HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL HOLDS PANEL DISCUSSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS MAINSTREAMING

The Human Rights Council this afternoon held a panel discussion on human rights mainstreaming, focusing on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and human rights, with an emphasis on the right to development.

Choi Kyong-Lim, President of the Human Rights Council, opening the panel, said the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda placed human rights at it centre. It was critical and urgent for United Nations human rights mechanisms to put in place concrete mechanisms to monitor the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. The 2030 Agenda and the right to development were linked, and both put people at their centre.

Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, said that the Human Rights Council was a vital guardian of human rights, and gave victims and human rights defenders a venue, a vehicle and a voice. Its reports drew the attention of the world to abuses in many countries and situations, and its expanding programme was testament to the growing authority of its work over the past 10 years. In a connected world, the links between the three pillars of the United Nations – peace and security, development and human rights – had never been clearer or more relevant. Long-term peace and security could not exist without human rights for all. Sustainable development was impossible without peace and security. Human rights were the very foundation of our common humanity.

Mogens Lykketoft, President of the seventieth session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, said securing early progress on the Sustainable Development Goals was a priority. Sustainable Development Goals had to move out of the United Nations and become truly global, owned by governments and citizens. The 2030 Agenda reinforced the legal obligations that States had signed up to and recognised that freedom from want had to be tackled first. It had empowerment at its core and recognized the participation of people, and the need for inclusive politics and governance.

Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that the 2030 Agenda and the Declaration on the Right to Development were “powerfully linked”. The right to development provided a vital enabling environment to ensure that the goals of the Agenda would be achieved in practice, and that processes of development were inclusive and just. Listing further convergences between the Agenda and the Declaration, he noted that the Declaration addressed the structural impediments that disadvantaged the poor and prevented development from benefiting all. Likewise, the Agenda pledged to leave no one behind and to reach the furthest behind first.

Kate Gilmore, United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, acting as the moderator, said that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provided an opportunity to reflect on what had worked and what had not worked in the Millennium Development Goals. Human rights were not secondary to growth, but an essential part of it. Human rights were not competitors for security and resilience, but their fundamental building blocks. The implications of promises not kept were grave. Those left furthest behind had to be in focus of action, and the international community had to act universally.

Zamir Akram, Chair-Rapporteur of the Working Group on the Right to Development and former Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations in Geneva, speaking as a panellist, said one of the most important achievements since last October was the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals and the new Development Agenda. The right to development recognized that all rights - civil and political as well as economic, social and cultural rights- were integrated. There could be no human rights without meeting human needs. There was a symbiotic relationship between the right to development and the Sustainable Development Goals and these were mutually supportive.

Helen Clark, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme and Chair of the United Nations Development Group, speaking as a panellist, said that today’s meeting offered an opportunity to emphasize how the Agenda set out to realize the human rights of all, while remaining grounded in the Charter of the United Nations and the Millennium Declaration, among similar documents and agreements. All the new Sustainable Development Goals were relevant to the Right to Development Declaration. Within their specific mandates, all United Nations agencies, organizations, funds, and programmes contributed to the realization of human rights.

Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund, speaking as a panellist, said that the 2030 Agenda was a historical landmark for humanity for the participatory and inclusive process that had led to it. The Agenda’s recognition of women, young girls and youth as fully fledged participants in the process was notable. Human beings had to be at the centre of sustainable development. That determined and informed the work of the United Nations Population Fund, especially in the fight against violence against women and girls. The United Nations Population Fund sought to increase its participation, and to ensure its access to health, and sexual and reproductive rights, and was the fifth largest provider of development data in the world.

Yannick Glemarec, Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), speaking as a panellist, said universality, equality and non-discrimination were at the core of the Development Agenda. The Development Agenda acknowledged that the gender equality of women and children were a crucial contribution to all development goals and targets. As such, the implementation of Agenda 2030 had to be aligned with human rights instruments. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and its 189 States parties remained central for the realisation of the human rights of women and girls.

Jan Beagle, Deputy Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), speaking as a panellist, said that shrinking-space for civil society and lack of funding had a negative impact on efforts to combatting HIV/AIDS. HIV/AIDS was much more than a health issue, as it disproportionately affected the most vulnerable people. It was essential to have a clear strategy towards mainstreaming human rights, non-discrimination and gender equality. Collecting data was critical for identifying the people left behind and how to reach them. Inclusion and participation of civil society and affected communities was also crucial for achieving the goals of United Nations entities. Lastly, the Rights Up Front Initiative provided a basis for recognizing the contribution of United Nations staff in advancing human rights.

During the discussion, speakers noted that strengthening the United Nations human rights mechanisms and better integrating the development agenda were crucial. They underlined the importance of human rights for all, and leaving no one behind. They also emphasised the interdependence of economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights. Synergies of human rights and development efforts were needed as was the necessity of a rights-based approach to development. The better implementation of human rights for girls was crucial. The current events were a realisation that action was needed. All agreed that the Working Group on the Right to Development had a very important role to play in promoting the Development Agenda. There was a deep convergence of human rights and sustainable development in the 2030 Agenda. The job was now to determine how the international community should act. Speakers called for concrete proposals on how to deliver on human rights in 2030. How would such a convergence contribute to the advancement of human rights? Meeting the needs of the poorest and most marginalized people first, speakers agreed, was mandatory.

Speaking were Brazil, Botswana, Saudi Arabia, Angola, Viet Nam, Bahrain, European Union, Norway, Georgia, South Africa, Denmark on behalf of the Nordic Group, Pakistan on behalf of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation, Australia, South Africa on behalf of the African Group, Dominican Republic on behalf of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, India on behalf of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, Namibia, Algeria, United States, Mexico, Libya, Portugal, and Costa Rica.

International Coordinating Committee of National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights took the floor as did the following non-governmental organizations: Save the Children, Associazione Comunita Papa Giovanni XXIII, Arab Commission for Human Rights, CIVICUS-World Alliance for Citizen Participation, and Pacific Disability Forum.

The Council will resume its work at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, 1 March, when it will hold a high-level debate on the fiftieth anniversary of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights.

Opening Statements

CHOI KYONG-LIM, President of the Human Rights Council, said the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda placed human rights at its centre. Human rights should guide its implementation. It was critical and urgent for the United Nations human rights mechanisms to put in place concrete mechanisms to monitor the implementation of the Agenda. The 2030 Agenda and the right to development were linked, and both put people at their centre.

BAN KI-MOON, United Nations Secretary-General, in his opening statement, said that the Human Rights Council was a vital guardian of human rights, and gave victims and human rights defenders a venue, a vehicle and a voice. Its reports drew the attention of the world to abuses in many countries and situations, and its expanding programme was testament to the growing authority of its work over the past 10 years. The Council had shown flexibility and courage in dealing with difficult issues that other bodies had been reluctant to tackle. In a connected world, the links between the three pillars of the United Nations – peace and security, development and human rights – had never been clearer or more relevant. Long-term peace and security could not exist without human rights for all. Sustainable development was impossible without peace and security. Human rights were the very foundation of our common humanity.

Throughout his time in office, the Secretary-General said he had emphasized the need for democratic practices, beginning with the right of people to be heard through the ballot box. Leaders earned legitimacy by listening to their people, he said. He had spoken up repeatedly for the rights of all people, regardless of their ethnicity, religion, disability, caste or other distinction. In many countries, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual and intersex people were subjected to brutal and sometimes deadly violence, he noted, commending the Council for adopting two historic resolutions on sexual orientation and gender identity, and urging it to maintain its stance on this issue. The Secretary-General had highlighted the importance of justice, including through the International Criminal Court, tribunals, special courts and other bodies. The Human Rights Council’s special procedures, commissions of inquiry and fact-finding missions were essential tools towards ending impunity. He had also advocated for gender equality and women’s empowerment, including through the UNiTE campaign to end violence against women. There must be accountability for the horrific abuses of women’s rights that were a feature of violent extremism, from Iraq to Syria and Nigeria, he said. The agreement reached last December between Japan and the Republic of Korea on the so-called ‘comfort women’, who were subjected to tremendous suffering during the Second World War, highlighted the need to address the pain of the victims, no matter how many years had passed. Secretary-General Ban hoped that the faithful implementation of the agreement, guided by the recommendations of United Nations Human Rights mechanisms, would help such wounds to be healed.

The Human Rights Up Front initiative aimed to bring the three pillars of the United Nations together by recognizing the value of identifying rights violations as early warning signs of crises to come. It was about changing how the United Nations thought and acted on the prevention and protection responsibilities of the Charter. More efforts for conflict prevention would be one of the main calls to action at the first-ever World Humanitarian Summit the history of the United Nations, in Istanbul in May 2016. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was also a major step forward for human rights. Its promise to leave no-one behind meant dismantling the structural injustice that held back women, minorities, indigenous people, and so many millions of others. States must start by supporting the most vulnerable people: the victims of inequality and injustice, people affected by climate change, migrants, refugees, displaced and stateless people. Building higher walls and creating stricter asylum regimes did nothing to address the reasons for mass movements of people, he said. The 2030 Agenda committed Member States to welcome the positive contribution of migrants and ensure that migration took place with full respect for human rights. In the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, systematic and widespread human rights violations had been vividly documented by the Commission of Inquiry and highlighted by the High Commissioner for Human Rights in a briefing to the Security Council in December 2015. In the spirit of the 2030 Agenda, the United Nations system had to continue to work with the Governments of all States that routinely denied human rights, to address those challenges.

MOGENS LYKKETOFT, President of the Seventieth Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, said that since September, he had made securing early progress on the Sustainable Development Goals a priority. For this to happen, the Sustainable Development Goals had to move out of the United Nations and New York, and become truly global, owned by governments and citizens. Human rights were certainly among these issues. The 2030 Agenda reinforced the legal obligations that States had signed up to in the past years. It recognised that freedom from want had to be tackled first, and civil and political rights later. It had empowerment at its core. It recognized the participation of people, and the need for inclusive politics and governance. The Development Agenda 2030 also had equality at its core, as well as empowering women first, and ensuring that the benefits of economic development were shared. It emphasized equality between and within countries. It included a series of actions, including development assistance and international taxation cooperation against tax evasion. As the world moved forward, further alignment with human rights had to be ensured. Countries had to ensure that the integrated agenda was not lost from the global to the national levels. Sustainable Development Goals could not be implemented “a la carte”. At the international level, this meant informing the work of the human rights mechanisms, among others. Mr. Lykketoft looked forward to learning about the role of the Human Rights Council and the treaty bodies in this area. Last September, world leaders had agreed to an ambitious revolutionary agenda for the future of people and the planet. This has been done because the leaders had understood that this was what billions of people and the suffering planet needed. It was time to go forward to the business of implementation. Mr. Lykketoft encouraged everyone to think hard about how they would contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals implementation. He encouraged the international community to engage in those meetings.

ZEID RA’AD AL HUSSEIN, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that the 2030 Agenda and the Declaration on the Right to Development were “powerfully linked”. The right to development provided a vital enabling environment to ensure that the goals of the Agenda would be achieved in practice, and that processes of development were inclusive and just. Listing further convergences between the Agenda and the Declaration, he noted that the Declaration addressed the structural impediments that disadvantaged the poor and prevented development from benefiting all. Likewise, the Agenda pledged to leave no one behind and to reach the furthest behind first. It had two dedicated goals on equality, including commitments to end discrimination and exclusion of women and girls. Noting that the Secretary-General in 2013 had called human rights “the DNA of the United Nations”, he added that the 2030 Agenda gave the international community a historic opportunity to make it so. The onus was now on implementation. The international community needed to take action to ensure that human rights principles, including the right to development, were at the core of the drive for human progress and well-being.

Through the United Nations Development Group’s Human Rights Working Group, United Nations Country Teams would be supported in systematically engaging with the international human rights mechanisms, the High Commissioner said. Work was urgently needed to make recommendations and guidance from the Universal Periodic Review, treaty bodies, and Special Procedures available to the Sustainable Development Goals progress reviews. Also, a systematic two-way flow of information between the Economic and Social Council’s High level Political Forum and the human rights mechanisms needed to be ensured. Problems that could not be seen could not be fixed, and therefore only if data was accurately gathered would the international community be able to gauge its progress in reaching the most vulnerable and excluded. The 2030 Agenda recognised that development, peace and human rights were interlocked, and built on each other in a virtuous spiral with profound benefit to all. The Agenda’s resonance with the right to development was therefore unmistakeable. As a detailed programme for action, the Agenda offered the people of the world enormous hope.

Statements by the Moderator and Panellists

KATE GILMORE, United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, speaking as the moderator, said that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provided an opportunity to reflect on what had worked and what had not worked in the Millennium Development Goals. Human rights were not secondary to growth, but were an essential part of it. Human rights were not competitors for security and resilience, but their fundamental building blocks. The implications of promises not kept were grave indeed. The onus was now on the international community to be worthy promise keeper and to act so that promises were fulfilled. Those left furthest behind had to be in focus of action, and the international community had to act universally. The job was now to determine how the international community should act. How would the right to development be advanced in the framework of the 2030 Agenda? How would human rights uphold sustainable development? Ms. Gilmore asked speakers to present concrete proposals on how to deliver on human rights in 2030. There was a deep convergence of human rights and sustainable development in the 2030 Agenda. How would such a convergence contribute to the advancement of human rights?

ZAMIR AKRAM, Chair-Rapporteur of the Working Group on the Right to Development and former Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations in Geneva, speaking as a panellist, said one of the most important achievements since last October was the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals and the new Development Agenda. In particular, he stressed the importance of the first and second preambular paragraphs as well as Article 35. In reference to the controversy that had surrounded development in the last three weeks, Mr. Akram stated that the right to development recognized that all rights - civil and political as well as economic, social and cultural rights - were integrated. There could be no human rights without meeting human needs. The world needed to start with the basic needs, such as the right to life, food, shelter, equality and education, among others. There was a symbiotic relationship between the right to development and the Sustainable Development Goals and these were mutually supportive. Both sought to recognize humanity without a discriminatory basis. Both promoted the idea that no one should be left behind – the holistic approach. Both required the local, national and international levels. Both envisaged the need for international cooperation and commitment to inclusive and sustainable development. There were several practical steps to be adopted in order to attain the Sustainable Development Goals. The first was to promote good governance at the national level, where development was prioritised. Second, there was a need to increase regional and international cooperation, including removing barriers to growth. This included making governments responsible for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and the right to development. This had to be done through an international accountability mechanism, so that all were able to demonstrate that they were able to achieve these goals. Lastly, there was a need to focus on the urgent human needs and the urgent development needs. These included eradicating poverty, addressing food shortages, and ensuring the availability of potable water, shelter, gender equality, and education, including training for generating employment. Finally, neither the Sustainable Development Goals nor the right to development would move forward in the absence of genuine international cooperation and assistance.

KATE GILMORE, United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, acting as the Moderator, asked Mr. Akram how the Working Group on the Right to Development might conclude the right to development and the follow-up on the development agenda.

ZAMIR AKRAM, Chair-Rapporteur of the Working Group on the Right to Development and former Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations in Geneva, replied that common ground needed to be found. Priorities were different among States and so were approaches. There was an immense amount of common ground and an immense body of international instruments where there was common agreement. The international community needed to focus on those common areas in order to move forward. The world would not resolve disarmament and self-determination issues and other more thorny issues. But this did not need to prevent the world from moving forward on other issues, which were the essential basis for achieving the other development goals.

KATE GILMORE, United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, speaking as the moderator, asking if the Agenda was to become a driver of tangible results, queried Helen Clark on how she saw it “rolling out” through the United Nations Development Programme and achieving human rights-sensitive implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

HELEN CLARK, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme and Chair of the United Nations Development Group, speaking as a panellist, said that today’s meeting offered an opportunity to emphasize how the Agenda set out to realize the human rights of all, while remaining grounded in the Charter of the United Nations and the Millennium Declaration, among similar documents and agreements. All the new Sustainable Development Goals were relevant to the Right to Development Declaration. Within their specific mandates, all United Nations agencies, organizations, funds, and programmes contributed to the realization of human rights. In collaboration with other United Nations Development Group entities, the United Nations Development Programme, the World Food Programme and the United Nations Children’s Fund had prepared a reference guide for United Nations Country Teams on mainstreaming the Sustainable Development Goals into national agendas, with tools for adapting the 2030 Agenda to national and local conditions which were based on human rights principles. She listed countries in which Sustainable Development Goal mainstreaming was underway, before turning to describing the United Nations Development Programme contribution to mainstreaming human rights in the 2030 Agenda. The United Nations Development Programme saw human rights as an intrinsic part of development and development as a means to realize human rights. National human rights institutions would have an important role to play in building the more peaceful and inclusive societies envisaged under Agenda 2030.

KATE GILMORE, United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, asked if there were new opportunities for the advance of rights through the Agenda, particularly the integration of rights into development.

HELEN CLARK, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme and Chair of the United Nations Development Group, replied that the referencing through the Agenda set up an expectation of human rights mainstreaming. The newest ground was broken in Goal 16 on building peaceful, just and inclusive societies. It pointed to the rule of law as giving voice to people. She expressed hope that with goodwill all Member States would embrace the Goals.

KATE GILMORE, United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, asked what concrete steps the United Nations Population Fund was taking to implement the 2030 Agenda and to ensure that human rights were part and parcel of it.

BABATUNDE OSOTIMEHIN, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund, speaking as a panellist, said that the 2030 Agenda was a historical landmark for humanity for the participatory and inclusive process that had led to it. The Agenda’s recognition of women, young girls and youth as fully fledged participants in the process was notable. Human beings had to be at the centre of sustainable development. That determined and informed the work of the United Nations Population Fund, especially in the fight against violence against women and girls. The United Nations Population Fund sought to increase their participation, and to ensure their access to health, sexual and reproductive rights. The United Nations Population Fund was the fifth largest provider of development data in the world. That comprehensiveness distinguished the Sustainable Development Goals from the Millennium Development Goals. To realize the ambitions of the Sustainable Development Goals, it was necessary to invest in the education and employment of youth, especially of young girls and boys. The United Nations Population Fund had to stand by the world’s youngest populations and realize their potential to contribute to sustainable development. Developing countries should have the necessary resources to realize the right to development. States should define their national priorities in that respect and thus benefit fairly from development. The Universal Periodic Review would play a key role to guide States on the road to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, especially in realizing the rights of women, girls and boys.

KATE GILMORE, United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, asked whether the right to development could be used as a tool to ignite the current demographic divide.

BABATUNDE OSOTIMEHIN, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund, answered that the population profiles in developing countries showed that about 60 per cent were under the age of 35. The economies in developing countries in Africa and Southeast Asia were dependent on raw materials and natural resources. In order to move those economies to the next level, there was a need to liberate the potential of young people. Countries had to deliberately invest in such an endeavour through vocational training, health services and access to family planning. Access to credit from the market was also crucial in order to enable young people to test their skills and contribute to economic growth. Adolescent girls were those who would engender change and become drivers of the economy. Some 60 million girls at the age of 10 were waiting to be “liberated” and bring about a transformation around the world.

Discussion

Brazil said that the Sustainable Development Goals reflected the full spectrum of human rights, including the right to development, and would contribute to combatting disparities amongst countries and to fighting discrimination. Botswana said that the inclusion of human rights principles in the 2030 Agenda further highlighted the links between human rights and development, and presented Botswana’s policies to implement the Sustainable Development Goals while protecting the rights of vulnerable groups and mainstreaming gender equality. Saudi Arabia said that it had adopted an inclusive and comprehensive development approach, and that it provided international support to third countries through financial aid for development. Angola said that major shortcomings of the multilateral trade system structures and rules and external debt were obstacles to the realization of the right to development.

Viet Nam expressed its strong commitment to translate the 2030 Agenda into its development policies, but faced financial challenges, and therefore underlined the importance of international cooperation. Bahrain said that it had implemented most of the Millennium Development Goals, including in the field of health and women’s empowerment, and that it continued to establish programmes and plans to implement the Sustainable Development Agenda. European Union said that development had to be based on the principle of quality of education, of health, of justice and of other services, and called for the effective and monitored implementation of the 2030 Agenda, with a focus on the rights of women and girls and with the support of civil society actors. How could human rights mechanisms contribute to this implementation? Norway said the 2030 Agenda could make human rights real while achieving peace, security and development for all, and regretted that the human rights pillar of the United Nations was underfunded.

Georgia said that sometimes development was hampered not only by internal factors, but also by externally generated factors, such as foreign occupation. South Africa expressed hope that the implementation of the 2030 Agenda would enhance the implementation of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 through that Agenda’s first 10-year implementation plan. Denmark, speaking on behalf of the Nordic Group, said that ensuring the equal integration and participation of women and girls in Nordic societies had been absolutely crucial for the wealth and prosperity those countries experienced today. Pakistan, speaking on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, said that the realization of the right to development was crucial and significant for the realization of all other human rights.

The International Coordinating Committee of National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights said that instruments and mechanisms of human rights provided an important framework for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Save the Children International, on behalf of severals NGOs¹, called on all States to put an end to extreme poverty in all its forms, including by ensuring equitable access to quality essential public services. Associazione Comunità Papa Giovanni XXIII, on behalf of severals NGOs², asked whether the actual trend of policies on migration contradicted the ambition of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of creating a more equal and inclusive world for all.

Response by the Panellists

KATE GILMORE, United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, asked the panellists to provide comments on the issues and questions raised by delegations.

ZAMIR AKRAM, Chair-Rapporteur of the Working Group on the Right to Development and former Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations in Geneva, said that the Working Group had a very important role to play in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Responding to a question on how human rights mechanisms could effectively contribute to the 2030 Agenda, he explained that the question was related to measurability, not only at the national but also at the international and regional levels.

HELEN CLARK, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme and Chair of the United Nations Development Group, responded to a question about how human rights mechanisms could contribute to the monitoring of the Sustainable Development Goals. She explained that the 2030 Agenda encouraged States to conduct regular monitoring and that the recommendations from human rights mechanisms could contribute a lot to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. The Universal Periodic Review could also provide insights to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Statements by Moderator and Panellists

YANNICK GLEMAREC, Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), said the Development Agenda was far more than business as usual and included international human rights standards and the right to development. Universality, equality and non-discrimination were at the core of the Development Agenda. The Agenda acknowledged that gender equality of women and children were a crucial contribution to all the goals and targets. As such, the implementation of Agenda 2030 had to be aligned with human rights instruments. The Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and its 189 States parties remained central for the realisation of the human rights of women and girls. The world needed to ensure the full ratification and full implementation of the Convention for Agenda 2030. Recommendations from international human rights mechanisms such as the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women had to guide the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Gender equality and women and girls human rights had to be prioritised across the human rights agenda. Goal five was crucial. All goals had to be implemented in a gender-responsible manner. Most Sustainable Development Goals depended on gender. Gender inequality remained the most pervasive violation in the world. National gender equality mechanisms had to address women’s rights. Women’s organizations continued to be vital for the Agenda 2030. Adequate financial resources using tools such as gender responsive budgeting had to be mobilized. Last but not least, accountability mechanisms had to be mobilized.

KATE GILMORE, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, asked him what leaving no one behind meant.

YANNICK GLEMAREC, Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), said that referred to women and girls who lived in conflict and fragile States. Leaving no one behind meant being able to reach all these women and girls. A woman was a hundred times more likely to die giving birth in these countries than in a European country. The United Nations was fully aware of this challenge. One of the key challenges faced in order to leave no one behind was to break the silos between human development action, humanitarian and human rights. UN Women had launched global instruments for women in peace and security. Providing critical financial support to fully participate in conflict prevention efforts – such as fighting local rumours - was crucial. What was also crucial was ending impunity for violence.

KATE GILMORE, United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, asked how the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) was responding to the 2030 Agenda and promoting the inclusion of human rights in its work?

JAN BEAGLE, Deputy Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), said that shrinking space for civil society and lack of funding had a negative impact on efforts to combat HIV/AIDS. HIV/AIDS was much more than a health issue, she said, as it disproportionately affected the most vulnerable people. It was essential to have a clear strategy towards mainstreaming human rights, non-discrimination and gender equality. Collecting data was critical for identifying the people left behind and how to reach them. Inclusion and participation of civil society and affected communities was also crucial for achieving the goals of United Nations entities. Lastly, the Rights Up Front Initiative provided a basis for recognizing the contribution of United Nations staff in advancing human rights.

KATE GILMORE, United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, asked what efforts had been made by UNAIDS to strengthen, in cooperation with other United Nations agencies, the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Rights Up Front Approach.

JAN BEAGLE, Deputy Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, said that UNAIDS had worked to strengthen its partnership with the United Nations Development Fund to implement the Sustainable Development Goals. It had also elaborated human rights guidelines for its country teams, and had been working a lot on leadership to reinforce a rights-based culture.

Discussion

Australia said that good governance and strong institutions were critical to obtaining the realization of human rights across all areas of society, especially in health, gender equality, education, law and order and access to justice. South Africa, speaking on behalf of the African Group, welcomed the fact that the 2030 Agenda was built on the unfinished business of the Millennium Development Goals, underscoring the importance of international cooperation in the realization of the right to development. Dominican Republic, speaking on behalf of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, stressed that the greatest challenge was the eradication of poverty, without which there could not be any sustainable development. Mobilizing financial resources, capacity building and technical cooperation were key in that respect. India, speaking on behalf of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, said that the 2030 Agenda was an opportunity for all countries to jointly address the common challenges of sustainable development. A “one-size-fits-all” approach should be avoided in the design of sustainable development policies. Namibia noted that none of the Sustainable Development Goals could be achieved without the adequate protection and promotion of human rights. It regretted the lack of political will of some States to recognize the right to development. Algeria said that 2016 offered an opportunity to reiterate a strong commitment to the right to development. It supported the mandate of the Working Group and expressed hope that the next session Member States would be able to discuss the implementation of the right to development. United States said that achieving the Sustainable Development Goals required the respect of dignity of everyone, adding that the Council could play a key role in their achievement through its work with Member States. Mexico noted that the human rights perspective, in addition to social and economic inclusion and creating opportunities for everyone, was key to “leaving no one behind.” Libya noted that developed countries had to transfer technology to developing and least developed countries to enable them to deal with their challenges. Rich countries and international financial institutions should lend a hand to poor countries without pressure, blackmailing, imposing or hidden agendas. Portugal underlined the importance of respecting gender equality and combatting violence against women and girls in implementing the 2030 Agenda. Costa Rica underlined the importance of cooperation and of avoiding overlapping of United Nations entities’ mandates in implementing the 2030 Agenda, and stressed the importance of solidarity and international cooperation.

Arab Commission for Human Rights regretted the lack of interest and work by the United Nations on the right to development, and insisted that the right to work could not be achieved under dictatorships. Civicus was concerned about the lack of an inclusive and evidence-based review and accountability process on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Pacific Disability Forum insisted that financing for sustainable development should reach the most marginalized populations and benefit persons with disabilities, and stressed the importance of collecting data disaggregated by disability status.

Concluding Remarks

KATE GILMORE, United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in concluding remarks that human rights and gender equality were prerequisites for achieving the 2030 Agenda. Policy space was also needed, including social investments. The Sustainable Development Goals and the right to development were mutually reinforcing. The engagement of the United Nations human rights mechanisms, including during the Universal Periodic Review process, were fundamental.

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¹Joint statement: Save the Children International; International Lesbian and Gay Association; International Catholic Child Bureau; Terre Des Hommes Federation Internationale; Make Mother Matter – MMM ; and Plan International, Inc.


²Joint statement: Associazione Comunità Papa Giovanni XXIII; World Union of Catholic Women's Organizations; Mouvement International d'Apostolate des Milieux Sociaux Independants; International Catholic Migration Commission; Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd; Dominicans for Justice and Peace - Order of Preachers; Company of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul; and Association Points-Coeur.



For use of the information media; not an official record

HRC16/005E