Human rights and the post-2015 development agenda

A recent panel discussion at the UN Human Rights Council underlined the need for human rights principles to guide the setting of the UN’s development agenda beyond the expiry of the Millennium Development Goals in 2015.

by Kanaga Raja

GENEVA: The United Nations Human Rights Council on 1 March held a high-level panel discussion on human rights mainstreaming, focusing this year on human rights and the post-2015 development agenda, particularly on the right to education.

The panel discussion, at the current 22nd session of the Council here, saw opening statements by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, and Luis Brites Pereira, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Portugal.

There were also two keynote speakers, Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Consort of the Emir of Qatar, Chairperson of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development and UNESCO’s Special Envoy for Basic and Higher Education, and Amina J Mohammed, Assistant Secretary-General and Special Advisor of the Secretary-General on post-2015 development planning.

Panellists at the session included Irina Bokova, Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Guy Ryder, Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO), Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Rebeca Grynspan, Under-Secretary-General and Associate Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), and Yoka Brandt, Deputy Executive Director of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

A concept note prepared for the session observed that as the 2015 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) deadline gets closer, the international community has mobilized in order to prepare the post-2015 development agenda and address the remaining challenges. Several initiatives have been taken to prepare the ground for that purpose, it adds. These include the Secretary-General’s UN Task Team, the High Level Panel of Eminent Persons (HLP) on the post-2015 development agenda appointed also by the Secretary-General, as well as the Open Ended Working Group (OWG) on sustainable development goals (SDGs) arising from the Rio+20 summit.

In this context, says the concept note, the Human Rights Council should play a central role in promoting a human rights-based approach to development. “Indeed, human rights are a central feature of the framework for developing the post-2015 development agenda; while they can contribute to the realization of post-2015 goals, the post-2015 agenda can help achieve the realization of human rights.”

It stressed that the central role of the right to education – an overarching right essential for the enjoyment of all other human rights – in accelerating progress toward MDGs is now increasingly acknowledged.

Inextricably linked

In his opening statement at the panel session, the UN Secretary-General said that peace, development and human rights are inextricably linked. “Human rights are essential for achieving the Millennium Development Goals and advancing sustainable development. Today’s panel discussion on the post-2015 development framework, therefore, is most timely.”

Referring to his establishment of a senior-level UN System Task Team on the post-2015 agenda, Ban noted that the Task Team recommended that the post-2015 agenda be built on three fundamental principles: human rights, equality and sustainability. Agreeing with this, he went on to urge all stakeholders “to ensure that international human rights standards and principles help guide our post-2015 goals and objectives.”

The right to education is a crucial part of this picture, he stressed, adding that far too often, people who need their rights most know their rights least.

“Despite progress, too many primary school age children are still not in school. Too many leave school without learning the most basic skills,” he said, adding that education, health care, housing and the fair administration of justice are not privileges for the few but rights for all.

“Human rights are part of the DNA of the United Nations and the birthright of every human being,” said the Secretary-General, underlining that every member of the human family has a right to grow and develop their full potential in a secure and sustainable environment.

“This requires the full commitment of Member States. Together, let us empower people, and build the world we want,” he said.

In her opening statement, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said that throughout the post-2015 consultation process very clear calls for human rights have been heard – for civil and political rights, as well as for economic, social and cultural rights, and the right to development. “As we push further with the development of our post-2015 agenda, we in this room must listen to those voices.”

The Millennium Development Goals were an important commitment for lifting many people out of poverty. But civil society, and the rights-holders themselves, were not sufficiently consulted in the process of shaping those goals, and their scope was largely limited to the socio-economic, she said.

“They did not address ‘freedom from fear’ – civil and political rights. Moreover, they focused on progress towards ‘average’ or aggregate targets, and this often masked very uneven advancement that ignored entrenched inequalities and discrimination. The MDGs were also weak on accountability, at national and global levels.”

“So, perhaps it should come as no surprise that a number of initial MDG ‘success stories’ could not be sustained, and some of those societies are now embroiled in violence,” said Pillay.

She said that firstly, because human rights frame a vision that is based on substantive equality and equal rights for all, a new self-standing global goal on “achieving equality” must be the powerful central message of the new, post-2015 agenda.

Secondly, “human rights clarify our post-2015 objectives. These must be universal rights, which include not only an essential minimum standard of services and access for all, in other words, ‘freedom from want’, but also freedom from fear: guarantees for personal security, political participation, and access to justice.”

Pillay added: “A human rights approach will also require that we identify and dismantle discrimination – ensuring that development is fully inclusive, and that all outcomes in the development process enhance the position of the most disadvantaged.”

“A human rights approach emphasizes accountability mechanisms – changing what commitments our post-2015 process should agree to monitor, i.e. based on human rights standards, and how we should agree to monitor them, i.e. in a participatory fashion.”

She stressed that central to the human rights approach is the universal right to education. Education is a fundamental right in itself, and an important enabling right to claim and realize other human rights. Education is also essential to the achievement of the right to development – enabling all people, without discrimination of any kind, to take an active part in the process.

“In short, without respect for human rights, development is not equitable. And unless it is equitable, development can never be sustainable,” said the High Commissioner.

“I urge you, therefore, to help build our post-2015 agenda on our solemn, shared international human rights standards and obligations, in order to unlock new ways to increase the impact and benefit of our work on behalf of rights-holders everywhere.”

Promoting equality

A statement was also delivered at the session by Michel Forst on behalf of the group of 72 independent experts working on country-specific and thematic issues at the Human Rights Council.

In his statement, Forst called on the international community to place human rights, equality and non-discrimination, and sustainability at the heart of the post-2015 development agenda.

“The priorities for the post-2015 era must champion universal and fair development in all countries, where the protection and fulfilment of all human rights – civil, cultural, economic, political and social – for all are the overarching aims. The post-2015 development framework should enable citizens to monitor the commitments of their Governments and should place accountability at the core of the new global goals.”

Forst, who chairs the Coordination Committee of the group of independent experts, noted that the creation of the MDGs thus far has been a driver for lifting millions of people out of poverty and reducing hunger and the number of preventable maternal and child deaths. The MDGs have harnessed the power of numbers to build consensus around critical global challenges by successfully consolidating governments’ commitments.

“As we approach the 2015 deadline for the realization of the MDGs, the international community must cement the gains achieved, build on the lessons learned and aim higher and be more ambitious in order to realize freedom from fear and freedom from want,” he said.

However, he pointed out, the MDGs remained silent regarding inequalities.

“We know that rising inequalities have powerful and corrosive effects; they threaten human development and suggest a trajectory that is contrary to the realization of human rights. For example, gender inequality and discrimination persists, is growing in some instances and violence against women continues to undermine efforts to achieve all the MDGs. So for all the successes of the MDGs, they did not manage to tackle inequalities, a priority outlined in the Millennium Declaration.”

He added: “Our understanding of the social and economic benefits of equality has dramatically improved over the past decades. Equality is shown to have net positive impacts on a range of social and economic indicators as well as on the management and sustainable use of natural resources. As such, our ability to promote and protect human rights is influenced by rising inequalities and discrimination in all its forms.”

In general, he noted, the MDGs have not reached the poorest of the poor and those suffering from exclusion in various forms.

“Even though the water target was met prior to the 2015 deadline, the truth is that we still have 780 million people left out, the majority of whom belongs to minorities, live in extreme poverty, in rural areas or informal settlements or homeless. 870 million people today are hungry not because of insufficient food production, but because they suffer from insufficient social protection. We cannot and should not be satisfied with development goals that exclude millions of the most marginalized and vulnerable people.”

Contrary to the prevailing view that promoting equality would reduce efficiency and thus growth, Forst said that the truth is that equality supports economic development and ensures that growth is sustainable.

“We will need to address inequality once and for all as it constitutes one of the most persistent challenges that prevent millions of people from living a life in dignity. We will not be able to overcome the challenges by limiting ourselves to the obvious realities. We must aim for justice for all; those without a voice do not need charity.”

He stressed that the post-2015 development agenda should include a standalone goal on equality in order to foster more inclusive forms of development. Individual targets and indicators should be set in such a way that each country’s progress towards reducing inequalities is measurable.

The new goals must constitute incentives for change and this change must reach everyone. It is achievable; it is a matter of vision, political will and well-informed development policies, he said.

“A development agenda based on the equal protection and realization of all human rights for all is vital for sustainable development and the practical effectiveness of our actions for present and future generations. Let us accept our collective responsibility to create the future we want,” he concluded. (SUNS7538)      

Third World Economics, Issue No. 540, 1-15 Mar 2013, pp 15-16