This book is the first volume in the publication series "Human Rights Go Local". This series will allow established researchers, new voices, and practitioners to contribute to the debate on the interlinkages between human rights and global policy frameworks, such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the New Urban Agenda. In addition, the publication series will showcase how these very interlinkages can guide us towards creating inclusive, resilient, safe, and sustainable urban spaces and regions. The contributions to this publication series are targeted to all stakeholders at the local and regional levels: municipal administrations and regional governments; local authorities and service-providers; city coalitions; scholars and activists; and everyone seeking to understand, evaluate, discuss, and engage in fostering human rights and sustainable development at the local and regional levels. This book discusses three fundamental questions: -What are the interlinkages between human rights and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and what practical implications does this relationship have for the local level? -How do local level authorities, such as Human Rights Cities, (concurrently) implement human rights and the Sustainable Development Goals in practice? -Which governance levels are practically involved in the implementation of human rights and the international development agenda at the local level and how do they interact and influence each other?The publication series is jointly edited by the UNESCO Centre for the Promotion of Human Rights at the Local and Regional Levels (Graz, Austria) and the UNESCO Chair in Human Rights and Human Security at the University of Graz.

Human rights and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development are inextricably linked. The 2030 Agenda is explicitly grounded in international human rights. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) "seek to realize the human rights of all", and more than 90% of the targets directly reflect elements of international human rights and labour standards. The pledge to "leave no one behind" mirrors the fundamental human rights principles of non-discrimination and equality. The potential to bridge the accountability and implementation gap through aligning SDG and human rights reporting and follow-up offers itself to SDG and human rights reporting and follow-up at national as well as regional and international levels. SDG and human rights reporting is done by a broad range of actors including governments, civil society organisations, NHRIs and others. This Guidance Note therefore explores different ways in which human rights recommendations - found through the SDG - Human Rights Data Explorer - can be used in different processes and at different levels in order to pursue a human rights-based approach to sustainable development.

This open access book analyses the interplay of sustainable development and human rights from different perspectives including fight against poverty, health, gender equality, working conditions, climate change and the role of private actors. Each aspect is addressed from a more human rights-focused angle and a development-policy angle. This allows comparisons between the different approaches but also seeks to close gaps which would remain if only one perspective would be at the center of the discussions. Specifically, the book shows the strong connections between human rights and the objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations in 2015. Already the preamble of this document explicitly states that "the 17 Sustainable Development Goals ... seek to realise the human rights of all". Moreover, several goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda correspond to already existing individual human rights obligations. The contributions of this volume therefore also address how the implementation of human rights and SDGs can reinforce each other, but also point to critical shortcomings of the different approaches.

Information, tools and guidance to operationalise a human rights-based approach to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The report collects and analyses recent information, tools and guidance to operationalise a human rights-based approach (HRBA) to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The report is a key guide book for professionals who work with sustainable development and/or human rights, and includes: • An overview of the key arguments for applying a HRBA to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). • Guidance on the use of data, analysis and recommendations from national and international human rights institutions and mechanisms for SDG follow-up and review. • Detailed analysis of lessons learned from the 2017 Voluntary National Reviews at the High Level Political Forum. • Country-specific examples of integrated approaches to realising human rights and sustainable development. • References and links to key documents, policy papers and tools on human rights and SDGs.

The aim of this report is to present an overview of the 17 Goals using data currently available to highlight the most significant gaps and challenges.

Sustainable development involves linking the economic, social and environmental objectives of societies in a balanced way. It stresses the importance of taking a broader view of what human welfare entails, of using a long-term perspective about the ...