“Freedom from Fear and Freedom from Want – How a Post-2015 agenda can address the human rights challenges of the 21st century”

Remarks during the panel discussion: “Freedom from Fear and Freedom from Want – How a Post-2015 agenda can address the human rights challenges of the 21st century – Recommendations emerging from a Global Conversation,” delivered by Dan Seymour, Deputy Director, Programme Division, on behalf of John Hendra, Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director Policy and Programme, UN Women, on 21 May 2013.

Ambassador, Craig, distinguished panelists, ladies and gentlemen.

We were asked to focus on how we can address and incorporate inequalities, including gender inequality, in the post-2015 agenda.

We have, along with others, identified this as a priority for some time. As you know, UN Women and UNICEF co-hosted the Global Thematic Consultation on Addressing Inequalities which saw 175 papers submitted from 300 proposals, 400 people registered and 34,500 people visited the inequalities space on www.worldwewant2015.org. It was good to see that most participants were from the global South and civil society. The subsequent high-level meeting in Copenhagen called for a standalone goal on inequality, and on gender inequality, as well as mainstreaming gender and other inequalities in all other goals. We are planning a high-level side event during the General Assembly Interactive Dialogue on Social Inequality, on 8 July 2013, and there is an Inequalities Consultation Advisory Group which is forming an “Inequalities Alliance”. So there is interest, energy and activity in this area.

The messages coming from all this discussion and consultation are clear. First, progress on the MDGs has not been enjoyed equally by all, and we have not been particularly successful in reducing inequality as we progressed towards the MDGs. Put another way, we didn’t focus on inequality, and so we should not be surprised that inequality did not go away by itself.

Second, we recognize now that inequalities are structurally driven. They do not happen by themselves, but rather as the consequence of decisions and policies in the economic, social, environmental and political domains. Inequalities impede inclusive growth, constrain sustainable development, and undermine people’s well-being and human development.

Third, inequalities in all four domains are strongly interconnected and reproduce over time and through generations. Those who are poor are more likely to experience social inequalities, including inequalities related to gender and minority status, lack access to sustainable livelihoods, have less voice in decision-making at all levels, and are more likely to suffer the effects of environmental degradation and pollution.

Fourth, there is an overwhelming majority view that the human rights framework offers a foundation upon which to construct an approach to inequality in the post-2015 development agenda. The principles of universality and non-discrimination, accountability and participation must provide minimum standards for the new framework. We want the new framework to embody the recognition that all people are entitled to their rights, and we are not indifferent to who wins and who loses in the pursuit of aggregate development goals. And we do not believe a framework that fails to do so can be successful, and even fear it may be counterproductive and exacerbate discrimination and exclusion.

These key messages are very much echoed in the broader UNDG consultation process, including the country consultations. There is a tremendous appetite for real, transformative change, and not just business as usual.

And within this, people are acknowledging that gender-based discrimination and the denial of women’s rights is both the most pervasive form of inequality of our time, and a driver of inequality, and poor development outcomes more generally, in its own right.

These are not new observations. We have known for some time how to pursue this. We need broad policies which address the economic, social, political and environmental dimensions of inequality and go beyond a narrow focus on economic inequalities in recognition of the fact that inequalities are interconnected and multidimensional. We need a framework that prioritizes empowering and improving the lives of the poorest and most vulnerable, including through the adoption of temporary special measures. We need quality data that shines a light on inequality, disaggregated by socioeconomic and demographic indicators, including income, age, ethnicity, sex, and disability among others, and which reveals human rights violations such as violence against women, which was completely excluded from the MDGs. And alongside that data we need to track other vital information such as budget allocations, legal provisions, and all those elements of a human rights compliant system and order that we recognize as essential.

We need clarity on the duties and obligations of States and other actors in fulfilling human rights and tackling inequalities, particularly at a time when harsh austerity policies are worsening inequalities in developed and developing countries alike, so that they can be held accountable for the decisions they make and their impacts, positive or negative on all those living under their jurisdiction.

We must address gender inequality and gender-based discrimination, and the systematic denial of the rights of women and girls, because gender inequality is not just one of many inequalities. As Naila Kabeer recently wrote, “it is the most pervasive of all inequalities, placing women at a disadvantage even among disadvantaged groups.” It is structured into the organization of every society. Without gender equality, there can be no equality, peace and security, no realization of human rights, and no sustainable development. Gender equality, women’s rights and women’s empowerment must be at the heart of the post-2015 development framework, including through a standalone gender equality goal, and fully integration of gender equality in all other goals, targets and indicators that may be developed.

Lastly, we must ensure that the voices and aspirations of the poorest and most vulnerable are heard in the process of developing the post-2015 framework and beyond. This is the intention of the UNDG consultations, and of initiatives such as Participate, which specifically target very poor communities – ensuring more inclusive participation, to set the right priorities, and hold decision-makers accountable.

And yet, despite this broad acknowledgment, despite the clarity of data that show the development trajectories of countries since 2000, despite the mobilization and the voices, we still see some of our key partners, and key decision-makers, hesitate.

The United Nations exists precisely for these moments. It was established to help us achieve the highest ideals of peace and security, development and human rights, to find our highest common denominator, to come together around the best of what we are and rise above the worst. It has not always succeeded in doing so, but it has always tried, and this is a time to try again. At the heart of human rights is the realization that it is decisions that matter. The real driver of development is not budgets or services or technology or innovation or capacity or knowledge – important though all these elements are. It is the decisions of those with power. That is what a human rights perspective tells us. And human rights lay out a framework within which those decisions should be made, and offers a system for pushing those decisions in the right direction. So it should not surprise us that they may provoke some hesitation now and again.

The challenges this inequality agenda faces only reiterate that we are talking about the right things, and the things that matter. A truly transformative development agenda demands that we address the structural impediments of unequal power relations, economic, social and political exclusion, and discrimination that underpin and perpetuate inequalities and disparities in all their forms. And this is only possible if the new development framework is really rights-based, and enshrines the rule of law and access to justice, to redress the injustices and inequalities of the past, and ensure a freer and more equal future. The human rights standards and commitments adopted by the international community to address inequality and discrimination must become our minimum standards in the new framework. What is needed – and much more challenging – is political will and commitment. But each voice that is raised in support of a human rights based post-2015 development agenda is a voice that is harder to ignore. We at UN Women look forward to working together with you all, to add our voice to yours, and ultimately to achieve that transformative agenda that can, in turn, transform lives for the better.

Thank you.