Linking to Human Rights law and SDGs

The tool shows the linkages between the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders (UNDHRD), the underlying rights in binding human rights instruments and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.  This is meant to facilitate integrated analysis, approaches, and efforts by actors in both fields to monitor and report on the degree to which there is an enabling environment for everyone to defend their rights.  

On the front page of the website, under “Connecting the dots”, you can find resources relevant for connecting the right to defend rights to (1) Human Rights and (2) Sustainable Development.

Links to human rights

The UNDHRD is a Declaration and as such is not legally binding. Nonetheless, the rights set forth in the Declaration can be directly linked to international human rights law in well-established instruments such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and other core human rights instruments. When read from this perspective, the Declaration comes to life as a specific interpretation of how human rights law is relevant and applicable to those who peacefully defend rights.

Being able to identify the legally binding roots of the text in the UNDHRD is important to facilitate coherent monitoring and reporting to the human rights mechanisms which monitor the implementation of the core international human rights instruments. It is also important to help emphasize how the rights in the Declaration must be interpreted for all human rights defenders, including for the specific groups whose rights are protected in specific international instruments, such as women, children, ethnic minorities, migrant workers, and persons with disabilities.

The links between the UNDHRD and human rights law identified in this tool are of direct correspondence. This means that for a link to be considered valid, the content of a specific right in an article of the Declaration must be expressly reflected in another instrument. The tool focusses now on the universal human rights instruments (from the United Nations) and it does not yet include links to regional instruments.

Example of link on Freedom of Expression, specifically on Access to Information

Point of departure: UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, Article 6.aEveryone has the right, individually and in association with others: (a) To know, seek, obtain, receive and hold information about all human rights and fundamental freedoms, including having access to information as to how those rights and freedoms are given effect in domestic legislative, judicial or administrative systems

Example of link to general human rights instrument: International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 19.2

Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice.

Example of link to human rights instrument on a specific population group: Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 13.1

The child shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of the child's choice.

Similar language can be found in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, article 21; The International Convention on Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination, article 5; and the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families article 13.

In addition to the links to the articles in the human rights instruments, the tool also offers the links to the standards and guidance for implementation which are developed by the UN human rights monitoring bodies – the so-called General Comments. For the example above, the following link can be found:

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, General comment No. 34, paragraph 15

States parties should take account of the extent to which developments in information and communication technologies, such as internet and mobile based electronic information dissemination systems, have substantially changed communication practices around the world. There is now a global network for exchanging ideas and opinions that does not necessarily rely on the traditional mass media intermediaries. States parties should take all necessary steps to foster the independence of these new media and to ensure access of individuals thereto.

Links to Sustainable Development

Countries adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with the vision of a world “of universal respect for human rights and human dignity, the rule of law, justice, equality and non-discrimination” (para 8).

The contributions of human rights defenders to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda are very important to enable the scale of transformation it is set out to achieve, particularly for vulnerable groups. Their participation is also key for ensuring coherence between states’ human rights obligations and states’ commitments to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Sustainable Development links uses the SDGs as the point of departure and it is meant to facilitate the application of the human rights-based approach in aiming to strengthen a safe and conducive environment for those who defend rights in the development field. The links were structured along some of the specific themes and targets identified in the SDGs and how they relate to the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, namely:

Each theme is linked to relevant SDG targets and contextualises their importance for human rights defenders and their enabling environment. They also show the provisions in the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders of relevance to the respective theme and offers examples of other key human rights law and standards that can guide implementation.