Addressing social, economic inequalities crucial to achieve sustainability by United Nations News 1:48pm 30th Jun, 2013   Addressing social, economic inequalities crucial to achieve sustainability.    Senior United Nations officials have emphasized that the international community must tackle social and economic inequalities between regions and within countries, adding that this is crucial to achieve sustainability and avert future crises.    “If inequalities continue to widen, development may not be sustainable,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said at the General Assembly’s thematic debate on inequality. “That is why equity is emerging as a central plank in discussions on the post-2015 development agenda.”    Mr. Ban stressed the importance of reducing inequalities at a time when the world is being affected by a series of significant changes, including economic instability, the impact of climate change, and political unrest in many regions.    “Societies where hope and opportunities are scarce are vulnerable to upheaval and conflict,” he said. “Social and economic inequalities can tear the social fabric, undermine social cohesion and prevent nations from thriving. Inequality can breed crime, disease and environmental degradation and hamper economic growth.”    Mr. Ban noted that the anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have been very successful, but added that progress has been uneven, and underlined the importance of the post-development 2015 agenda addressing these inequalities and promoting shared prosperity.    Agreed upon by world leaders at a UN summit in 2000, the MDGs set specific targets on poverty alleviation, education, gender equality, child and maternal health, environmental stability, HIV/AIDS and malaria reduction, and a global partnership for development. The post-2015 development agenda is expected to build on the progress achieved by the MDGs.    “We need solutions to the economic and financial crises that will benefit all,” he said. “An inclusive approach to sustainable development; greater efforts to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; more investment in health, education, social protection and decent jobs – especially for young people.”    UN General Assembly President Vuk Jeremiæ noted that the achievement of the universal transition to sustainability requires a greater commitment from countries to bridge the divide between the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’, and urged Member States to work together to tend to the needs “of the increasing many that have been left behind.”    Mr. Jeremiæ also warned that refraining from addressing this issue would bring about an era of global discontent that would have profound consequences across the world.    Fully incorporating the fight against inequality in the sustainable development agenda, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which countries agreed on last year at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), will be critical, he added.    http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=45361&Cr=inequality&Cr1=    June 2013    Take concrete steps to realize greater equality    United Nations human rights experts have welcomed the recognition of the importance of equality in a key UN report on the post-2015 development agenda, but cautioned that good intentions are not enough and called upon world leaders to adopt concrete measures to eliminate inequalities.    “Reducing inequalities and achieving substantive equality will not be accomplished ‘by a miracle’, but rather through the implementation of concrete and concerted goals and targets across a range of sectors,” the independent experts stressed.    “Experience has shown us that there is no automatic “trickle-down” effect from economic growth, and the impressive poverty reduction prompted by the Millennium Development Goals has yet to reach the poorest of the poor,” the experts noted.    They acknowledged the fact that the report by the High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons, commissioned by the UN Secretary-General, strongly emphasizes the link between new development goals and safeguarding people’s human rights, by ensuring that “no person – regardless of ethnicity, gender, geography, disability, race or other status – is denied universal human rights and basic economic opportunities.”    The report recommends that development targets should only be considered achieved if they are met for all relevant income and social groups, thus ensuring that special attention is given to the most excluded and vulnerable groups.    “However, now more than ever,” the UN experts underlined, “it is essential that such commitment is translated into specific objectives, targets and indicators which aim at developing a systematic reduction in inequalities between the most marginalized groups and the general population, women and men, poor and rich, rural and urban, those living in informal settlements and formal urban settlements, among others.”    The experts applauded the report’s call for increased social protection coverage as part of the goal of ending poverty.    But, they said, the international community should adopt a more ambitious and visionary approach. “The post-2015 agenda should set universal targets on social protection floors that are consistent with international human rights obligations.”    The experts stressed that, “in light of globalization and growing inequality, States have a duty to ensure that strong international solidarity and co-operation is implemented as a means of eradicating poverty and eliminating inequalities between and within countries.”    “As we approach the MDG target date of 2015, we must guarantee that no one is left behind,” they said.    The experts reiterated their call* that the post-2015 agenda and the intergovernmental Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals include goals for eliminating inequalities and providing at least basic levels of social protection to all, as well as a mechanism to hold countries to account for their commitments at national and international levels.    http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Poverty/Pages/SRExtremePovertyIndex.aspx    May 2013    Equality is intrinsic to each individual. Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirms that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and in rights.” All people are entitled to the enjoyment of all rights, on an equal footing and without discrimination on any grounds, including race, ethnicity, sex, gender, disability, socio-economic status or age. Moreover, under international human rights treaties States have committed to take measures to ensure the implementation of economic, social and cultural rights to the maximum extent of their available resources3.The human rights framework therefore offers a compelling rationale and means for putting inequalities at the centre of development policies and practices.    As independent experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council, we have been mandated by States to make recommendations for the promotion of human rights at national, regional and international levels. In this statement, we make the following recommendations concerning key priorities for the post-2015 development agenda that are common to our mandates.    Recommendation 1: The post-2015 agenda should incorporate equality as a stand-alone and cross-cutting goal, aiming to progressively eliminate disparities within and between the most marginalized groups and the general population as well as between countries in order to achieve more inclusive forms of development.    Recommendation 2: The post-2015 agenda should include a goal on the provision of social protection floors, explicitly referencing the right to social security and a human rights-based approach to social protection.    Recommendation 3: Accountability must be at the core of the post-2015 development framework. We propose the establishment of a double accountability mechanism, whereby accountability mechanisms are developed at both national and international levels.    http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=13341&LangID=E    http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/MDG/Pages/MDGPost2015Agenda.aspx Visit the related web page
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