Since their adoption in 2015, many developing countries have made remarkable strides towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, a troubling disconnect persists: economic growth alone does not guarantee the alleviation of poverty or inequalities, the climate emergency accelerates, and the destruction of our natural world continues. As we mark Human Rights Day 2024, we are reminded that human rights are not abstract ideals. They are vital tools for addressing these pressing challenges and advancing dignity and justice for all. 

In conflict and crisis settings, where violence and forced displacement prevail, human rights come under acute threat. Women and children are especially affected. In such contexts, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) works to support human rights solutions that strengthen accountability, protect communities and foster peace, recovery, and stability. This includes partnering with National Human Rights Institutions, which often represent the frontline defenders of human rights. For example, in Nigeria, UNDP collaborated with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to support the National Human Rights Commission’s Human Rights Dashboard and Observatory to enable real-time tracking and analysis of human rights violations, directly support to conflict-affected populations. Local initiatives also remain key. That includes women in Somalia who are being supported to lead peace efforts including assisting those facing violence, discrimination, and injustice. “I have resolved numerous local disputes…I feel motivated when I see I have been able to change people’s lives positively,” says Fatuma who led a local Peace Working Group.

As the accelerating climate emergency threatens the ability of current and future generations to enjoy their right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, UNDP is focusing on access to justice, working with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and OHCHR to help communities claim their rights. Moreover, in countries such as Belize, UNDP’s Climate Promise is supporting national climate change dialogues that comprise of key groups like civil society, Indigenous Peoples, and women's organizations, ensuring that everyone can have a say in their climate futures  -- advancing climate justice. The private sector also has a pivotal role to play. UNDP supports the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights including to advance sustainable practices that protect the environment. Indeed, technology offers both risks and opportunities to advance human rights. The Global Digital Compact aims to create an inclusive, open, safe, and secure digital space that respects, protects and promotes human rights. Tech-enabled UNDP tools like iVerify and eMonitor+ deployed in over 25 countries to monitor and address false narratives and hate speech show the potential. It is now crucial to adopt a rights-based approach to technologies like A.I., addressing ethical challenges, protecting data, and tackling biases to mitigate risks today and unlock immense benefits for the generations to come. 

The Pact for the Future reaffirms that the three pillars of the United Nations – sustainable development, peace and security, and human rights – are equally important, interlinked and mutually reinforcing. Remove one, and the balance falters. Alongside our partners from the UN and beyond, UNDP is dedicated to bringing the Pact to life. In many ways, it calls for a re-think of how our global community plans, acts, and thinks together for the future, concertedly creating a more continuous thread of actions that will shape the world to come. That involves embedding human rights into every aspect of our work to help realise a future where justice, equality and opportunity stretches beyond the far horizon.

Achim Steiner, Administrator, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

This Human Rights Day, 10 December 2024, we focus on how human rights are a pathway to solutions, playing a critical role as a preventative, protective and transformative force for good.