Welcome to the United Nations
The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) framework was adopted by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in 2015 and will be in force until 2030. It describes 17 global goals that collectively provide ‘a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet’. The SDGs apply at both domestic level and overseas and UN member states are responsible for implementing the SDGs at home and contributing to progress internationally.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (the Commission) is a statutory body in Great Britain, established under the Equality Act 2006. It is one of three ‘A status’ national human rights institutions (NHRIs) in the UK, alongside the Scottish Human Rights Commission (SHRC) and the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission. These bodies all fulfil SDG 16.A.1 – to establish independent NHRIs, operating independently to encourage equality and diversity, eliminate unlawful discrimination, and monitor and promote human rights compliance. The 2015 Mérida Declaration, encourages ‘all NHRIs, […] to contribute to a human rights-based approach to implementation of the 2030 [Sustainable Development Goals] Agenda’, including providing advice to national governments and monitoring progress on the SDGs.
In June 2019, the UK Government submitted its voluntary national review (VNR) of progress on the SDGs to the UN’s High Level Political Forum (HLPF). The Forum will focus on Goals 4 (education), 8 (work), 10 (reduced inequality), and 16 (peaceful and inclusive societies, justice for all), as well as Goal 13 (climate change) and 17 (global partnership). The first four of these relate directly to the Commission’s remit. We have produced this short briefing in line with our obligations as an NHRI, as set out in the Mérida Declaration. The scope of this briefing does not cover matters that are devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly and the Scottish Parliament, which largely drive the implementation of the SDGs in Northern Ireland and Scotland. The briefing highlights some of our key concerns about the UK Government’s current approach to SDG implementation, and sets out where further action needs to be taken to fulfil the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
