PHM-Exch> Fwd: UN Secretary General backs calls for human rights-based post-2015 agenda

[Claudio Schuftan]

*From:* CESR <info at cesr.org>

       *16 August 2013**
*

UN Secretary General backs calls for human rights-based post-2015 agenda

     *CESR STATEMENT*


*Key report to General Assembly outlines Secretary General's vision of 'a
world we have a right to expect'*

The UN has just released the Secretary General’s report to the forthcoming
General Assembly on progress in meeting the Millennium Development Goals
and recommendations for what should replace them in 2015. The report, “A
life of dignity for all,” is a powerful and timely endorsement of the need
to follow up the MDGs with a holistic and transformative framework of
development commitments anchored in the universal fulfillment of human
rights.

Echoing the central premise that has motivated
CESR’s<http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=NT9zijnJhstdSEWQYTpsp%2F5rC4iGnQX0>advocacy
and analysis over the last two years, the report asserts that
ending poverty is “a matter of basic justice and human rights”. It includes
a welcome recognition that freedom from fear and want are inseparable, and
that human rights encompass the economic and social dimensions of human
well-being. “No person should go hungry, lack shelter or clean water and
sanitation, face social and economic exclusion or live without access to
basic health services and education”, says the Secretary General. “These
are human rights, and form the foundations for a decent life.”

Many of its specific recommendations capture
those<http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=f08jSUeTIBHSJZ4M7VtZp%2F5rC4iGnQX0>
made<http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=uhdONSi2UP0fpWI5Ll01Lv5rC4iGnQX0>by
CESR and the
organizations<http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=5BeSy6XUyHGcZO3KHZb5Df5rC4iGnQX0>with
whom we have been working to secure human rights at the core of the
renewed development agenda. It calls for the sustainable development agenda
to be universal, rights-based and supported by rigorous accountability
mechanisms. It states that promoting decent employment, ensuring decent
wages, strengthening social protection and putting in place redistributive
policies are a prerequisite for achieving the existing Goals and must be
the basis of inclusive growth in the future. The report is also strong on
the need for more effective global governance and for a stronger commitment
by wealthier states to follow through on aid, trade and debt relief
commitments, as well as cracking down on illicit capital flows, and
stemming tax avoidance and evasion, which is a significant drain on
countries’ resources in both the North and South.

It calls for particular attention to the rights of the most vulnerable and
excluded, such as women, children, the elderly, indigenous people, refugees
and displaced families, as well as people with disabilities, recognizing
that discrimination and denial of human rights are often an underlying
cause of disparities and inequalities. It calls for action to tackle
exclusion and inequality in all its forms, with particular emphasis on
ensuring the equal rights of women and girls, including in the economic and
social spheres, as well as action to tackle discrimination against migrants
and income inequality.

The report recognizes that “human rights and effective governance based on
the rule of law and transparent institutions are outcomes and enablers of
development”, and that lasting peace and sustainable development cannot be
fully realized without respect for human rights, transparency and
accountability<http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ypWHouE62DSxwp0nOXZn1f5rC4iGnQX0>,
including ensuring citizens’ involvement in policymaking and oversight in
the use of public resources. It calls for a renewed focus on more equitable
forms of mobilizing domestic resources, including by broadening the tax
base and improving tax administration, and improving corporate and public
governance of extractive industries in resource-rich countries. It also
calls for a robust framework for international development financing, which
should include commitments to eliminate illicit financial flows and to
enhance the regulation of secrecy jurisdictions. Echoing CESR's particular
concerns about accountability, the report states that the success of such
commitments “depends on assigning roles, responsibilities and clear
accountability” for all actors involved, including international financial
institutions and the private sector.

Perhaps the most welcome aspect of the Secretary General’s report is its
responsiveness to the calls which human rights and social justice groups in
all corners of the globe have been voicing. “People across the world are
demanding more responsive governments and better governance and rights at
all levels. We have heard their calls for peace and justice, eradicating
poverty, realizing rights, eliminating inequality, enhancing accountability
and preserving our planet.” Human rights are not just referenced
rhetorically in his proposals – they are recognized as the purpose of the
post-2015 framework, as well as the principles that sustain it.
“Ultimately, the aspiration of the development agenda beyond 2015 is to
create a just and prosperous world where all people realize their rights
and live with dignity and hope.” For such a sustainable development agenda
to take root, the Secretary General argues that the international community
must agree “a far-reaching vision of the future firmly anchored in human
rights and universally accepted values and principles, including those
encapsulated in the Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and
the Millennium Declaration”, as well as “a participatory monitoring
framework for tracking progress and mutual accountability mechanisms for
all stakeholders.”

Strong monitoring and accountability, the Secretary General recognizes,
will be crucial for the implementation of the post-2015 development agenda,
and can be strengthened through the direct engagement of citizens and
improving data collection, dissemination and analysis, including efforts to
capture gaps within and between population groups and to assess the quality
of outcomes. Goals, targets and metrics to measure their achievement should
take into account human rights and inequality in a cross-cutting manner.

With this report, the Secretary General has raised the level of debate and
expectation around the role of human rights in the post-2015 development
agenda. When they come together at this September’s General Assembly,
member states will need to roll up their sleeves, team up with civil
society worldwide, and get to the hard work of implementing the resounding
call for a universal agenda with human rights-centered sustainable
development at its core, and undertake the profound transformations
required to build “the just, prosperous and sustainable world that people
want and have a right to expect”.

*This statement can be accessed in pdf format
here<http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=I2AjM5hIhVDAOBOWWv63Yv5rC4iGnQX0>.
For further information about CESR's work on the post-2015 development
agenda, click here<http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=kQwVKO4H11MNZ%2B6e3QPJOP5rC4iGnQX0>
.**
*

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