group, community or region behind.    “As many as 80 per cent of families today have no access to social protection, despite clear evidence that social protection systems can contribute significantly to reducing poverty, creating social cohesion, realizing human rights and protecting people from shocks such as food price spikes,” the experts said, adding that establishing social protection floors should be a priority of the post-2015 agenda.    The experts also urged States to establish independent monitoring bodies with civil society and public participation to ensure that the next round of commitments made at the global level are fulfilled.    “Progress should also be monitored on an international level by existing intergovernmental institutions in a process similar to the Universal Periodic Review system employed, since 2007, by the UN Human Rights Council,” they said.    * Access the full report: "Statement by Special Procedures mandate-holders of the Human Rights Council on the Post-2015 development agenda" via the link below.    http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=13341&LangID=E Visit the related web page
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