United Nations, put the spotlight on human rights when making political decisions in the economic sphere

ROME – There is a wide range of human rights issues, already enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which require concrete and urgent action on the part of the States in order for them to be fully realised. Among the hot topics of this time is that of the economy, or rather, of how political decisions in the economic sphere should always be inspired by respect for human rights.

Problems of the century. Food insecurity and the cost of living crisis are leaving millions behind. Today 828 million people are undernourished – data show that there are 150 million more in the last three years – and the climate emergency continues to rage, sowing death and destruction. 60 percent of low-income countries and 30 percent of emerging market economies are already in debt distress or close to a crisis situation, amid a looming global recession. With these difficulties, the governments of many countries are no longer able to provide adequate health care, education and social protection to their citizens. The result is that general living conditions in many parts of the world have deteriorated and the most vulnerable pay the highest price: children, women and marginalized groups.

Economy and human rights. The reasons for the worsening of general living conditions also point the finger at global, regional and national economic and political systems, which do not adequately integrate human rights obligations and standards into budgetary and investment decisions, denounces Volker Türk, head of human rights at the United Nations. An economy based on respect for the rights and dignity of the person places human beings – continues Türk – at the center of economic policies, investment decisions, consumer choices and business models, with the aim that rights are for everyone.

The inequalities. The fundamental obstacles to achieving the objectives of the 2030 Agenda in terms of sustainable development remain. No one should be left behind yet in this historic moment more and more people are unable to move forward. According to Türk, an economy of human rights aims to eliminate the root causes of inequalities and restore the fundamental principles of equality, justice and sustainability, prioritizing investments in economic, social and cultural rights.

The Surge initiative. To ensure that human rights are at the heart of sustainable development, in 2019 the United Nations created the Surge initiative in response to growing inequalities, slow implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and growing social unrest. The initiative’s mission is to step up national and regional efforts on economic, social and cultural rights, to strengthen the link between human rights and the economy. The devastating socio-economic consequences caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and further exacerbated by the ongoing food and energy crisis have made this Initiative even more timely. The Surge initiative collaborates with national agencies of the United Nations, states, civil society, international financial institutions and through its multidisciplinary team works on different levels: from financial support to projects that aim at achieving sustainable development goals to collaboration with states countries for the definition of rights-based budget laws.

The example in Jordan. In Jordan, the United Nations and the National Economic and Social Council, with the support of thesurge initiative, are working together to put people at the heart of public finance policies. The goal therefore is to mobilize the resources needed to invest in economic, social and cultural rights, such as the right to health, education, housing, a decent standard of living, and to reposition public spending to give priority to people’s needs.