Whilst many parts of the world have made major strides forward in human development in recent decades, human rights have been frequently backsliding globally. The world faces its highest level of violent conflict in nearly 80 years. Many of these crises are a product of a deficit in human rights and under-investment in development. At the half-way point, strengthened commitments to human rights and human dignity are needed to meet the promise of the 2030 Agenda.
UNDP is committed to supporting Member States to respect and fulfil their human rights obligations through strengthening national human rights systems. Navigating the intersection of technology and rights in the digital realm, UNDP upholds human rights and inclusion to transform digital service delivery for development. UNDP is also improving its human rights toolkit – looking at innovative ways to solve contemporary development problems through human rights approaches in programming and keeping the torch of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights alive. This is vital for sustainable development.
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. NHRIs are also key to advancing sustainable development, strengthening protections for human rights defenders and promoting civic space.
In 2023, UNDP supported human rights institutions, systems and stakeholders in 61 countries and territories. Human rights support was provided through the Global Programme for Strengthening the Rule of Law, Human Rights, Justice and Security for Sustainable Peace and Development (Global Programme) in 49 countries, as illustrated in the map below.
Armenia, Bahrain, Bhutan, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Comoros, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Georgia, Ghana, Guinea, Haiti, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mexico, Moldova, Morocco, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Pakistan, Peru, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Suriname, The Maldives, Timor-Leste, Tunisia, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uruguay, Zimbabwe.
Countries where UNDP supported human rights institutions, systems and stakeholders to fulfill their human rights obligations.
Countries that receive joint assistance through the TPP
Countries where UNDP supported implementation of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) recommendations and closer integration between human rights and SDG systems
Countries where UNDP supported rule of law and justice institutions to fulfill their human rights obligations.
Countries where UNDP supported Human Rights Due Diligence Policy (HRDDP) risk assesments
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).
In 2023, the TPP expanded its demand-driven assistance to reach NHRIs across all regions with support from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The TPP identified 13 NHRIs to receive TPP programmatic support to build and assess their capacities in 2024: Comoros, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Georgia, Jordan, North Macedonia, Malawi, The Maldives, Moldova, Nigeria, Peru, Timor-Leste and Ukraine.
UNDP continued to facilitate greater international coordination between TPP partners and the broader UN system to respond to the increasing demands and challenges faced by NHRIs, and convened stakeholders including Member States, nearly 100 representatives of NHRIs, partners and civil society to discuss how NHRIs are contributing to sustainable development and the opportunities to accelerate progress ahead of the 2023 SDG Summit.
Through the TPP and in collaboration with OHCHR and the European Network of National Human Rights Institutions, UNDP supported a capacity Assessment of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights. Having taken place in the exceptional circumstances of the ongoing war in Ukraine, the assessment sought to identify the skills, processes and capacities the NHRI needs to maximize its efficiency. The Capacity Assessment recommendations served as a foundation and framework for the institution to increase its capacity to deliver on its mandate and build resilience amidst the war.
Interview with the management of the Secretariat of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights in Kyiv in the shelter during the air alert. UNDP / Maksym Polishchuk
Photo: UNDP / Maksym Polishchuk
Following the assessment, UNDP provided further support to the Commission to develop its five-year strategy that would serve as a roadmap to effectively address the challenges arising from the conflict, underscoring the Commission’s and the Government's commitment to safeguard and promote human rights. In 2024, UNDP, together with TPP partners, will continue to assist the Commission in implementing key outcomes of the assessment and operationalize the five-year strategy
NHRIs play an integral part in supporting achievement of the 2030 Agenda. The presence of a functioning NHRI that complies with the Paris Principles is an indicator of progress in the global SDG framework. In 2015, 70 countries had NHRIs that complied with the Paris Principles – or approximately 35 percent of Member States. In 2023, 88 countries benefitted from an independent NHRI – or 45 percent. Whilst this represents important progress, more Member States need to take action to establish Paris Principles-compliant NHRIs, and further coordinated support is required to assist with the establishment of these institutions.
Within crisis contexts, NHRIs carry out vital roles by monitoring human rights violations, hate speech and mis/disinformation; collecting and analysing data through early warning systems to identify structural violence risks; preventing rights abuses and improving physical integrity rights through awareness, education, and reporting; and providing mechanisms for redress. NHRIs also foster better linkages between States and civil society, increasing accountability and contributing to national dialogue
Amidst continued shrinking civic space and push back on human rights globally, UNDP is committed to continuing to provide critical support to NHRIs as cornerstones of national human rights systems particularly in crisis and fragile settings. The importance of their unique voice and daily actions to increase the fulfillment of human rights for all people cannot be underscored enough.
In 2024, UNDP will continue to provide coordinated support to NHRIs to:
Digital technology has transformational potential for delivering development and supporting the SDGs. Human rights are the guardrails needed to ensure digital transformation benefits whole societies. Without a clearly defined framework designed to safeguard human rights in the digital realm, digital transformation is inherent with risk. Specifically, technological transformation can present new challenges to human rights related to privacy, data protection, freedom of expression and association.
In response to the evolving landscape of digitally enabled development and its impact on human rights, in 2023 UNDP bolstered its efforts to foster a rights-based approach to digital transformation which is a key guiding principle of UNDP’s Digital Strategy.
To provide actionable insights into the state of human rights in the digital space, UNDP started developing a Digital Rights Dashboard (DRD) integrated within UNDP’s Digital Development Compass, which will serve as a framework to include the protection of fundamental human rights in the navigation of digital transformation in 193 countries. The DRD will offer insights into the state of human rights in the digital space, fostering a deeper understanding and identifying global trends. Additionally, to increase awareness of human-rights based digital transformation within UNDP and to ensure its proactive and impactful engagement on human-rights based digital transformation, UNDP worked on integrating human rights into its Inclusive Digital Transformation Framework.
The design phase of the DRD showed that there was little consensus on considering how fundamental rights should be understood in the digital context. All human rights apply online and offline. Currently there are limited ways to understand how rights are respected in the digital realm in different countries.Therefore, UNDP has organized consultations with experts within the field of digital rights to gather insights and knowledge to inform and review the development of the DRD and to provide a methodology to follow through how limited available data can provide a nuanced picture of opportunities to promote human rights based digital transformation in countries.
In 2024,
“ … Development powered by human rights remains perhaps the most compelling ‘exit strategy’ from conflict, crisis – and uncertainty – across the world.
Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator Remarks at the Human Rights Council, High Level Segment, February 2024
In 2023, UNDP took steps to improve its ‘human rights toolkit’ to mainstream human rights standards throughout its programming. UNDP is developing a Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA) Toolkit to “bring HRBA to life” by demonstrating its relevance as a “problem-solver of contemporary development challenges,” as outlined in the Our Common Agenda and the Call to Action on Human Rights. The human rights-based approach is also the enabler of progress across signature solutions, leave-no-one-behind principle, gender equality and women’s empowerment, and cultural contexts using a “whole society” approach.
To inform the content and future programming of the HRBA Toolkit, UNDP conducted a learning and listening exchange with 36 Country Offices to identify successes, entry points and opportunities for applying the human rights-based approach.
Expanding on the mutually reinforcing relationship between human rights and the SDGs, UNDP produced the publication of the UNDP Development Futures Series “Human Rights and SDG systems integration: Beyond linkages, data and efficiency to leave no one behind”. This knowledge product highlights the need to harness the potential of human rights and SDG systems integration to accelerate inclusive policy solutions that hasten progress on both human rights obligations and the SDGs for all people: going beyond linkages, data and efficiency to leave no one behind.
At the event to celebrate the 75th anniversary and centrality of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, UNDP pledged to strengthen its commitment to human rights and sustainable development
Support Member States to operationalize the right of everyone to live in a clean, healthy and sustainable environment in 100 countries by 2030
Support Member States to integrate human rights and SDG systems in 75 countries
Enhance rights-based programming for sustainable development, to ensure that no one is left behind in development progress.
UNDP provided effective and rights-based support through the application of the Human Rights Due Diligence Policy for projects supporting the non-UN security sector in eight countries: Chad, (Haiti, Lebanon, Libya, North Cameroon, Senegal, Serbia and Sierra Leone. UNDP actively monitored and managed risks related to engaging with the security sector, particularly in crisis settings.
UNDP’s work with national partners to meaningfully engage in the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and international human rights mechanisms has demonstrated how follow up to UPR recommendations can advance the promotion and protection of human rights and how these recommendations are increasingly integrated and aligned in UN efforts aimed at achieving the 2030 Agenda. UPR recommendations provide an entry point and create political space for UNDP to work with governments and other national stakeholders on human rights issues critical to advancing sustainable development.