A/HRC/41/50
mitigate some legal concerns over the ambiguities surrounding the interpretation of the
concept of the right to development. The Working Group on the Right to Development
completed the second reading of the draft right to development criteria and the
corresponding operational subcriteria listed in the report of the high-level task force on the
implementation of the right to development (A/HRC/15/WG.2/TF/2/Add.2), with the aim
of refining the criteria, starting from subcriterion 1 (h) (ii) bis (see A/HRC/33/45). In this
context, human rights indicators are an important tool for assessing the extent to which
development contributes to the enjoyment of human rights. The framework of the Office of
the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) entitled
“Methodological approaches to human rights indicators” might be a useful reference in
carrying out such an assessment. Many countries, particularly in Latin America, have
adopted the framework.
IV. Ensuring that development contributes to the enjoyment of
all human rights, including the right to development: main
challenges and positive practices
A.
Challenges
24.
At the global level, one of the major challenges faced in supporting national
sustainable development agendas is the missing element of the 2030 Agenda: the absence
of clearly defined, independent and robust mechanisms to hold Governments accountable to
their commitment to implement the Sustainable Development Goals. The current tools, as
peer reviewed at the high-level political forum on sustainable development, even if relevant
and consistent, are not exhaustive. Many countries still have not put in place or proposed
such review mechanisms, making it more difficult to engage civil society organizations. In
order to successfully involve civil society organizations and other partners at the national
level in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, another challenging issue is the need to
promote mechanisms to ensure their participation during the design, planning and
monitoring phases of the policies and plans to implement the Sustainable Development
Goals at the national and local levels.
25.
The main challenge or obstacle is the weakness of the human rights-based approach
as a guide for development policies. The way in which governments are structured
consequently reflects the lack of an interdependent and systemic approach, which is
fundamental to understanding and characterizing the human and social rights-based
perspective. Government limitations are demonstrated in a highly fragmented approach at
the national, regional and local levels, where human and social rights do not influence the
way government is organized, creating a vertical organization in which the full range of
social and everyday needs are not addressed.
26.
Since the human rights-based approach is vulnerable, all the misconceived reforms,
although they have an effect on people, are mostly not meeting their real needs.
Consequently, the transformation in planning and management that is really needed is also
weak.
27.
The concept of sustainable development demands an integrated vision of all the
Sustainable Development Goals, with an approach that will integrate social protection
schemes and wealth redistribution measures, mostly due to progressive tax policies and
universal social protection services, combined with a redistribution of wealth achieved
through an improvement of gross national product at purchasing power parity as a
consequence of higher productivity and progressive tax collection policies.
28.
In order to propose an alternative to the current model, it is necessary to understand
the complex nature of social policy integration and to take a systemic approach. In
particular, it is necessary to combine economic and social policies, which means taking a
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