The UPR and the Sustainable Development Goals

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), are closely linked to human rights, therefore to the UPR. The analysis of the human rights anchorage of each SDG and its corresponding targets suggests that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development  and human rights are intertwined and inextricably tied together.

As the UPR enters a new cycle, with every UN Member State now up for a fourth round of scrutiny, international and national efforts in the field of human rights should be geared towards assisting States to  effectively achieve the SDGs. The UPR recommendations, as well as the recommendations emerging from the Treaty Bodies and Special Procedures, provide a valuable set of country-specific information that can be used for SDG implementation, monitoring and reporting. In this regard, the Universal Human Rights Index is a practical tool as it compiles all recommendations issued by human rights mechanisms on each country and shows their complementarity with SDGs.

Other useful resources:

The SDG-Human Rights Data Explorer tracker developed by the Danish Institute for Human Rights (DIHR) 

 

UPR Info’s approach to human rights and SDGs

UPR Info encourages national and international stakeholders to use an integrated approach in their work by:

  • Building national capacities of States to facilitate joint implementation of human rights recommendations and SDG targets and indicators, including through information management tools;
  • Supporting civil society and marginalised groups to engage in UPR and SDG implementation processes;       
  • Bringing together the actors responsible for UPR reporting and follow up  to  hold thematic sessions; 
  • Promoting the use of tools such as UPR Info’s Database to facilitate integration of human rights recommendations in SDG implementation plans;
  • Sharing good practices stemming from integrated reporting on human rights and SDGs.