Rule of Law and Human
Rights Global Programme
Impact
Thematic focus
 = Global Focal Point

Africa

Arab states

Asia-Pacific

Europe and Central Asia

Latin America and the Caribbean

Justice Futures CoLab

The Justice Futures CoLab was launched to promote new ways of thinking and approaching complex justice and rule of law challenges. The CoLab illustrates UNDP’s commitment and strategy to do more and do better (and differently). A more strategic, people-centred and rights-based approach is taken to ensure meaningful access to justice for all, starting with those most at risk of being left behind.

Human rights systems

UNDP continues to support strengthening national human rights systems (NHRIs). Independent, effective and pluralistic NHRIs are cornerstones of national systems to promote and protect human rights.

Anti-racism

In 2021, after racial justice protests and movements emerged in the United States and other parts of the world, the United Nations and its various funds, programmes and other entities also took up a renewed commitment to fight against racism and racial discrimination both within the organization and also through their approaches.

Business and human rights

UNDP has been supporting the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) since 2016. This support has involved programming across the three pillars of the protect, respect and remedy framework, engaging with states, business actors and civil society.

Community security

The global context has become ever more challenging with ongoing war, coups d‘état, attempted coups d‘état, turmoil and instability in several countries. In the midst of such widespread political tension and fragility, UNDP has stayed the course towards people-centred security by promoting solutions that strengthen state institutions in line with people’s needs.

Global Focal Point for the Rule of Law

The UN Global Focal Point for the Rule of Law (GFP) is a joint arrangement for delivery of the rule of law in fragile settings. Co-chaired by UNDP and the UN Department of Peace Operations (DPO), GFP reinforces One-UN approach at the global and national levels to address violent conflicts, protect human rights and restore justice and security for people affected by crisis and conflict.

Finances overview - Africa

Human rights systems

Overview

Human rights are under enormous pressure in this era of polycrisis. In many parts of the world civic space is shrinking and human rights are backsliding while development progress has slowed or been reversed. There are also rapidly emerging risks to human rights in the digital sphere and increasing violations being committed against national human rights institutions and other human rights defenders.

Meanwhile, a landmark achievement was reached when a clean, healthy and sustainable environment was newly recognized as a universal human right. This is expected to be a catalyst for urgent rights-based climate action.

UNDP is committed to supporting Member States to meet their human rights obligations and leverage human rights as a problem-solving tool for development. UNDP upholds human rights standards and principles in its programming and works to increase the effectiveness of human rights and sustainable development efforts by strengthening national human rights systems and institutions, supporting human rights and SDG system integration including follow-up and integration of human rights recommendations into national development policy and planning, and reinforcing human rights for sustainable development in action.

Support to national human rights systems

UNDP continues to support strengthening national human rights systems. Independent, effective and pluralistic national human rights institutions (NHRIs) are cornerstones of national systems to promote and protect human rights. Supporting the establishment of these institutions and building their capacities to work with governments and civil society to address challenges, fosters just and inclusive societies by upholding human rights principles and standards.

In 2022, UNDP continued to support NHRIs and the Global Programme supported national human rights institutions, systems and stakeholders in 38 contexts.

Technical support

Funding support

Agile capacities

Country highlights

Burkina Faso – supporting human rights defenders. In September 2022, UNDP supported the National Human Rights Commission in establishing an alert mechanism for the protection of human rights defenders (HRDs) with a specific focus on women. In addition, UNDP worked with the Commission to organize a National Forum of Human Rights Defenders which brought together more than 200 HRDs from all over the country, enabling them to reflect on the use of early warning mechanisms and to formulate relevant project proposals. The Forum culminated in recommendations for the processing of cases related to violations of rights of human rights defenders.

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Second Edition of the National Forum of Human Rights Defenders organized in Ouagadougou with the support of UNDP COSED programme, Burkina Faso

Photo: UNDP Burkina Faso

Partnerships

Technical support

Agile capacities

Partnership highlight

To amplify the potential of NHRIs, the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI), UNDP and the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) continued collaborating within the TriPartite Partnership to Support National Human Rights Institutions (TPP). The TPP provides coordinated, high-quality and timely assistance to NHRIs that is jointly planned and delivered through a rights-based approach to ensure maximum impact.

In 2022, the TPP supported NHRIs in their efforts to address climate change as one of the biggest threats to human rights of our time through the organization of a Global Symposium in advance of the annual conference of the parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27). The event brought together nearly 100 representatives of NHRIs, international partners, Member States, and civil society working on climate action to discuss the participation of NHRIs in climate talks and the protection of environmental human rights defenders. A clear message from the symposium was that a rights-based approach is needed to urgently advance inclusive climate action and ensure a green recovery in which no one is left behind in the realization

Lessons learned

Supporting a UN platform for coordinated support to NHRIs through the TPP has yielded important results for coherence, efficiency and sustainability of results. Leveraging the complementary mandates of UNDP and OHCHR with NHRIs through a partnership approach, the TPP increases efficiency and effectiveness of international support for NHRIs.

Partnerships

Policy support and development

Looking forward

As we reach the midpoint toward achieving the SDGs, 45 percent of Member States have Paris Principles compliant NHRIs. Driving transformative change to achieve the SDGs requires more states to establish NHRIs and more coordinated UN support to build their capacities.

In 2022, TPP partners developed a framework for providing continued support to NHRIs globally in 2023-2024 with continued support from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This includes:

  • Scaling up delivery of comprehensive support to NHRIs across all regions.
  • Investing in capacities to safeguard human rights in the context of rapid digitalization and the triple planetary crisis.
  • Increasing the participation and recognition of NHRIs in strategic global and regional policy forums.

UNDP’s Human Rights for Sustainable Development Strategy

UNDP’s commitment to human rights for sustainable development is integral to all efforts to expand people’s choices and achieve sustainable human development. Human rights are fundamental to resilient, accountable countries and to help prevent, respond to and recover from crisis and conflicts.

Based on a deep listening exercise across the organization, UNDP is establishing a Human Rights for Sustainable Development strategy. Following three solution pathways for institutional transformation, UNDP will build on its work, over the years, in over 100 countries, supporting the strengthening of national human rights systems and the investment in work that safeguards human rights including through a human rights-based approach. Working to reinforce the signature solutions in the UNDP Strategic Plan, UNDP will identify priority areas of engagement across its policy and programming to advance both human rights and sustainable development, working with stakeholders and aiming to support Member States to fulfil their human rights obligations to leave no one behind. UNDP will also build capacities and support leaders to deliver on the Secretary-General’s Call to Action on Human Rights.

Partnerships

Policy support and development

Strategic support

Agile capacities

Partnerships

Knowledge and thought leadership

Policy support and development

Partnership highlights

UNDP will build on increasing cooperation with the UN Human Rights Office by establishing a dynamic and field-focused Partnership Framework. With the purpose of drawing on comparative strengths and capabilities to deliver results in pursuit of human rights and sustainable development and aiming to work in partnership at all levels, the Partnership Framework will increase the growing collaboration and engagement between the two agencies, reduce duplication of effort and improve results for the UN system, partners and the people we serve.

Human Rights and Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Systems Integration

Promoting and protecting human rights is essential for ensuring sustainable development outcomes. At the same time, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development sets out a vision for sustainable development grounded in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international human rights standards, putting equality and non-discrimination at the centre of its efforts.

To harness synergies across these agendas and improve effectiveness, UNDP and the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR), in close cooperation with the UN Development Coordination Office (DCO), launched a partnership to support UN systemwide strategic engagement with human rights mechanisms to achieve the SDGs in 2021.

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“Prosper under the sun”

Photo: UNDP Peru, Anette Andresen

With the support of the UNSDG Human Rights Mainstreaming Fund and UNDP’s Global Programme for Strengthening the Rule of Law, Human Rights, Justice and Security for Sustainable Peace and Development (the Global Programme), the partnership provided integrated support at global, regional and national levels, driving transformative systems level change in countries and providing thought leadership and guidance for the UN system and Member States.

Human Rights and SDG Systems Integration: Country Highlights (2021-2022)

UNDP and OHCHR, in cooperation with DCO, launched a partnership to support UN systemwide strategic action towards Human Rights and SDG Systems Integration including engagement with human rights mechanisms to achieve the SDGs in 2021. With the support of the UNSDG Human Rights Mainstreaming Fund and UNDP’s Global Programme, UNDP and OHCHR provided integrated support in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Jordan, Pakistan, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Tunisia, Uruguay in 2021-2022.

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Partnerships

Knowledge and thought leadership

Policy support and development

Thought leadership in human rights and development policy:

  • How the UN engages with the UPR process to support sustainable development outcomes through building a repository of "UN Good Practices: How The Universal Periodic Review Process Supports Sustainable Development".
    • UNDP, OHCHR and the Development Cooperation Office gathered over 60 experiences from across the UN system on how the UPR process and recommendations, which advance the promotion and protection of human rights, have had an impact on sustainable development at the country level. This process demonstrated that UPR recommendations are increasingly integrated and aligned with UN efforts towards achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including in national plans on sustainable development and in UN programming and planning. This publication demonstrates how the UPR can be utilized as an essential and practical problem-solving tool to address priority human rights and development challenges.
  • Creating guidance aiming to support Member States to integrate human rights into the development of Voluntary National Review (VNR) processes:
    • This guidance provides an overview of the complementarity and entry points that exist between the human rights and in VNR processes. The guidance includes practical checklists on how to integrate human rights into VNR processes and elaborates on the importance of human rights-based approaches to leaving no one behind, collection and analysis of data, meaningful participation of stakeholders and how to engage human rights actors in VNR preparation and follow-up.
    • This guidance has been developed under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General’s Call to Action for Human Rights to support placing human rights at the centre of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
Lessons learned

Harnessing UNDP’s experience in supporting Member States to uphold their human rights obligations and strengthen national human rights systems whilst working in partnership with the UN Human Rights Office, allowed the UN system to leverage complementary mandates to implement an effective partnership approach on human rights for sustainable development in a wide range of countries.

As we reach the midpoint towards implementing the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, a coordinated approach to human rights and SDG system integration will help accelerate progress towards achieving the SDGs.

Sustained investment is necessary to foster systems level change, and additional resources are required to continue to provide integrated support to Member States to leverage the catalytic impact of human rights in implementing the 2030 Agenda.

Looking forward

UNDP aims to build on the results achieved and lessons learned to support the full potential of strengthening human rights and SDG systems integration. This is key to delivering on the UN Secretary-General’s Call to Action for Human Rights and Our Common Agenda.