Human Rights Council Second Intersessional Meeting, Human Rights and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development “Decade of Action and Delivery” – Geneva – December 3, 2019
In March 2018, the Human Rights Council adopted the resolution 37/24 on the promotion and protection of human rights and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The resolution acknowledged that human rights and the 2030 Agenda are “interrelated and mutually reinforcing”, while noting the contribution of international human rights mechanisms in promoting the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The Council decided to convene two one-day intersessional meetings for dialogue and cooperation on human rights and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The first meeting, which took place on 16 January 2019, focused on the theme of the 2019 Session of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), “Empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality”, which reviewed global progress in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4 (Quality Education), 8 (Decent work and economic growth), 10 (Reduced inequalities), 13 (Climate Action), 16 (Peace, justice and strong institutions) and 17 (Partnerships for the goals).
The second intersessional meeting will take place on 3 December 2019. It will build on the conclusions of the first intersessional meeting and will contribute to illustrating concretely what the synergies and linkages between human rights and SDGs can mean for SDG implementation. This echoes the Secretary-General of the United Nations’ observation to the 74th Session of the UN General Assembly, “Every measure to uphold human rights helps deliver sustainable development and peace.”