Human Rights and Development

Human rights and a rules-based international order are central to peace, security, and sustainable development. We envision a world where human rights are a lived reality – understood, trusted, protected, and upheld by resilient institutions.

Our aim is to strengthen international human rights mechanisms and to support civil society, trade unions, and other progressive actors from all regions to ensure that their voices and experiences are meaningfully reflected in the UN human rights system, which develops and monitors human rights standards and supports their implementation.

We engage with key UN human rights actors and mechanisms, including the Human Rights Council and its mechanisms, such as the Universal Periodic Review and Special Procedures; the human rights treaty bodies; and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

As universal human rights and multilateral institutions face growing challenges, this work is more important than ever. Human rights are an indispensable means in addressing global challenges and are a cross-cutting priority across all policy areas. Contributing to an effective, participatory, and inclusive UN human rights system, while helping to rebuild trust in multilateralism and strengthen broad acceptance of human rights in politics and society, is therefore key.