PHM-Exch> LAUNCH / E-DISCUSSION: Practical examples and policies in furthering human rights and the MDGs.

[Claudio Schuftan]

From: Kyung-wha Kang and Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi
multiple.contributors at undp.org










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* LAUNCH of e-Discussion:***

*Practical examples and policies in furthering human rights and the MDGs*

*14 June to 9 July 2010*
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Dear colleagues,



We are pleased to announce the launch of the *e-Discussion: Practical
examples and policies in furthering human rights and the MDGs*.  The
e-Discussion will run from *14 June to 9 July 2010* and will be hosted
jointly by the UN Human Rights Policy network (HuriTALK) and the UNDG
Millennium Development Goals network (MDG-net).



At the Millennium Summit held in September 2000, the world leaders placed
development at the heart of the global agenda by adopting the Millennium
Declaration which included the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), as a set
of clear and time-bound targets for reducing poverty, hunger, disease,
illiteracy, environmental degradation and discrimination against women by
2015.



The Millennium Declaration also contains important commitments on human
rights which provide the normative basis for the realization of the MDGs and
other internationally agreed development goals. The 2005 World Summit
Outcome reaffirmed that peace and security, development and human rights are
interlinked and mutually reinforcing.  Human rights norms, principles and
mechanisms are instrumentally critical in empowering people and
strengthening accountability of all actors in achieving poverty reduction.
At the same time, poverty reduction is critical in advancing civil and
political rights, economic and social rights and human security. Therefore,
efforts to achieve the MDGs need to be placed within the broader human
rights and development framework.



2010 represents a critical juncture toward achievement of the MDGs. With
only five years left until the 2015 deadline to achieve the MDGs, the
Secretary-General has called for the adoption of a global action agenda for
accelerating progress towards the Goals, when world leaders meet at a UN
Summit in New York in September. **

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The Report of the Secretary General ‘Keeping the promise: a forward-looking
review to promote an agreed action agenda to achieve the Millennium
Development Goals by
2015’<http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/pdf/sgreport_draft.pdf>presents
information on progress made in achieving the Millennium
Development Goals through a comprehensive review of successes, best
practices and lessons learned, obstacles and gaps, and challenges and
opportunities, leading to concrete strategies for action.



‘Keeping the promise’ highlights challenges in achieving development goals,
including the Millennium Development Goals including addressing the ‘special
needs of the most vulnerable and the large and increasing inequalities in
various economic and social dimensions, including geography, sex, age,
disability, ethnicity and other vulnerabilities’ (para 47). It has also
recognized that ‘inequality and social exclusion limit the contribution of
growth to the Millennium Development Goals [and] must be addressed.
Inequalities of access, social protection and opportunities need to be
greatly reduced (para. 52)’



The e-Discussion will allow colleagues to share their practical experiences
and knowledge (including innovative practices, lessons learned,
implementation bottlenecks and enabling strategies) in addressing many of
these issues from human rights perspectives, specifically:



·         Addressing the special needs of the most vulnerable;

·         Addressing social exclusion and inequality;

·         Monitoring of progress and enhanced accountability toward
achieving the MDGs; and,

·         Reflections on how the MDG framework and efforts to accelerate the
MDGs be utilized beneficially toward the realization of human rights.



The UNDG made a significant commitment to further the mainstreaming of human
rights in our development work, by establishing a dedicated UNDG Human
Rights Mainstreaming Mechanism (UNDG-HRM) which we co-chair.  Knowledge
sharing is one of the priorities of the UNDG-HRM and we thus encourage
colleagues and network members to participate in furthering human rights and
the MDGs in this e-Discussion.  The conclusions and good practices will be
shared with the UNDG and the knowledge networks and available on the UN HRBA
Practitioner’s Portal <http://www.hrbaportal.org/>.



Sincerely,





Kyung-wha Kang

Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, OHCHR

Chair, UNDG Human Rights Mainstreaming Mechanism





Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi

Director, Democratic Governance Group, Bureau for Development Policy, UNDP

Vice-Chair, UNDG Human Rights Mainstreaming Mechanism
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