Sustainable Development Goals and Human Rights

<p>The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted in 2015. The SDGs make the central promise to <i>Leave No One Behind</i> and include a dedicated goal to reduce inequalities. Human rights advocates have put great hopes in the SDGs as an instrument for transformative change. But do they bring about the much-needed paradigm shift? Or were the extensive consultations and negotiations much ado about nothing?</p><p>"Sustainable Development Goals and Human Rights: A Critical Early Review" follows two central lines of inquiry. The chapters examine to what extent do the SDGs live up to the promise to reduce inequalities and provide for monitoring and policies that address the needs of marginalized and invisible populations. They further suggest transparent and binding accountability processes and mechanisms to ensure that the SDGs are more than lofty goals and bring power to their promise.</p><p>The volume begins with three chapters that focus on different aspects of SDG 10 and the commitment to reduce inequalities. From this cross cutting SDG, the following three chapters look at the translation of equality and accountability into specific sectors: health (SDG 3) and labour (SDG 8).</p><p>The chapters were originally published in a special issue of <em>The International Journal of Human Rights. </em></p> <p>1. The Sustainable Development Goals and human rights: a critical early review <em>Inga T. Winkler and Carmel Williams </em>2. Tackling inequality through the Sustainable Development Goals: human rights in practice <em>Ignacio Saiz and Kate Donald </em>3. Vertical inequalities: are the SDGs and human rights up to the challenges? <em>Gillian MacNaughton </em>4. Leaving no one behind? Persistent inequalities in the SDGs <em>Inga T. Winkler and Margaret L. Satterthwaite </em>5. Evaluating the health-related targets in the Sustainable Development Goals from a human rights perspective <em>Audrey R. Chapman </em>6. Neglecting human rights: accountability, data and Sustainable Development Goal 3 <em>Carmel Williams and Paul Hunt </em>7. Economic growth, full employment and decent work: the means and ends in SDG 8 <em>Diane F. Frey</em></p>