by Susan Randolph, Co-Founder & Economic and Social Rights Metrics Lead, Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI), Anne-Marie Brook, Co-founder and Development Lead, Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI)

There are strong connections between human rights monitoring and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Indeed, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development ‘seeks to realise the human rights of all.’ So it should not come as a surprise to learn that the Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI)’s metrics tracking country performance on the provisions of the core human rights treaties[1] are an important complement to the SDGs. This post sets out three ways in which HRMI data support comprehensive and robust SDG reporting: First, a key feature of HRMI’s assessments is that they are independent of governments, whereas the SDGs are…

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by URG-NYC Team

This post is the fourth in a series of blogs produced by the URG-NYC team to take stock of the implementation of the UN reforms, which were adopted in the past 18 months. This post covers the place of gender in the UN reforms.  One of the stated objectives of the United Nations reform is to enable member States to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to prioritise conflict prevention. As such, it would be expected that women’s empowerment and gender equality be thoroughly articulated in the three areas of reform: management, development and peace and security. This has…

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by URG-NYC Team

This post is the third in a series of blogs produced by the URG-NYC team to take stock of the implementation of the UN reforms, which were adopted in the past 18 months. This post covers reforms to the peace and security pillar.  Objectives All of the reforms are intended, to varying degrees, to modernise the UN, to streamline and increase the efficiency of its work, and prioritise delivery of services at the country level. The main objective of the peace and security reforms is to improve the capacity of the peace and security architecture of the UN to support…

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by John Burley, Formerly UNDP; Office of the Director-General; UNCTAD between 1972-2004.

In part one of this blog post, which can be read here, I described the origins of the independent international civil service, created in 1919. I also highlighted the importance of the adoption, as part of the overall Treaty of Versailles, of a set of treaties on minorities (i.e. the minority treaties). Part two will look at how the secretariat of the League administered the minority rights provisions of these treaties and how that experience fed into the building of the secretariat function of the United Nations (UN). A recently published book,[1] co-authored by four former UN officials, has thrown…

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