COVID-19 response and recovery must build on human rights and SDGs

In this proping paper, the Danish Institute for Human Rights examines how human rights standards and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development together provide substantial guidance for immediate crisis response and for long-term recovery strategies towards fair, resilient and sustainable societies that leave no one behind.

In practice, placing human rights standards and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the core of immediate responses to COVID-19 and of long-term recovery strategies implies:

• Building on the human rights principles of accountability, participation and non-discrimination, which will strengthen the trust, legitimacy and democratic ownership that will be essential to overcoming the crisis.
• Using human rights standards and the SDGs to systematically assess the differentiated impacts of response measures on specific groups of rights-holders. This will guide the development of special measures to address vulnerabilities and enhance resilience.
• Using the rich body of country-specific recommendations already available from international human rights monitoring bodies that are immediately relevant for specific groups and with regard to particular themes and sectors, including in the context of the pandemic.
• According particular importance to SDG 16 on peace, justice and strong institutions, and to SDG 17 on partnerships as enablers of sustainable and just strategies for COVID-19 responses and recovery.
• Acknowledging the key role that independent national human rights institutions can play in guiding and monitoring COVID-19 response and recovery as recognised by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
• Focusing on the finance targets under SDG 17 and ensuring alignment of development objectives and adherence to human rights in the financial rescue packages to the private sector, to make sure we ‘build back better’, including through conditionalities related to company compliance with taxation laws and with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.