Indicators and data for human rights and sustainable development

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development “seeks to realize the human rights of all”. Since its adoption, there have been significant efforts to pursue the synergies between the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and human rights to increase coherence, efficiency and accountability in the implementation and monitoring of both agendas. The high degree of convergence between the SDGs and provisions of core human rights treaties and labour standards provides an unprecedented opportunity to pursue joined-up approaches to the realisation and measurement of human rights and sustainable development at a global scale.

This publication builds on the substantial synergies between human rights and sustainable development and emphasizes the added value of having a human rights-based approach to SDG data and indicators. It provides analysis aimed at contributing to the operationalization of an integrated approach to the monitoring frameworks of SDGs and human rights, with a view to leaving no one behind. Among other things, it includes:

• Analysis of SDG indicators and data from a human rights perspective to identify potential and gaps;
• Analysis of the human rights implications of limited data availability;
• Contribution from human rights monitoring mechanisms to close data gaps and guide SDG implementation, including for groups at risk of being left behind;
• A human rights-based approach to data collection; and
• Inclusive data ecosystems and partnerships to drive progress.