Abstract

DE MAN, Annelie. The Sustainable Development Goals and the rights-based approach to development: Compatible or missing the point?. Afr. hum. rights law j. [online]. 2019, vol.19, n.1, pp.445-469. ISSN 1996-2096.  http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/1996-2096/2019/v19n1a21.

The Millennium Development Goals have been criticised for the limited role that human rights have played in their design and implementation. When the timeline for the achievement of the MDGs drew near the attention turned to formulating a new development compact that would succeed them. In order to address the critiques of the MDGs a rights-based approach to development has been proposed to form the basis for the formulation, implementation and monitoring of the new set of goals. With the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, adopted on 25 September 2015, it falls to be questioned to what extent the 2030 Agenda incorporates human rights in all stages of development programming. This article undertakes such an examination. To this end the article analyses to what extent the SDG framework is in line with the principles of a rights-based approach to development, namely, equality and non-discrimination, accountability, participation, empowerment and the interrelatedness of human rights. It concludes that although the 2030 Agenda in some areas is compatible with the principles of a rights-based approach to development, especially the principle of participation, more should be done with respect to the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the SDGs to ensure that the full spectrum of advantages offered under a rights-based approach to development can be achieved.

Keywords : rights-based approach to development; Sustainable Development Goals; human rights; equality and non-discrimination; participation; accountability; empowerment; interrelatedness and indivisibility.

        · text in English     · English ( pdf )