The URG Team

On 29-30 September 2025, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland, supported by the Universal Rights Group, and the Oslo+ Steering Group (consisting of Norway, Sweden, and the European Commission), hosted the fifth Oslo+ meeting of bilateral and multilateral development experts to share good practices in evolving human rights-based approaches (HRBA) to international development cooperation (Oslo+5). The meeting brought together over 40 representatives of major donor States (e.g., from development agencies and foreign ministries), UN senior experts, the World Bank, and human rights and development civil society organisations.

The fifth in-person meeting reflected on the heightened importance of HRBA at a time of significant geopolitical change, change that has important implications for international cooperation in the areas of both human rights and sustainable development, as well as the heightened importance of measuring and showcasing the impacts of HRBA on the lives and wellbeing of rights-holders, especially those at risk of being left behind. In this sense, Oslo+5 aimed to provide an opportunity to consider the implications of, and how to respond to, important shifts in human rights and development financing, as well as related trends such as the pushback against universal norms and values in certain areas, such as gender.

The report summarises the discussions in line with the Chatham House principle, in a non- attributable manner, reflecting the Chatham House Rule under which the meeting was held.

The report was produced with funding from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, but it does not necessarily represent the positions of the Ministry or those of any of the participants. Rather, it offers a non-exhaustive collection of ideas, views, good practices, and next steps shared during the meeting.