Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Sustainable Development Goals

Bentiu, South Sudan, two boys walk in a river

UN Photo/JC McIlwaine

8 May 2018

Our new Research Brief Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Sustainable Development Goals discusses the mutually reinforcing relationship between economic, social and cultural rights (ESCR) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Research Brief provides a summary of the findings and recommendations contained in the more lengthy publication No One Will Be Left Behind. It describes the limited accountability framework of the 2030 Agenda and looks at the role of United Nations (UN) human rights mechanisms in monitoring the SDGs that seek to realize ESCR. It also draws attention to the need to ensure effective accountability and targeting in the implementation of the SDGs.

Recommendations for Policy Makers, Diplomats and Practitioners

‘Addressed to policy makers, diplomats and practitioners, this Research Brief provides a set of recommendations for states, UN human rights mechanisms, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development’ underlines Dr Christophe Golay, author of the Research Brief and Strategic Adviser on ESCR at the Geneva Academy.

Presentation in Geneva

This Research Brief, along with the publication No One Will Be Left Behind will be presented at both an expert seminar and during a public conference in June in Geneva, as well as at numerous other events during the year.

Addressing the Links Between Development and ESCR

This work forms part of our ongoing research on the linkages between ESCR and development, which started in 2008 with an analysis of the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals. The research aims to raise awareness about the complementarity between human rights (HR) and development through an exploration of the relationship between ESCR and global development goals.

‘While today both HR and development actors acknowledge that HR can play an essential role within development and that there are important synergies between the two agendas, the promotion of HR and the pursuit of sustainable development largely continue to be conducted as distinct endeavours’ recalls Dr Christophe Golay. ‘Our research and our training course on ESCR and the SDGs in September precisely aim at filling this gap’ he adds.