Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
1. In the past year, has the governing body of your organization taken any decisions to advance sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and ensure that no one is left behind? If yes, please briefly mention these decisions taken by your governing body in 2024 and provide the respective symbols.
In 2024, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) developed the UN Human Rights Management Plan 2024-2027. This document, complementing the vision statement of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, defines OHCHR’s results-based programming framework and global targets. It notes the strong convergence of human rights and the 2030 Agenda, indicating OHCHR can assist in developing solutions grounded in human rights that contribute to advancing the SDGs. The plan is structured around six pillars corresponding to the three human rights principles of accountability, participation and non-discrimination; human rights in the other two pillars of the UN (sustainable development and peace and security); and the international human rights mechanisms. All the pillar results in these strategies are contributing to one or several of the SDGs (see visual depiction below). In 2024, for the first time, OHCHR has aligned the programming cycle of its country programmes to the programming cycles of the respective UNSDCFs, a measure that is expected to facilitate coordination and joint programming towards delivering on the SDGs.
2. During 2024, what actions have your entities taken to improve coordination among UN system entities across policy and normative activities as well as with ECOSOC subsidiary bodies with a view to increase impact and accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda? Please provide any relevant links.
OHCHR led the creation of the Interagency Taskforce on Transitional Justice (IATF-TJ), which brings together 15 entities from across the UN System. The Taskforce aims to act as a platform for information and knowledge sharing, capacity building on the new UN approach to transitional justice, strategic support upon request by entities/mechanisms, and to promote innovation on transitional justice. The SG Guidance Note on Transitional Justice: A Strategic Tool for People, Prevention and Peace positions transitional justice as a pragmatic human rights-based policy tool at the disposal of national stakeholders to address legacies of conflict and/or large-scale human rights violations and abuses. It recognizes transitional justice as a critical enabler for sustainable development and the realization of the SDGs, particularly Goal 16.
OHCHR actively participates in many UN interagency groups and processes. This includes co-leading the UN Interagency Network on Human Rights, LNOB and Sustainable Development, for which a dedicated webpage was created in 2024. The Office also supports human rights mechanisms’ engagement with ECOSOC, including annual submissions of official inputs to the High-level Political Forum by OHCHR, UN Human Rights Council, and international human rights mechanisms, in recognition of human rights being an effective lever to help accelerate the 2030 Agenda implementation. OHCHR also participates in the UN Economists Network (UNEN) managed by DESA, which provides an important opportunity to share good practices and discuss policy developments towards accelerating the realization of human rights and the SDGs’
3. In the past year, has your organization organized any intergovernmentally mandated conferences, forums or events that contributed to the achievement of the SDGs, or has been in the process of planning and organizing any such mandated events to be held next year?
In addition to the events highlighted below, OHCHR is mandated by the Human Rights Council to organize a significant number of panel discussions, dialogues, forums (e.g. Social Forum) and intersessional meetings every year, majority of which cover issues closely related to sustainable development. You can find information on all these events in the webpages dedicated to the regular sessions of the Human Rights Council and to the intersessional activities (which take place outside the Council’s regular sessions).
Event Name | Regional Meeting for Asia Pacific on the International Decade for People of African Descent |
Event Dates | 15 - 16 January 2024 |
Event Location (City, Country) | Geneva |
Relevant SDGs | 1, 4, 5, 10, 16 |
Description (max 150 words): please include a short summary of the event’s mandate and contributions to the SDGs, including its main outcome(s) | The Regional Meeting provided an opportunity to representatives of Member States, international and regional organizations, civil society organizations, communities of people of African descent from the region, as well as UN experts, academics and other stakeholders to enhance their understanding of the manifestations of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance in Asia and the Pacific region, including as faced by Africans and people of African descent. It provided a platform to exchange up-to-date information about promising practices and opportunities for promoting equality, non-discrimination, integration, respect and social harmony that have an impact on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, ensuring that Africans and people of African descent are not left behind. |
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Event Name | 6th Intersessional Meeting on human rights and the 2030 Agenda
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Event Dates | 18 January 2024 |
Event Location (City, Country) | Geneva |
Relevant SDGs | 1, 16, 17 |
Description (max 150 words): please include a short summary of the event’s mandate and contributions to the SDGs, including its main outcome(s) | The meeting explored how leveraging the human rights framework can position the international financial, debt and tax architecture to proactively support, rather than impede, the realization of human rights and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It concluded that much can be done nationally and globally to anchor human rights in economic governance and policymaking, which is essential for fulfilling the 2030 Agenda, eradicating poverty, addressing the climate crisis and rising inequalities and creating a new global social contract. Applying a human rights lens to the structural reform of the international financial architecture, at a time of growing debt distress and illicit financial flows, and revising lopsided international tax rules are paramount to securing the maximum available resources for economic, social and cultural rights and leaving no one behind. |
Website (if applicable) | https://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/sixth-intersessional-meeting-human-rights-and-the-2030-agenda |
Event Name | HRC55 Interactive dialogue on High Commissioner’s report on climate change |
Event Dates | 14 March 2024 |
Event Location (City, Country) | Geneva, Switzerland |
Relevant SDGs | 2, 10, 13 |
Description (max 150 words): please include a short summary of the event’s mandate and contributions to the SDGs, including its main outcome(s) | The interactive dialogue focused on the report, submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 50/9, in which the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights identifies measures for minimizing the adverse impact of climate change on the full realization of the right to food. The High Commissioner focused on socioeconomic systems, presenting five pathways that illustrate how human rights-grounded measures can minimize the adverse impact of climate change on the full realization of the right to food and how a transformation of food systems can, at the same time, help mitigate climate change. |
Website (if applicable) | https://hrc55.sched.com/event/1arBz/28th-meeting-id-on-high-commissioners-report-on-climate-change |
Event Name | HRC56 Annual panel discussion on the adverse impacts of climate change on human rights |
Event Dates | 1 July 2024 |
Event Location (City, Country) | Geneva, Switzerland |
Relevant SDGs | 5, 10, 13, 16 |
Description (max 150 words): please include a short summary of the event’s mandate and contributions to the SDGs, including its main outcome(s) | This panel discussion focused on ensuring livelihood resilience in the context of loss and damage relating to the adverse effects of climate change, for the realization of human rights and ways forward on the basis of equity and climate justice. |
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Event Name | HRC57 Interactive dialogue on Secretary General’s analytical study on the impact of loss and damage from the adverse effects of climate change on the full enjoyment of human rights, exploring equity-based approaches and solutions to addressing the same |
Event Dates | 13 September 2024 |
Event Location (City, Country) | Geneva, Switzerland |
Relevant SDGs | 5, 10, 13, 16 |
Description (max 150 words): please include a short summary of the event’s mandate and contributions to the SDGs, including its main outcome(s) | The interactive discussion focused on the Secretary-General, submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 53/6, which contains an exploration of the interlinkages between human rights and loss and damage from climate change. The report includes the identification of legal and policy frameworks relevant to ensuring effective remedies for loss and damage, a description of human rights- and equity-based approaches and solutions and a series of recommendations.
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Website (if applicable) | https://hrc57session.sched.com/event/1i3hN/id-on-sg-analytical-study-on-climate-change |
4. In the past year, has your organization published or planned to publish any analytical work, guidance or reference materials, or toolkits to guide and support the implementation of SDGs at national, regional and global levels? Please select up to three to highlight, especially those that address interlinkages among the SDGs.
In addition to the publications and reports highlighted below, please note that UN Human Rights Mechanisms annually produce a large number of reports and studies relevant to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. These are published on the web pages dedicated to the mechanisms (UPR, Treaty Bodies, Special Procedures)- we are taking this opportunity to flag three 2024 reports of particular relevance:
- UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Development: Advancing the right to development taking into account future generations (A/HRC/57/43)
- UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights: Eradicating poverty beyond growth (A/HRC/56/61)
- UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities in her annual report addressed importance of putting the rights of persons with disabilities up front in discussions related to sustainable development and the post-2030 development agenda (A/HRC/55/56)
Resource Name | Aligning States Duties and Business Responsibilities Related to Plastics with the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights |
Relevant SDGs (list all relevant goals) | 3, 6, 8, 10, 12 |
Publishing entity/entities | OHCHR |
Target audience | Fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment (INC-4) States as primary duty-bearers under international human rights law; international organizations and financial institutions; industries and businesses, including investors; and international as well as national civil society actors.
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Description (max 150 words) | The document addresses the intersection of environmental responsibility and human rights within the plastics industry. It emphasizes the need for states to regulate the lifecycle of plastics through international cooperation, corporate transparency, and mandatory human rights due diligence. The United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) serve as a cornerstone, urging businesses to respect human rights and avoid harmful practices linked to plastic production, use, and disposal. |
Language(s) | English |
Website (if applicable) |
Resource Name | EMG IMG guidance on integrating rights in NBSAPs |
Relevant SDGs (list all relevant goals) | 3, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15 |
Publishing entity/entities | OHCHR |
Target audience | States as primary duty-bearers under international human rights law; international organizations and financial institutions; industries and businesses, including investors; and international as well as national civil society actors.
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Description (max 150 words) | The purpose of this Guidance is to support UN Country Teams, States, policymakers and stakeholders in integrating human rights into NBSAPs under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD, or Convention). The application of this Guidance will depend on the specific domestic context within which it is applied. It is intended for use alongside training and specific capacity-building/peer support. |
Language(s) | English |
Website (if applicable) |
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Resource Name | Disaggregated data to advance the human rights of people of African descent |
Relevant SDGs (list all relevant goals) | 10, 16, 17 |
Publishing entity/entities | OHCHR |
Target audience | Member States, NHRIs, civil society organizations, racialized groups, statisticians, human rights activists |
Description (max 150 words) | The compilation of disaggregated data on the situation of people of African descent would contribute to the advancement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by ensuring that no one is left behind. Data is a necessary tool for the design of effective, evidence-based policies and programmes that aim at the advancement of human rights and achievement of the SDGs. The publication focuses on the collection and use of disaggregated data in efforts to promote and protect the human rights of people of African descent. It examines international human rights standards and good practices related to data collection, analysis, dissemination, and publication and draws on the observations and recommendations of international human rights mechanisms and on contributions from stakeholders. |
Language(s) | English, Spanish |
Website (if applicable) |
Resource Name | Guidance note “How to effectively implement the right to participate in public affairs: A spotlight on people of African descent” |
Relevant SDGs (list all relevant goals) | 10, 16 |
Publishing entity/entities | OHCHR |
Target audience | Member States, NHRIs, civil society organizations, racialized groups, statisticians, human rights activists |
Description (max 150 words) | For people everywhere, the ability to influence and shape their futures is critical. To this end, international human rights law enshrines the right to participate in public affairs without discrimination. Its effective implementation is key to building and preserving trust, an essential element for societies to be able to inclusively confront challenges and agree on ways forward without leaving people behind. Meaningful, inclusive, and safe participation of people of African descent is a prerequisite to achieving vibrant democracies and advancing towards transformative change for racial justice and equality and enables the advancement of all human rights. It is key to an effective democracy, the rule of law, social inclusion, and economic and sustainable development, and essential for reducing inequalities and social conflict. As a means for empowering individuals and groups and ensuring that different voices are heard, it is a core element of human rights-based approaches aimed at eliminating marginalization and discrimination. |
Language(s) | English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic |
Website (if applicable) |
Resource Name | Series of resources developed in 2024 under the OHCHR’s B-Tech Project or OHCHR’s business and human rights workstream:
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Relevant SDGs (list all relevant goals) | 8, 9, 12, 16 |
Publishing entity/entities | UN OHCHR |
Target audience | State Governments and Regulators; Private businesses; Institutional investors; Venture capital (VC) investors (general partners (GPs) who deploy capital as well as limited partners (LPs) who provide it); CSOs; trade unions; lawyers; prosecutors; judges; mediators; arbitrators |
Description (max 150 words) |
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Language(s) | English |
Website (if applicable) |
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5. The United Nations has defined six key transitions, or transformative entry points, that can have catalytic and multiplier effects across the SDGs and which have been guiding the UN development system work since the 2023 SDG Summit. In the past year, how has your organization contributed to these transformative actions and how various actors are being rallied behind them to mobilize further leadership and investment to bring progress to scale? Please provide any relevant links.
- Food systems
In February 2024, OHCHR and the National Human Rights Committee of Qatar, in cooperation with UNDP, IFAD, the League of Arab States and GANHRI, organized an international conference on "Food Justice from a Human Rights Perspective: Challenges of Reality and Future Stakes". At the fifty-fifth Human Rights Council session, OHCHR presented a mandated report identifying the necessary measures for minimizing the adverse impact of climate change on the full realization of the right to food (A/HRC/55/37). The report also illustrates how transforming food systems can mitigate climate change. At the fifty-sixth Human Rights Council session, OHCHR organized a side event with the Chair of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) to bridge collaboration between Geneva and Rome. As 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Voluntary Guidelines to Support the Progressive Realization of the Right to Food (RTFG), OHCHR has collaborated with FAO and provided technical support for the development of the Right to Food +20 Report and the Global Right to Food Index. OHCHR continued to provide technical support to member States and national partners, including to the Ministry of Agriculture in São Tomé and Príncipe on the development of a National Strategic Plan for Fishing and Aquaculture.
- Energy access and affordability
N.A.
- Digital connectivity
OHCHR advocates (including in the context of the STI Forum) for affordable and equitable access to technologies and fair distribution of the benefits of technological developments, including through technology transfer to support the operationalization of the right to development. As part of this, UN Human Rights speaks to inequalities in access to technology both within and among countries, emphasizing the need to apply right-to-development principles, such as fair benefit-sharing, active, free and meaningful participation, and international cooperation, to overcome development challenges in the STI. Underscoring the need to view the benefits of science and technology as global public goods, OHCHR is calling for a major overhaul of intellectual property rights to encourage equitable technology transfer and foster innovation investments.
In June 2024, UN Human Rights established OHCHR Innovation & Analytics Hub to help address pressing human rights challenges and advance the 2030 Agenda by leveraging digital transformation, data and analytics, innovation, and behavioral science to create sustainable solutions that enhance human rights promotion and protection. The Hub will play a central role in unlocking the full potential of human rights data, by systematically gathering, analyzing, and providing accessible data and insights on human rights progress, gaps, and opportunities. The Innovation & Analytics Hub not only serves as a catalyst for the digital transformation of OHCHR’s operations but also facilitates the integration of human rights into broader development frameworks. By harnessing the power of artificial intelligence, data innovation, and geospatial analysis, the Hub identifies inequalities and discriminatory practices that hinder sustainable development. Through cutting-edge platforms and dashboards, the Hub provides partners with real-time data and predictive analytics, enabling evidence-based decision-making that directly contributes to the achievement of the SDGs. For example, these tools support the monitoring of progress on SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions) by tracking trends in rule of law, access to justice, and fundamental freedoms.
- Education
N.A.
- Jobs and social protection
OHCHR has worked to enhance decent job opportunities and social protection through development of tools and technical assistance, with a specific focus on those working in the informal economy sector and informal employment such as domestic workers, street vendors, agriculture sector workers, etc. In collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), OHCHR has contributed to the development of tools and guidelines aimed at promoting human rights-based social protection systems. Through partnership with the ILO, governments, national human rights institutions, trade unions, and international and local CSOs, OHCHR has supported efforts to expand decent job opportunities and social protection at the country level. They include: analyzing labour and social security legislation and policies to support the legal reforms (e.g., Ethiopia, Timor-Leste, Tunisia (on-going), Liberia (on-going)); conducting budget analyses in the social security sector and offering recommendations for extending coverage to those uncovered (e.g., Cambodia, Timor-Leste); building the capacity of rights holders (workers and trade unions) and key stakeholders – authorities, NHRIs and civil society to effectively monitor and improve the situations of these workers (Rwanda, Ethiopia, Tanzania); and facilitating policy dialogues between policymakers and workers and other stakeholders (Ethiopia, Tunisia).
- Climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution
In 2024, OHCHR continued work aimed at ensuring that international and national environmental and climate policies and plans increasingly are implemented in accordance with international human rights standards via: Collaboration with partners to integrate human rights in environmental laws and policies; Support for the inclusion of civil society in environmental decision-making processes, access to information and effective remedies for victims; Assisting human rights mechanisms to address environmental issues, including climate change; Advocacy on behalf of environmental human rights defenders and supporting efforts by the UN system to protect them; Research and advocacy to address human rights harms caused by environmental degradation, particularly to groups in vulnerable situations. In 2024, OHCHR aimed to promote a human rights-based approach to intergovernmental environmental negotiations, such as CBD COP16, UNFCC COP29, INC-5 and UNCCD COP 16.
6. Please provide strategies (policies, guidance, plan) and/or collective actions taken to implement the 2024 Ministerial Declaration of the Economic and Social Council and the high-level political forum on sustainable development convened under the auspices of the Council. Please note any challenges foreseen and provide any relevant links.
The 2024 Ministerial Declaration paras 13, 18 and 34 recall that the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs seek to realize the human rights of all, achieve gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, and build societies that are, inter alia, based on respect for human rights, including the right to development. Given this interconnectedness, UN Human Rights Management Plan 2024-2027 defines OHCHR’s action as contributing to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs. Furthermore, one of the strategic directions applied across all OHCHR programming is the Human Rights Economy. This entails advocating for and facilitating a profound global shift to make economic policies fair for all, protect the environment, and meet the essential economic, social, and cultural needs of every person. Human rights economy has been explicitly noted by the UN Human Rights Council as “a tool of an approach based on full respect for human rights to reduce inequalities and realize the 2030 Agenda, which seeks to redress root causes and the structural barriers to equality, justice and sustainability, placing emphasis on inclusive participation and social dialogue, including the delivery of better results for people and the planet, grounded in economic, civil, political, social, cultural and environmental rights,” in its resolution A/HRC/RES/53/28. To advocate for such an approach and provide technical assistance (upon request) for its implementation at the national level, OHCHR is strengthening and expanding partnerships with RCOs, UNCTs, and across the UN System, as well as with Member States, NHRIs, academic institutions, CSOs and others.
7. What collective efforts is your entity undertaking to support countries in accelerating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, especially in the areas of Goal 3 (Good health and well-being), Goal 5 (Gender equality), Goal 8 (Decent work and economic growth), Goal 14 (Life below water) and Goal 17 (Partnerships), which will go under in-depth review at the HLPF in 2025? Please note any achievements, challenges and gaps and provide any relevant links. If your organization has been part of any initiatives or multi-stakeholder partnerships in the past year that support these goals, please copy the below table to fill out for each initiative/partnership.
Initiative/Partnership Name | The UN Secretary General’s initiative on Harnessing Critical Energy Transition Minerals for Sustainable Development in Least Developed and Land-Locked Developing Countries Just Transitions in Low Carbon Technologies |
Partners (please list all partners) | UNCTAD, UNEP, the International Labour Organization, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Sustainable Energy for All, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, the United Nations Global Compact, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the World Trade Organization and the Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs |
Relevant SDGs (list all relevant goals) | 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13 |
Member States benefiting from it | All |
Description (max 150 words) | OHCHR served on the technical advisory group (TAG) and offered written inputs to the principles for consideration of the Panel. |
Website | https://unece.org/sites/default/files/2023-04/01. Elisa Tonda UNEP EGRM-14.pdf |
Initiative/Partnership Name | Responsible Business Conduct in Latin America and the Caribbeans |
Partners (please list all partners) | Designed and funded by the European Union, implemented by the UN OHCHR - in collaboration with the UN Working Group on business and Human Rights - together with the ILO and the OECD |
Relevant SDGs (list all relevant goals) | SDG 8 - Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all SDG 9 - Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation SDG 12 - Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns SDG 16 - Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels |
Member States benefiting from it | Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama and Peru. |
Description (max 150 words) | The project aims to promote responsible business conduct practices in line with international standards. It is made up of three components:
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Initiative/Partnership Name | Business and Human Rights (BHR) Africa Project |
Partners (please list all partners) | UN OHCHR field offices, UNDP, GIZ |
Relevant SDGs (list all relevant goals) | SDG 8 - Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all SDG 9 - Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation SDG 12 - Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns SDG 16 - Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels |
Member States benefiting from it | Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Mozambique and Zambia. |
Description (max 150 words) | The Business and Human Rights (BHR) Africa Project is dedicated to build strategic and impactful engagement, foster the implementation of business and human rights standards, in particular the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, to advance responsible business conduct and corporate accountability for human rights impacts in the African region. The project has the following strategic priorities:
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