A/HRC/40/34 promoted empowerment, inclusiveness and equal opportunities for all. The High Commissioner concluded by emphasizing the important contribution that United Nations human rights bodies and mechanisms such as the Human Rights Council, special procedures and human rights treaty bodies could make to achieving the overall aim of leaving no one behind. The meeting would serve to bridge the work carried out in Geneva and New York, as the report on it would feed into the discussion at the high-level political forum on sustainable development to be held under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council in July 2019 and at the high-level political forum to be held under the auspices of the General Assembly in September 2019. 15. The opening session concluded with introductory remarks by the Rapporteur. He noted that his role was to capture the debate and draw broad elements together to ensure a strong input from the meeting to the high-level political forum on sustainable development. He spoke about the importance of hard-wiring human rights considerations into the Sustainable Development Goals. In concluding, he noted that the Sustainable Development Goals were a global project that could also further promote and protect human rights in Europe. B. Reflections and conversation on human rights and the Sustainable Development Goals 16. The second session started with a keynote address5 from Ms. Robinson, which was followed by a conversation among Ms. Robinson, Ms. Okai, Mr. Sachs and Ms. Devandas Aguilar, moderated by Ms. Foulkes. 17. Ms. Robinson encouraged the human rights community to speak out forcefully on the urgency of linking the recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change on global warming of 1.5°C and the Sustainable Development Goals, as it defined the boundaries of sustainability within which the Goals must be implemented. 18. Ms. Robinson noted that the Human Rights Council had adopted several resolutions highlighting the connections between economic, social and cultural rights and the Sustainable Development Goals. The subsidiary bodies of the Council and the special procedures had drawn attention to the Sustainable Development Goals in several thematic and country visit reports, and she noted that this had yielded many recommendations to guide Sustainable Development Goal strategies with a human rights-based approach. She emphasized that Sustainable Development Goal implementation strategies must be consistent with States’ obligations in international human rights law. 19. Ms. Robinson highlighted that one of the main weaknesses of the 2030 Agenda lay in its accountability framework based on voluntary national reviews and peer-reviewed guidance. She called for “joined up governance” in the whole process, with better cross analysis and exchange of government submissions under the universal periodic review and their relevant voluntary national reviews under the high-level political forum on sustainable development. Ms. Robinson emphasized the importance of using the upcoming high-level political forum as a key moment to measure the progress to date and to assess how the world was measuring up on the particular Goals under review. She noted that the human rightsbased approach with the attendant features of participation, accountability and nondiscrimination was essential if the 2030 Agenda was to be realized in a way that would “leave no one behind”. In closing, she stressed that the process must be meaningful and fully participatory. Participation was both a means and a goal, and it was important to measure and consider development processes and not simply development outcomes. 20. The moderator asked the panellists about the links between human rights and the Sustainable Development Goals. 21. Ms. Okai stated that UNDP policy and programme work was guided by the Sustainable Development Goals. The most important aspect was to work with Member States to integrate the Sustainable Development Goals into national development plans and policies. 5 4 www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/SDGS/2030/Mrs.MaryRobinson.pdf.