The Road to Dignity - Human Rights and Sustainable Development by United Nations Human Rights Experts, agencies 6:09am 28th Jan, 2015   February 2015    Governments must not delegate responsibility of basic education to the private sector.    “Free, quality basic education is a fundamental human right for all, and governments must not delegate this responsibility to the private sector,” today said the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to education, Kishore Singh.    The expert’s call comes after African education authorities discussed, among other issues, the possibility of reducing States’ spending on education by promoting the expansion of private education at the Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Ministerial Conference on Education Post-2015 held in Kigali, Rwanda, this week.    “I am deeply concerned that some governments are actively encouraging the growth of private education in basic education,” Mr. Singh said. “Education is not a privilege of the rich and well-to-do; it is an inalienable right of every child. Provision of basic education free of costs is a core obligation of States.”    “Privatisation in education negatively affects the right to education both as entitlement and as empowerment. Moreover, it depletes public investment in education as an essential public service and can lead to abusive practices,” the expert stressed, recalling his 2014 report* to the UN General Assembly.    “Now more than ever, governments should be expanding public educational opportunities for the marginalised groups, especially children from poor families,” the Special Rapporteur stressed.    Mr. Singh noted that, in the context of the UN Post-2015 Development Agenda, “education deserves to be a high priority, receiving a high degree of public investment in recognition of the fact that it benefits both the individual and society.”    “I call upon governments to stand against the idea of privatising basic education and to strengthen their public systems. Free basic education is the cornerstone of the right to education and must not be undermined through privatisation,” he said.    26 January 2015    United Nations Human Rights Experts stress that accountability is the key to achieving Sustainable Development Goals.    The post-2015 sustainable development goals currently being debated by the international community must be anchored firmly in international human rights standards and backed by strong means of ensuring accountability for meeting them, leading United Nations human rights experts have stressed.    “We welcome the emphasis placed on accountability and call for this to be strengthened,” the Chairpersons of the ten Treaty Bodies, the expert committees that oversee implementation by States of the core international human rights treaties, said in a statement.    Their call was issued as United Nations Member States started discussions to finalise the draft set of 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) that will frame agendas and policies over the next 15 years, and which will be put forward for adoption by Heads of State at a United Nations Summit in New York in September 2015.    The Chairpersons urge Member States to reinforce the alignment of the SDGs with human rights. Their concrete recommendations include strengthening the reference to protecting fundamental freedoms (Goal 16, target 16.10) by explicitly referring to freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly.    The Chairpersons’ statement stresses that there should be reliable and validated means of measuring progress in meeting development goals, based on disaggregated data. In addition, progress should also be measured in terms of how fundamental rights and freedoms are being protected.    “United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for there to be a robust and participatory monitoring and review framework for the SDGs at the national, regional and global level,” said Malcolm Evans, Chairperson of the Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture and current head of the Treaty Body Chairpersons’ group. “We strongly support this and urge Member States to build upon the principles and inclusive working methods of the Treaty Bodies, as well as other existing human rights mechanisms such as the Universal Periodic Review.”    The statement also highlights the important role to be played by the private sector in achieving the SDGs, and the importance of ensuring private sector accountability.    “The work of the Treaty Bodies regarding corporate sector accountability is highly relevant here. For example, the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights have issued guidance regarding the impact and obligations of business,” said Mr. Evans.    The Treaty Body Chairpersons also said they would encourage their Committees to consider the impact of development goals on the enjoyment of the rights in their respective treaties, and draw on development data and reports in their dialogues with states.    * The ten human rights Treaty Bodies that monitor implementation of the core international human rights treaties are: Human Rights Committee (CCPR), Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural rights (CESCR), Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), Committee against Torture (CAT), Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture (SPT), Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC), Committee on Migrant workers (CMW), Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), and the Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED).    http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/Pages/HumanRightsBodies.aspx http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/SP/Pages/Welcomepage.aspx http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Pages/ListOfIssues.aspx http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/MDG/Pages/MDGPost2015Agenda.aspx http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/SP/SP_To_UNFCCC.pdf    December 2014    World Bank should recognize importance of human rights in its new environmental and social policies    The United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Philip Alston, has urged the World Bank to recognize the central importance of human rights to its draft environmental and social policies, also known as Safeguard policies, which apply to its investment project financing. The draft Safeguards policies were released by the Bank in July for public consultation, as part of the multi-stage review.    “The draft Safeguards seem to go out of their way to avoid any meaningful references to human rights,” Mr. Alston stressed, in a joint letter to World Bank president Jim Yong Kim, together with a group of twenty-seven other independent experts of the largest fact-finding and monitoring mechanism of the UN human rights system.    “The Bank’s position is effectively a sleight of hand,” he noted. “They insist that their operations will be ‘supportive of human rights’ but then add that this must be ‘in a manner consistent with the Bank’s Articles of Agreement,’ and they have interpreted the latter as preventing human rights being taken into account because they are inherently political.”    According to the UN Special Rapporteur, Bank officials have defended its increased reluctance to engage with human rights on the basis that alternative sources of development financing are emerging, which do not require meaningful safeguards.    “The failure of other lenders to require that projects they fund should protect human rights standards is not a valid reason for the Bank to follow suit,” the expert said.    “The risk of a race to the bottom is real and would be disastrous for sustainable development.”    The World Bank’s president has repeatedly promised that the revision process will not result in a dilution of the Safeguards.    “I believe that honouring this promise requires a significantly different approach from that which is now being pursued by the Bank. The draft is a backward step that tramples upon the progress achieved over the last thirty years or so,” Mr. Alston warned.    In their joint letter, the UN experts also highlighted a range of specific concerns with the proposed new Safeguards policies. They signaled that the move away from a requirements-based Safeguards system to an aspirational one represents a clear dilution of existing protections, as does the significant delegation of responsibilities from the Bank to other actors.    The draft Safeguards also fail to meet the standards that international human rights law sets, for instance in the area of labor and working conditions, involuntary resettlement and indigenous peoples, the experts noted. In addition, many vulnerable groups remain virtually unprotected in Bank projects.    Nov 2014    Eradicating hunger and ensuring access to adequate food has not been universally achieved despite considerable legislative and judicial progress in many countries throughout the world in the last decade, said today the new United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Hilal Elver.    “The challenge is global, with approximately one billion people around the world suffering from chronic hunger, while another billion suffer from ‘hidden hunger’ caused by a lack of crucial vitamins and minerals” Ms. Elver stressed in her first report to the UN General Assembly*.    “Climate change and environmental degradation in particular pose a major threat to global food security, compounded by globalization of the food sector, an ever expanding monoculture for export and large corporations, and a worrisome rise in food prices in recent years,” she said referring to the many obstacles preventing people from accessing their basic right to food in a reliable and dignified manner.    In her report, Ms. Elver also highlights the considerable challenges faced by women: “They play a vital role in food security and nutrition, yet they continue to be disproportionately affected by poverty, malnutrition and unpaid care roles in the family and community.”    “The empowerment of women and the protection of their rights should be placed at the center of the right to food policy-making process as an agency of change,” the expert said. In her view, “this should not be limited to rural areas, but also extended to urban women, as well as women from indigenous communities, those living in refugee camps, ethnic and religious minorities and undocumented migrants.”    The Special Rapporteur emphasized that States are responsible, individually and through international co-operation, to take all steps necessary to meet the vital food needs of their people, especially of the most vulnerable groups.    “Children in particular are suffering because of a lack of access to adequate food, with more than two million children under five dying every year as a result of poor nutrition. This is unacceptable if we are to protect the rights of future generations,” she noted.    “In contrast chronic diseases related to obesity, including heart disease, diabetes and some cancers as a result of dietary changes and urbanization are on the rise, with children and adolescents the main targets of marketing campaigns employed by the food and beverage industry.”    The Special Rapporteur called for renewed political commitment from all States to advance the implementation of the right to adequate food, urging them to address the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals so as to reach all proposed goals, with priority given to sustainability and the adoption of a vigorous human rights approach.    http://www.ohchr.org/EN/newyork/Pages/HRreportstothe69thsessionGA.aspx    Fiscal and tax policy (2014)    The United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Magdalena Sepúlveda Carmona, submitted a report concerning the human rights impact of fiscal and tax policy for the 26th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (June 2014).    Fiscal and tax policies (revenue-raising and expenditure) are an essential tool for States to meet their human rights commitments and combat poverty. As stipulated by the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (art. 2), States must make use of their maximum available resources to realize economic, social and cultural rights. Low levels of domestic taxation revenue, in particular, can be a major obstacle to a State’s ability to meet these obligations.    A human rights-based assessment of fiscal policy is particularly necessary due to the ongoing repercussions of the global financial and economic crises and their impact on the enjoyment of human rights worldwide. The impacts of revenue shortfalls and increased public debt are primarily felt by the poorest and most vulnerable both domestically and abroad, through cuts to budgets for social protection and public services, and a reduction in aid budgets. In many States, efforts to respond to the crisis have not been made in line with international human rights obligations.    The report applies human rights principles and standards to different practices for revenue-raising and taxation, with the objective of: 1) identifying current trends in fiscal and tax policy and their impact on human rights, especially those of persons living in poverty; 2) highlighting concerns raised by particular policies in taxation and spending, as well as good practices; 3) making concrete recommendations to States on how to ensure fiscal and tax policy is in accordance with human rights obligations.    The report considers issues such as tax revenue and distribution, taxation of corporations and the financial sector, intergovernmental tax cooperation, tax evasion and illicit financial flows, and distribution of public expenditure.    The Special Rapporteur invited States, United Nations departments and agencies, national human rights institutions, civil society organizations, individuals living in poverty and social exclusion and other relevant stakeholders to send contributions to the report in the form of research studies, reports and examples of relevant policies.    http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Poverty/Pages/Fiscalandtaxpolicy2014.aspx http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Poverty/Pages/AnnualReports.aspx    UN secretary general highlights the importance of equitable and sustainable development    United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon backs the 17 goals and 169 targets proposed by the UN working group, for the proposed sustainable development goals (SDGs) with the launch of his synthesis report, The Road to Dignity by 2030 (see link below).    In the report, Ban Ki-moon reaffirmed all 17 goals and 169 targets proposed by the UN open working group that will come into force after the millennium development goals expire next year.    “I am encouraged that my report received very positive and favourable responses.”    Ban said there were no plans to adopt something new, but added there was “still a nine-months negotiation process awaiting”.    The secretary general has banded the goals into six “essential elements”, which he hoped would help guide member states in their negotiations on the final targets.    Ban said the elements – dignity, people, planet, prosperity, justice and partnership – “were meant to offer conceptual guidance for the work ahead”.    The report highlighted the importance of the internatioal conference on financing for development, taking place in Addis Ababa in July next year, for agreeing commitments for paying for the implementation of the goals.    Other key moments next year will be the special summit on sustainable development at the UN general assembly in September, where the goals are expected to be adopted, and the UNFCCC meeting in Paris in December, where member states have pledged to adopt an agreement to tackle climate change.    Ban said adequate resources, the technical know-how and the political will were crucial to create a transformative vision for the future. “I continue to urge member states to continue to keep ambitions high. We must do all it takes to provide hope for people and the planet,” he said at the report’s launch in New York.    Helen Dennis, senior adviser on poverty and inequality at Christian Aid, called the report a “rallying call to governments to aim high with the new global development goals. It rightly makes it clear that business as usual is not an option, and puts proper emphasis on the importance of equitable and sustainable development. The secretary general emphasises the shared nature of challenges like inequality and climate change and underlines the need for universal goals which will apply in all countries, including the UK.”    Michael Elliott, president the advocacy group ONE, said: “The UN secretary general’s report is a welcome drive to kickstart the global effort to end extreme poverty by 2030, and we echo his calls for an ambitious plan to finance the next chapter for development.”    Margaret Batty, director of global policy and campaigns at WaterAid said: “Today’s report takes us one step closer to a landmark agreement for a world where extreme poverty has been eliminated and safe water and sanitation are available to all.    “We welcome the inclusion of water, sanitation and hygiene within the six elements identified by the secretary general and emphasise how important it will be to achieve universal access to these essential needs.”    However, Stephen Hale, Oxfam’s deputy advocacy and campaigns director, questioned the report for not presenting a stronger message about climate change and inequality.    “Oxfam is disappointed that the UN has not made far stronger proposals to address extreme economic inequality and climate change in its new report. The under-emphasis of both issues is a grave missed opportunity,” he said. “These are two major injustices that are guaranteed to undermine the efforts of millions of people seeking to escape poverty and hunger over the next 15 years.”    Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah, head of Civicus: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, said the report captured many of the key issues raised by his members. “The central place given to tackling inequality is a great step forward, there’s an admirable attempt to bring climate change concerns into the development agenda and the need to protect civic space is underlined,” he said. “The key challenge now will be to get governments to agree to ambitious, game-changing targets for the new goals and, importantly, to put in place robust accountability mechanisms.”    * The Road to Dignity: http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/5527SR_advance%20unedited_final.pdf http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=15505&LangID=E http://www.beyond2015.org/sites/default/files/Beyond2015_Reaction_UNSG_Synthesis_Report.pdf http://cesr.org/article.php?list=type&type=157 http://www.cesr.org/downloads/RF_letter_SG_nov17.pdf    * A few links exploring the Post 2015 Development Agenda:    http://www.beyond2015.org/news/beyond-2015-reaction-special-events-outcome-document-press-release http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/beyond2015-news.shtml http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/ http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/MDG/Pages/MDGPost2015Agenda.aspx http://www.srfood.org/en/equality-or-bust-for-post-2015-global-development-goals-un-rights-experts http://www.beyond2015.org/news/people-know-what-they-want-and-need http://sd.iisd.org/    http://www.beyond2015.org/ http://www.participate2015.org/ http://www.worldwewant2015.org/ http://www.networkideas.org/news/mar2013/pdf/Inequality_Letter.pdf http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Poverty/Pages/Post2015Development.aspx http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=13063&LangID=E http://www.worldwewant2015.org/inequalities http://www.worldwewant2015.org/es/node/283328 http://www.beyond2015.org/inequality-childrens-development-and-post-2015 http://www.fian.org/news/article/detail/fian-demands-human-rights-for-all-in-post-2015-agenda http://www.ifad.org/governance/post2015/ http://www.ifrc.org/en/news-and-media/opinions-and-positions/opinion-pieces/2013/feedback-on-the-report-by-the-high-level-panel-of-eminent-persons-on-the-post--2015-development-agenda/ http://www.un-ngls.org/spip.php?article4350 http://www.un-ngls.org/spip.php?article4351 http://cesr.org/article.php?id=1532 http://www.cesr.org/article.php?id=1512 http://www.rightingfinance.org/?p=1038 http://www.rightingfinance.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/full-response.pdf http://www.cesr.org/article.php?list=type&type=157 http://www.cesr.org/article.php?id=1576 http://www.cesr.org/article.php?id=1578 http://cesr.org/article.php?list=type&type=157 http://cesr.org/article.php?id=1504    http://post2015.org/ http://www.ids.ac.uk/news/people-and-institutions-must-work-together-to-address-inequalities-that-characterise-extreme-poverty http://www.un-ngls.org/IMG/pdf/UN-NGLS_Post-2015_Regional_Consultation_September_2013.pdf http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Development/Pages/PromotingHRbasedfinancialregulationmacroeconomicpolicies.aspx http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Development/Pages/NewsFeatureStoriesPromotingahumanrights.aspx http://www.ipsnews.net/topics/inequality/ http://www.ipsnews.net/news/development-aid/poverty-mdgs/ http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/sustainable-development-goals http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jan/19/sustainable-development-goals-united-nations http://www.unicef.org/post2015/ http://www.unicef.org/post2015/index_69527.html http://www.unicef.org/socialpolicy/ http://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2013/7/post-2015-long-paper#view http://www.irf2015.org/ http://www.irf2015.org/blog http://www.irf2015.org/post-2015-round-around-web-world-resources-institute-0 http://www.iied.org/tag/post-2015-agenda http://www.iied.org/tag/sustainable-development-goals-sdgs http://www.whiteband.org/en/news/14-01-07-open-working-group-side-event-implementing-just-inclusive-equal-and-sustainable-develo http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=15592&LangID=E http://webtv.un.org/watch/what-can-the-post-2015-development-agenda-achieve-for-persons-with-disabilities-2nd-meeting-of-the-high-level-political-forum-on-sustainable-development-side-event/3664934986001/ http://post2015.iisd.org/category/post2015-themes/post2015-inequalities/ http://post2015.iisd.org/news/aina-report-highlights-seven-key-messages-on-inequalities/ http://www.fao.org/post-2015-mdg/home/en/ http://www.landcoalition.org/node/2581 http://www.action2015.org/who-we-are/ Visit the related web page
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