Human rights and the 2030 development agenda

What are the implications of human rights-based approaches for development policymaking at the global level, and how are global development frameworks such as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) or the 2030 Development Agenda shaped by human rights? This chapter explores this question from the development practitioner's perspective, calling attention to potential linkages and benefits of the partial, incomplete integration of human rights standards in the SDGs. It discusses differences and complementarities between global goals and human rights; examines the SDGs in light of the MDG experience, identifying changes and improvements that mark the SDGs; and highlights human rights' relevance to monitoring and accountability for the SDGs. It summarizes important human rights and feminist critiques of the SDGs and assesses the SDGs' consistency with human rights standards and principles by examining key issues including universality, income inequality, civil and political rights, land and labor rights, and universal health coverage.