Apr 20 2018
Past event

Meeting on the international support for the national implementation of international human rights obligations and recommendations

On 20th April the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway, in cooperation with the Universal Rights group organised an informal meeting of development partners on how international cooperation can support national implementation of international human rights obligations and commitments.

Many development actors, including Norway, support human rights based approaches (HRBAs) to development cooperation and programming. Different actors have developed their own policies in order to clarify what a HRBA approach means for them. In doing so, many have been guided by the UN Statement of Common Understanding on Human Rights-Based Approaches to Development Cooperation and Programming (the Common Understanding), adopted by the United Nations Development Group (UNDG) in 2003.

Notwithstanding, existing HRBAs to development cooperation and programming rarely make an explicit link with the implementation and realisation of developing countries’ own human rights obligations, and to the recommendations they receive from the international human rights mechanisms (e.g. the Universal Periodic Review, the Special Procedures and the Treaty Bodies). Why is this the case? Can we work differently to ensure that the delivery of overseas development assistance is more explicitly guided by the recipient State’s own human rights obligations and commitments, and by the recommendations and observations it has received by the UN’s human rights mechanisms?

In spite of increased pressure on human rights globally, today we see signs of the emergence of a new human rights ‘implementation agenda’. Across governments, parliaments, NHRIs, OHCHR, UNDP, UNDG, development partners, NGOs and UN experts, there is a growing interest in the mechanics of how States translate international human rights obligations and recommendations into domestic policies,

The meeting aimed to provide a platform for development partners and relevant international agencies to share information on the latest developments in this area and strategise on how to move this agenda forward. The aim was to find a common approach – an approach that strengthens the national realisation and enjoyment of human rights and supports the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in a mutually reinforcing manner.

A draft programme of the meeting is available here.

The draft participants list of the meeting is can be found here.

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