Reinforcing development and human rights
STRESSING that the United Nations is built around the three pillars - peace and security, development and human rights, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, On January 19, 2015 underlined the need to pay attention to their interdependence, during an address to the Security Council.
“The founders of the United Nations well understood that if we ignore one pillar, we imperil the other two,” said Mr. Ban. “The post-2015 sustainable development agenda is an important opportunity to reinforce the interdependence of development, peace and security, and human rights” he added.
The Secretary-General said he was encouraged that during debates so far held about completing the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by the end of this year, launching a post-2015 sustainability agenda and reaching an agreement on climate change, Member States had paid considerable attention to peace and security and to human rights.
The General Assembly Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals had discussed the importance of inclusive growth and decent work, called for reducing inequality and ensuring universal access to basic services, including health care and education, had explicitly linked peace with social inclusion and access to justice for all, and had called for inclusive, representative decision-making.
Every country could benefit from sustainable and inclusive development, tackling persistent exclusion and inequality, ensuring that the most vulnerable have access to basic services and can participate in political dialogue, tackling the “blatant injustice” of discrimination against women and girls, and extending social security provision to the world's population still lacking a safety net for times of illness or unemployment.
Post-conflict societies in particular need to prioritise social, economic and political inclusion in order to rebuild trust between communities. Women's participation in reconciliation and reconstruction also depended on gender equality and women's empowerment, he said. “The Peace building Commission provides coordinated international support targeted at countries emerging from conflict,” continued Mr. Ban.
Even in countries at peace, governments, the private sector and civil society must demonstrate commitment to inclusive development in education, health and job creation. It is also necessary to strengthen institutions of governance and political representation as they were some of the most crucial determinants of inclusive development.
Compiled by Law Desk.
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