34/28 Activities and programmes of the United Nations system contributing to the role of good governance in the promotion and protection of human rights - Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

GE.16-21461(E)

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Human Rights Council Thirty-fourth session

27 February-24 March 2017

Agenda items 2 and 3

Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner

for Human Rights and reports of the Office of

the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General

Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil,

political, economic, social and cultural rights,

including the right to development

Activities and programmes of the United Nations system contributing to the role of good governance in the promotion and protection of human rights

Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

Summary

The present report is submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 31/14

on the role of good governance in the promotion and protection of human rights. It contains

responses from United Nations agencies and bodies on activities and programmes that

contribute to the role of good governance in the promotion and protection of human rights,

including in the realization of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

I. Introduction

1. In its resolution 31/14, the Human Rights Council requested the United Nations

High Commissioner for Human Rights to prepare a compilation of the activities and

programmes of the United Nations system that contribute to the role of good governance in

the promotion and protection of human rights, including its efforts to support States in the

implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in this context, and to

submit it to the Council at its thirty-fourth session.

2. In the same resolution, the Human Rights Council recognized that transparent,

responsible, accountable, open and participatory government, responsive to the needs and

aspirations of the people, is the foundation on which good governance rests, and that such a

foundation is one of the indispensable conditions for the full realization of human rights,

including the right to development. The Council also recognized the mutually reinforcing

relationship between good governance and human rights, and acknowledged that good

governance had a central role in the promotion and protection of human rights, and in

preventing and combating corruption at all levels. It welcomed the 2030 Agenda for

Sustainable Development and its recognition of the need to build peaceful, just and

inclusive societies that provide equal access to justice and that are based on respect for

human rights, including the right to development, on effective rule of law and good

governance at all levels, and on transparent, effective and accountable institutions. The

Council also welcomed the commitments made by all States in the Agenda with regard to

good governance in the promotion and protection of human rights, including in Sustainable

Development Goal 16.

3. Pursuant to the request of the Human Rights Council, the Office of the High

Commissioner (OHCHR) contacted all organizations of the United Nations system to solicit

their inputs. OHCHR invited all organizations to share information on their policies,

programmes and activities aimed at strengthening good governance at the national level, in

particular in support of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable

Development in this regard, in particular Sustainable Development Goal 16. It invited all

respondents to describe the governance areas that they covered and the conceptual, policy

and programmatic approach taken, and to share information on activities and approaches

for measuring progress in governance reforms, including examples that demonstrated the

relationship between good governance and human rights and could serve as best practices

and lessons learned in strengthening governance.

4. OHCHR received responses from regional commissions, including the Economic

Commission for Africa (ECA), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the

Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia

(ESCWA); from funds and programmes, including the United Nations Development

Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)

and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC); from specialized agencies,

including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the

International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the World Bank; from departments and

offices of the United Nations Secretariat, including the Department of Political Affairs, the

Rule of Law Unit of the Executive Office of the Secretary-General, the Office for the

Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OHCHR-Palestine, the Office of the Special

Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict and the United

Nations country team in Madagascar; the United Nations Statistics Division; and other

bodies, inter alia the secretariats of the United Nations Convention to Combat

Desertification and of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

II. Contributions received from organizations of the United

Nations system

A. Regional commissions

1. Economic Commission for Africa

5. ECA highlighted the importance of functional institutions, visionary leadership and

participatory governance mechanisms as important components of social and economic

development. It focuses its work on illicit financial flows, anti-corruption, public financial

management and efficient public sector practices for better service delivery. ECA stressed

the importance of data collection and analysis, the preparation of pertinent surveys, and

profiles and reports on socioeconomic and political conditions, governance and

management. It also highlighted the importance of information-sharing, including best

practices, and of analysing and monitoring trends. Its policy research and studies, technical

support and advisory services are designed to assist Member States in improving economic

governance and development management, including by strengthening the rule of law, State

legitimacy, trust in governance institutions and reducing corruption, and strengthening

private sector management.

6. ECA has been assigned a central role in the areas of illicit financial flows and anti-

corruption. It has shared information on the establishment of a high-level panel on illicit

financial flows and on proposals relating to the measurement of corruption.

7. Another example of the activities of ECA is a human rights impact assessment of the

Continental Free Trade Agreement, which ECA was undertaking jointly with OHCHR and

with the support of Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, focusing on food security, decent employment

and livelihood, particularly for rural agricultural communities. Building on a scoping study,

the assessment will cover (a) the impact on the right to food and agricultural livelihoods,

taking into account that agriculture in Africa is an activity mainly conducted by small-scale

producers; (b) the impact on agro-industrial development and employment in the light of

youth demographics in Africa; and (c) the impact on informal cross-border traders across

Africa, and women in particular.

2. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean

8. ECLAC seeks to support countries in the region in the implementation of the 2030

Agenda for Sustainable Development, through an integrated and holistic approach, on the

basis of (a) regional institutions, (b) an analysis of the means of implementation, (c)

national development plans and budget, and (d) indicators and statistics.

9. With regard to regional institutions, ECLAC convened the Forum of the Countries

of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development. The Forum promotes

coordination and coherence within the United Nations development system and provides

countries in the region with opportunities for peer learning, including through voluntary

review, the sharing of best practices and discussion of shared targets.

10. Another example of good practice is the ECLAC Gender Equality Observatory for

Latin America and the Caribbean, which measured women’s reproductive rights and

gender-related violence, compiles information on regulations and fair policies, and provides

online training courses on gender equality. An ECLAC database also provides users with

data on indicators of violence against women.

121. ECLAC provides Member States with technical assistance in building their capacity

for good governance, which also comprises strengthening the rule of law and fostering

efficient, responsible and responsive institutions allowing the innovative use of data to

service and facilitate public participation in the design and implementation of public

policies.

12. ECLAC also assists Governments in their efforts to strengthen public

administration, the design and implementation of open government and citizen engagement

strategies, in access to public information, data and innovation, taxation, budgets and public

investments and public planning, monitoring, evaluation and management, and the

identification and application of strategic tools for mainstreaming the Sustainable

Development Goals in national and subnational development institutions, policies and plans

across and between sectors.

13. ECLAC has worked to develop a regional observatory on planning for sustainable

development to provide tools and information, including sharing of data and good practices,

to empower the public and private sectors and civil society to achieve the SDGs.

3. Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia

14. ESCWA worked to promote and protect human rights within the larger goal of

strengthening good governance and public administration systems. Efforts included

participation in international and regional forums addressing human rights and producing

research studies.

15. The Commission has participated in human rights forums in collaboration with

various United Nations entities, intergovernmental organizations and stakeholders to

address human rights violations through transitional justice mechanisms; to draft an Arab

human rights strategy; to provide input in the periodical review process of the Arab human

rights charter committee; to address governance challenges to the promotion of human

rights in the context of fragility and conflict, with weak State institutions; and to consider

the risks and challenges posed by activities of private military and security companies, the

oil and extractive industry, and refugee displacement.

16. Research conducted by ESCWA has addressed a number of topics, including the

promotion of human rights, through the establishment of transitional justice mechanisms, in

countries transitioning out of conflict; a study of early warning systems with a view to

establishing a conflict prevention tool that takes into account human rights violations; and a

study on security sector reforms in the region.

B. Funds and programmes

1. United Nations Development Programme

17. UNDP promotes democratic governance in various ways, including by supporting

constitutional reform and elections, strengthening parliaments and supporting reconciliation

efforts and measures to foster empowerment and inclusion. UNDP highlighted the mutually

reinforcing the relationship between good governance and human rights.

18. The ultimate goal of UNDP support in the area of good governance is to bring

effective and equitable delivery of services to people and to reinforce the rule of law and

citizen security through appropriate policy, legal and regulatory frameworks and the

strengthening of local governance institutions. UNDP provides assistance in bridging the

gap between humanitarian, peacebuilding and longer-term development efforts and in the

interest of enabling environments for development, peaceful dispute settlements and

progress towards democratic governance.

19. The efforts made by UNDP are focused on interrelated areas of work, namely,

conflict prevention; the rule of law, justice, security and human rights; inclusive political

processes; responsive and accountable institutions; and gender, youth and anti-corruption.

20. UNDP applies a human rights-based approach to its anti-corruption work, which

results in a four-pronged approach to preventing corruption: (a) corruption risk mitigation;

(b) social accountability through monitoring and oversight by communities and civil society

organizations and information and communications technology; (c) empowerment to

enhance transparency and accountability; and (d) building institutional capacity.

21. UNDP gave several examples of its activities, such as support for open and

democratic institutions, the rule of law, civil society capacity, e-government, and the

integrity and accountability mechanisms of the judiciary.

22. Another example is the UNDP global project on supporting core government

functions to address fragility and build resilience, which has a human rights-based approach

to good governance. The project is aimed at reducing the risk of citizen grievances and a

resurgence in violence by mainstreaming human rights principles in core government

functions, particularly in crisis and post-crisis environments.

23. Other projects are aimed at promoting respect for rule of law principles and gender

equality in public administration or strengthening indigenous peoples’ representation and

the positioning of indigenous issues in national parliaments.

24. The conceptual approach taken by UNDP to supporting the delivery of public

services is based on the recognition that public service sets the policy framework necessary

for the delivery of services essential to human rights; in turn, human rights principles

contribute to guiding and improving public service. UNDP focuses on three dimensions of

public service: (a) the intrinsic motivation of public officials, not systems, to uphold and

promote the public interest and common good, to protect the rights of marginalized and

vulnerable segments of society and to ensure service delivery in accordance with the ethos

of public service; (b) strategic foresight to incorporate public interest in a more inclusive

manner; and (c) whole-of-government approaches.

25. UNDP also supports national efforts to promote and protect human rights by

strengthening the capacities of national human rights institutions, supporting engagement

with international human rights mechanisms, enhancing respect for human rights within the

security sector, and advising Governments on rule of law and transitional justice issues,

including reparations for victims of grave human rights abuses.

26. Even though democratic governance and human rights are not specifically

mentioned in the targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Agenda

nonetheless calls for equal access to justice, human rights, the rule of law, and inclusion.

The targets of Sustainable Development Goal 16 reflect values and principles that prioritize

respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and promote the rule of law,

accountability and transparency, and participatory decision-making, which are critical for

promoting social cohesion, preventing conflict and ensuring peaceful, just and inclusive

societies. Examples of UNDP work in supporting Members States on Goal 16 include

support in monitoring its implementation, and in particular in the development of national

indicators. UNDP also supports the Global Alliance for Reporting Progress in Promoting

Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies and the Praia Group on Governance Statistics, which

aims to develop methodologies to measure governance.

2. United Nations Industrial Development Organization

27. UNIDO has developed intelligence and governance mechanisms for policy design

and implementation with regard to industrial development. These efforts have been aimed

at integrating good governance in industrial development to ultimately strengthen inclusive

and sustainable industrial development based on human rights principles, such as gender

equality and the empowerment of women, and to operationalize the Sustainable

Development Goals.

28. The Strategic Industrial Intelligence and Governance programme exemplified these

efforts by providing States with advice, capacity-building and facilitation services on

industrial policymaking. The programme has resulted in a network of intelligence

competitiveness units that use UNIDO methodologies and standard publications to drive the

industrial policy debate at the global level.

29. Another example was the Country Partnership Programme, which provided support

by aligning national industrialization priorities and development plans supporting critical

capacity-building and technology transfer and conducting feasibility studies for industrial

projects. Technology and skill-upgrading programmes and environmental sustainability

interventions have been found to be essential to ensure adequate and equitable wage levels

and benefits.

30. Through National Cleaner Production Centres, UNIDO, together with the United

Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), provides support for professionalization and

institutionalization, as well as services to businesses, Governments and other national

stakeholders for the promotion and implementation of resource efficient and cleaner

production methods, practices, technologies and policies. The centres are expected to

become increasingly independent of UNIDO-UNEP funding and support, aiming to provide

nationally recognized organizations with managerial, administrative and financial

independence and organizational and institutional stability and sustainability.

3. United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime

31. UNODC works in four areas relevant to the role of good governance in the

promotion and protection of human rights: (a) crime prevention and criminal justice; (b)

anti-corruption; (c) terrorism prevention; and (d) combating organized crime and human

trafficking.

32. UNODC contributes to good governance and the rule of law by supporting fair,

effective and humane criminal justice systems that are transparent, provide for oversight

and accountability, and reduce impunity.

33. By focusing on crime prevention, UNODC supports efforts to reduce all forms of

violence and related death rates everywhere. In particular, it is increasing its efforts to assist

States in the prevention of youth crime by developing the life skills of marginalized and at-

risk youth. Together with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UNODC is

implementing a global programme on violence against children. UNODC has also

supported legislative development and training in the area of juvenile justice. It uses

international standards and norms in crime prevention and criminal justice to develop

effective, accountable and transparent institutions within the criminal justice sector.

UNODC is prioritizing activities addressing global prison challenges in order to reduce the

scope of imprisonment, improve prison management and prison conditions, and to support

the social reintegration of offenders upon release.

34. UNODC also promotes gender equality in criminal justice systems through work on

preventing and responding to violence against women. In 2015, under the lead of UNODC,

a United Nations inter-agency task force finalized a set of integrated technical guidance

notes on transnational organized crime and security sector reform, with the aim of

providing practitioners with effective recommendations in the implementation of security

sector reform.

35. UNODC adopted a human rights-based approach to its work, including in its anti-

corruption activities. It supports government experts in conducting peer-to-peer country

reviews as part of the Mechanism for the Review of Implementation of the United Nations

Convention against Corruption. UNODC provides States parties with technical assistance to

implement the Convention, including policy formulation and legislation drafting support,

capacity assessments of anti-corruption bodies, capacity-building and training to conduct

anti-corruption investigations and self-assessment of anti-corruption preventive measures,

focusing on judicial integrity, whistle-blower protection, anti-corruption strategies and

public procurement. UNODC has issued numerous publications in these areas. In the area

of asset recovery, it established, jointly with the World Bank, the Stolen Asset Recovery

Initiative, which provides States parties with support during stolen asset recovery efforts,

engages in capacity-building and promotes international cooperation.

36. Good governance is essential to the prevention of terrorism. To that end, UNODC

works with States to strengthen the rule of law and their compliance with the human rights

standards of legal and criminal justice measures taken against terrorism. Besides technical

assistance, UNODC has developed an online counter-terrorism learning platform and two

training tools, The Criminal Justice Response to Support Victims of Acts of Terrorism and

Good Practices in Supporting Victims of Terrorism within the Criminal Justice Framework.

37. UNODC has provided assistance to address human trafficking and migrant

smuggling in the interest of building the capacity of and supporting national justice and

related institutions. One practical example is the UNODC pre-assistance assessment

procedure that customizes technical assistance, by evaluating adherence to a broad range of

existing international human rights obligations, considered directly relevant to the

governance of responses to human trafficking and migrant smuggling. Further support is

provided by UNODC through its production of standard-setting technical materials

promoting good governance and rights-based responses by actors working to prevent and

combat human trafficking and migrant smuggling.

C. Specialized agencies

1. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

38. FAO defines governance as the processes through which public and private actors

articulate their interests, frame and prioritize issues, and make, implement, monitor and

enforce decisions. FAO has included governance as a cross-cutting theme in its strategic

framework in the interest of increasing operational effectiveness and of progress towards

eradicating hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition, eliminating poverty and achieving the

sustainable use and management of natural resources.

39. In the experience of FAO, the success of efforts to achieve the above-mentioned

goals depends on whether the efforts are informed and accepted by all the public and

private actors concerned.

40. FAO relies on institutional, political economy and stakeholder analyses to identify

governance challenges relating to food and agriculture, and to improve the inclusiveness of

policies and programmes. Its approach to governance does not imply a set of criteria to be

applied universally as a precondition of success. It focuses on understanding the “politics”

around a given technical issue or problem related to food and agriculture in order to be able

to support Member States in designing solutions that will be considered legitimate in the

eyes of the persons concerned, and have a chance of being effectively implemented and

being sustainable. Looking at governance issues is generally linked to an initial assessment

of a State and an analysis of the political economy context in which a specific intervention

is conducted, while remaining sensitive to general human rights principles, such as

participation, accountability, transparency, equality and the rule of law.

41. FAO measures progress on governance in relation to its strategic goals, and provides

legal advisory services to Governments in the preparation of laws, regulations, agreements

and other legal texts and institutional structures. It pays close attention to procedural rights

in draft legislation and to multi-stakeholder approaches in the legislative process. One

element of most advisory projects is capacity-building through the participatory training of

national officials.

42. For FAO, a human rights-based approach to food security and nutrition is necessary

to tackle the root causes of hunger and malnutrition. Its Voluntary Guidelines to Support the

Progressive Realization of the Right to Adequate Food in the Context of National Food

Security provide an overall framework for achieving food security and nutritional

objectives. In the Plurinational State of Bolivia, for example, the Government, with the

support of FAO, has applied a right-to-food approach to its national food and nutrition

policy.

43. The Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the

Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication, which are based on international human

rights standards, provide a framework for the governance of small-scale fisheries and their

contribution to food security and eradication of poverty. FAO is undertaking research,

developing indicators and guidance materials for the application of a human rights-based

approach to small-scale fisheries. With the support of FAO, Indonesia has adopted a law on

protecting small-scale fisheries, while Costa Rica has approved a decree on the application

of the Guidelines.

44. FAO also supports States in the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines on the

Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of

National Food Security within a broader human rights framework. In Guatemala, a new

land governance policy incorporates the principles of the Guidelines with the objective of

improving food security and nutrition in rural areas, particularly among indigenous

communities, and promoting stability, investment and growth in agriculture.

45. The Global Framework for Action to achieve the Vision on Groundwater

Governance consists of policy and institutional guidelines, recommendations and best

practices designed to improve groundwater governance and management at the local,

national and transboundary levels. FAO is currently supporting Morocco, Tunisia and

Jordan in the development of more inclusive and sustainable governance structures and

mechanisms for groundwater resources.

2. International Maritime Organization

46. The work of IMO in the area of good governance with respect to human rights is

focused on the protection of seafarers and of persons rescued at sea, and on the safety of

passenger ships and maritime security.

47. With regard to the abandonment of seafarers, IMO reported on the database, set up

at the International Labour Office and efforts to better protect abandoned seafarers and to

provide financial security or compensation to seafarers and their families in the event of the

death of seafarers or long-term disability.

48. IMO also reported on the development of guidance on the implementation of a

resolution and guidelines on fair treatment of seafarers in the event of maritime accident,

where seafarers may be detained by public authorities, to respond appropriately.

49. Lastly, IMO reported on a high-level meeting to address unsafe mixed migration by

sea, specifically with regard to the large number of lives lost in unsafe craft in the

Mediterranean Sea, on dangerous and unregulated sea passages. The aim of the meeting

was to promote cooperation between United Nations agencies, international organizations,

civil society, States and the shipping industry.

3. World Bank

50. The World Bank contributes to the promotion of good governance by supporting

States in building capable, efficient, open, inclusive and accountable institutions in the

interest of promoting sustainable growth, eradicating poverty and promoting shared

prosperity.

51. The World Bank has, particularly by means of the International Development

Association fund for the poorest countries, supported the creation of opportunities for

citizen engagement and building and maintaining trust between the State and citizens. By

strengthening governing systems and fostering transparent and participatory public sector

involvement, countries are better able to address past and existing problems and to respond

to future needs. In its World Development Report 2017, the World Bank analyses the role

of governance and the law in the economic advancement of nations. It examines the

institutional foundations of a well-functioning State, and addresses the interaction between

economic development and the underlying factors that influence the quality of governance,

and the gaps between intended and achieved governance reforms.

52. The World Bank pursues four strategic priorities in supporting the efforts of States

to strengthen their governance: (a) public financial management; (b) public sector

performance; (c) accountability in service delivery; and (d) open, inclusive and accountable

governance.

53. With regard to public financial management, the World Bank supports States in the

formulation of policies and in implementing procedures to improve revenue collection,

administration and the efficient use of resources.

54. With regard to public sector performance, the World Bank supports States in

improving the performance of civil servants; strengthening public administration capacity

and quality; enhancing the performance and transparency of State-owned enterprises;

strengthening the checks and balances systems used in the public sector; improving the

effectiveness of supreme audit and accountability institutions and the judiciary; and

building the capacity of policy coordination and delivery entities.

55. With regard to accountable service delivery, the World Bank supports States in

setting up citizen feedback mechanisms, enhancing financial accountability, and

establishing transparent and effective systems of procurement.

56. Lastly, the World Bank supports States in ensuring more open and inclusive

government and in efforts to combat corruption.

57. In the United Republic of Tanzania, for example, the Government has joined the

Open Government Partnership to promote transparency and citizen participation. It has also

adopted a new delivery results model, including in the education, health and water sectors.

In Bangladesh, the World Bank has supported the establishment of a procurement data

centre, and training in public procurement and professional certification. In Pakistan, it has

supported the establishment of a call centre, which allows citizens to give feedback on

government services with a view to fighting petty corruption and assessing the quality of

service delivery.

58. In addition, through the Nordic Trust Fund, the World Bank conducts activities

focusing specifically on strengthening good governance through a human rights lens. The

activities were centred on evaluating and analysing the impact of governance interventions

aimed at increasing participation, transparency and accountability and reducing corruption.

59. In Colombia, for example, the World Bank has supported data collection to obtain

an insight into how displaced persons and other victims of human rights violations

committed during the armed conflict in the country seek to enforce their rights, the impact

of enforcement of their rights, and the effectiveness of different service delivery models in

helping displaced persons and other victims to exercise their rights.

60. In Uganda, the World Bank is supporting a community-driven development

programme that includes a transparency, accountability and anti-corruption component,

implemented by the Inspectorate of Government of Uganda in partnership with civil society

and non-governmental organizations. The Nordic Trust Fund supports an impact evaluation

to document how social accountability interventions can promote participation in public

affairs, service delivery and the quality of development projects. It is expected that the

evaluation will provide information on how promoting human rights and participation in

public affairs can accelerate development.

D. Departments and offices of the United Nations Secretariat

1. Department of Political Affairs

61. The Department of Political Affairs plays a central role in fulfilling the conflict

prevention and resolution mandate of the United Nations. The Department provides the

Secretary-General and his envoys with support in carrying out their “good offices” and

preventive diplomacy efforts. The special political missions and regional offices deployed

around the world conduct peacemaking and preventive diplomacy, and sustain peace efforts

in support of inclusive, nationally owned, regionally-supported, comprehensive societal

frameworks, including constitutions, peace agreements, electoral systems and other

inclusive political processes.

62. The Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace

Process has, for example, contributed to a diagnosis of the public administration sector to

guide reforms and to the formulation of the national policy agenda for the period 2017-

2022.

63. The Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon has supported the

restoration of State institutions and other legislative efforts, including legislation to combat

torture and on the establishment of a national human rights commission. The Office also

supported the holding of presidential and parliamentary elections, and the work of the

executive branch. It has also provided technical assistance to modernize public

administration, in particular taxation and customs systems. The Office has also provided

assistance for electoral reform and promoted the political representation of women. Other

support includes decentralization to foster local economic development, advocacy efforts to

combat torture, the adoption of a due diligence policy for United Nations support for the

security sector, and assistance for efforts to prevent violent extremism.

64. The United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau has supported

the establishment of an interministerial committee for the implementation of human rights

obligations, the establishment of an independent human rights commission and the revision

of legislation. It has also promoted the participation of women in political processes and

supported efforts to strengthen civil society.

65. The United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel has addressed a number of

governance challenges related to elections, such as efforts to prevent and reduce electoral

violence, political transitions, constitutional reform, political dialogue, violent extremism

and transnational organized crimes. In addition to addressing conflict-related issues, it has

also addressed key human rights issues relating to good governance, including freedom of

expression, freedom of peaceful assembly and association, and women’s rights.

66. Good governance and human rights are central to the work of the United Nations

Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia when supporting efforts to

address violent extremism and terrorism, and in the management of transboundary water

resources.

67. The Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Great Lakes

Region supported the Governments in the region in the implementation of the Peace,

Security and Cooperation Framework and the promotion of good governance, the rule of

law and human rights. Activities have included support for the establishment of a judicial

cooperation network with the aim of preventing and suppressing transboundary organized

crimes, and efforts to facilitate exchange and expertise, for example, on access to justice for

victims of sexual and gender-based violence or election-related violence.

68. Other examples of activities undertaken can be found in Papua New Guinea, the

Southern Caucasus and Comoros, include training of police officers on integrating human

rights in law enforcement, support and advice in the context of the establishment of a

national human rights commission and the promotion of national and regional dialogue.

2. Rule of Law Unit of the Executive Office of the Secretary-General

69. The Rule of Law Unit of the Executive Office of the Secretary-General has

contributed to good governance through a rule of law-based approach. Its efforts to promote

and protect human rights include providing support to Member States in achieving the

Sustainable Development Goals.

70. The Unit supported Member States in the process leading to the adoption of the

2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development through, inter alia, its contribution to the

preparation of an issues brief on conflict prevention, post-conflict peacebuilding and the

promotion of durable peace, the rule of law and governance. It also organized panel

discussions focusing on the rule of law as a driver of inclusive development opportunities

and on ways to measure rule of law institutions and services to inform programming and

decision-making. The Unit continues to provide input in support of the implementation of

Sustainable Development Goal 16, as well as on its measurement and reporting.

71. The rule of law has been promoted throughout the United Nations Organization as a

principle of governance linked to human rights, specifically relating it and transitional

justice to international human rights norms and standards. This priority has been

exemplified by the development of guidance notes for the engagement of the United

Nations in specific areas of the rule of law, and the Unit’s work to incorporate the rule of

law into system-wide policies, including in support for Member States in countering

terrorism and preventing violent extremism.

72. The Unit has also supported a number of informal briefings in order to encourage

dialogue between the United Nations entities and States on the rule of law, facilitated the

sharing of national practices to advance the rule of law and convened events to address

prison reform, watchdog institutions and e-justice.

3. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

73. Although the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs does not have

policies, programmes or activities aimed specifically at strengthening good governance or

directly engaging in peacebuilding, its humanitarian activities support peace consolidation

efforts and the protection of civilians, and their return and reintegration following

displacement. The Office supports shared analysis and effective coordination among

humanitarian, human rights, development and peace consolidation actors.

74. The Office also uses its advocacy role to engage with Governments and parties to

conflict to uphold their obligations to protect civilians and to ensure that humanitarian

priorities are defined on the basis of needs alone, and that assistance and protection are

given as a matter of priority to those in the most vulnerable situation.

75. The Office is currently implementing the Agenda for Humanity, including in

maintaining the Platform for Action, Commitments and Transformation, in which

commitments will be monitored.

4. Office of the High Commissioner-Palestine

76. OHCHR-Palestine has provided technical advice on the alignment of national

priorities with the legal obligations of the State of Palestine under human rights treaties and

its political commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals. These efforts have been

furthered by the United Nations country team, which supported the Government in its

implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. To support the

integration of human rights treaty obligations and the Sustainable Development Goals in

national sector strategies, OHCHR and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have developed a

matrix illustrating the linkages between treaty obligations, the Sustainable Development

Goals and potential priorities for each government sector. In addition, OHCHR-Palestine

has engaged with civil society organizations on using the framework of the Sustainable

Development Goals and its processes to promote human rights and to hold the Government

accountable.

5. Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed

Conflict

77. The Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and

Armed Conflict reported on several initiatives connected to good governance, such as the

signing of plans of action with Government and non-State armed actors to reduce violations

against children; military to civilian handover protocols; and work with regional

organizations on children and armed conflict and advocacy with regard to the Convention

on the Rights of the Child. The plans of action have included commitments to take

measures to strengthen institutional responses in fulfilling the rights and needs of children

affected by armed conflict. The Children, Not Soldiers campaign had the aim of supporting

national security forces in ending the recruitment and use of children in their forces in

conflict-affected countries.

78. The Office has also prioritized partnerships with regional organizations to advance

the children and armed conflict agenda, and to promote regional ownership of the

protection of children, including by providing support for the development of the work plan

of the African Union on children and armed conflict. The plan operationalized good

governance through policies and decisions that promoted peace and the rights of children in

armed conflict.

79. Other partnerships have included work with the League of Arab States, on a

cooperation agreement to enhance coordination and information-sharing in the interest of

mainstreaming child protection; with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, focusing on

the use of practical experience to inform training courses on the issue of children and armed

conflict; with the European Union, in the protection of children in conflict in the political

and human rights dialogue; and with individual member States, to further child protection

and to encourage the ratification and enactment of related international and national

legislation.

80. The Special Representative has continued to advocate for the signing and ratification

of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of

children in armed conflict and for the enactment of legislation criminalizing the recruitment

and use of children for military purposes.

6. United Nations country team in Madagascar

81. The support of the United Nations country team in Madagascar for good governance

in the promotion and protection of human rights is set on four pillars: (a) decentralization

and local resilience; (b) combating impunity and strengthening accountability and the rule

of law; (c) peacebuilding and conflict prevention; and (d) electoral assistance.

82. The country team has provided support in developing and implementing a legal and

strategic framework conducive to decentralization and local development. It has supported

the drafting of local development plans and the establishment of inclusive consultation

mechanisms with a particular focus on women, youth and disaster-risk reduction.

83. The country team has also supported a number of initiatives to combat impunity and

to strengthen accountability and the rule of law by means of awareness-raising campaigns,

and capacity-building on international human rights standards and principles; by ensuring

coordination among justice and anti-corruption bodies; and by adjusting legal frameworks

and structures, including by providing technical assistance on legal reforms for the

prevention of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and supporting access to

justice for vulnerable groups. The country team has supported, for example, the

establishment of a case management platform on human rights violations and abuses;

provided advice on upholding human rights in security operations; and helped to draft

legislation on alternatives to the death penalty, the law decriminalizing media offences and

the enabling law establishing a national human rights commission.

84. In addition, the country team has supported the national reconciliation process by

advocating for the importance of upholding and promoting the rights to truth, justice,

reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence, and the participation of women in that

process. It also supported the design of a reform strategy for the national security sector.

The country team highlighted two projects undertaken in this area. The first project is

aimed at creating stronger democratic institutions that can fight corruption effectively and

foster dialogue between the population and their elected representatives. In this case, the

country team focuses on supporting the national human rights commission. In the second

project, the team sought to support security sector reform by training on human rights for

members of the security forces.

85. Lastly, the United Nations country team in Madagascar has also provided assistance

in building national capacity for monitoring human rights during elections, assessing the

legal framework governing elections, upgrading the information technology system for the

development of voter lists, and building the capacity of key stakeholders in the election

process.

7. United Nations Statistics Division

86. The United Nations Statistics Division provided information on the Statistical

Commission and the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goal

indicators.

87. At its forty-seventh session, the Statistical Commission agreed, as a practical

starting point, on the proposed global indicator framework for the goals and targets of the

2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The framework includes indicators to measure

the targets of Sustainable Development Goal 16. The Commission furthermore expressed

its support for the road map proposed by the Praia Group on Governance Statistics and its

actions to develop a handbook on governance statistics for national statistical offices.

88. As part of the process to agree on Goal indicators, the Inter-agency and Expert

Group on Sustainable Development Goal indicators agreed on a chapeau on disaggregation

to be applied for all indicators.

E. Other bodies

1. United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification

89. The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification promotes a human rights-

based approach and good governance by facilitating the establishment of enabling

frameworks for good governance, and by supporting gender equality.

90. Participation, partnership and decentralization are core principles of the Convention

secretariat, and have been critical in promoting and maintaining good governance in the

policies, programmes and activities undertaken under the Convention from the global to the

local levels. National action programmes are designed on the basis of these principles,

through a consultative, multi-stakeholder process. These principles have strengthened the

transparency and accountability of governmental institutions at all levels, which has in turn

enhanced the commitment to and sustainability of the programmes.

91. As an example, at the local level, the Convention secretariat reported on the

promotion of dialogue on gender equality in Ethiopia. The State had designated gender and

livelihoods as indicators for measurement of progress towards Sustainable Development

Goal 15, target 3 and in support of Goal 5, allowing it to raise awareness of the importance

of land degradation neutrality (namely, maintaining a balance between the amount of land

degraded and restored each year), to mobilize local ownership of the target, and to identify

region-specific needs and learn how to address them. The promotion of these techniques

and mechanisms required a rights-based approach to fostering good governance.

92. Another example aimed at increasing the participation of women in decision-making

can be witnessed in a watershed development project in Uttarakhand, India. The initiative

has not only enhanced watershed management but also improved social stability and

participation in the project, and resulted in an increase in household income and reduction

in the time women spend to reach water sources.

93. The policies and programmes of the Convention also promote gender equality. The

Convention advocates for women’s participation in all decision-making processes in the

development of national action programmes and for building the capacity of women to

address inequalities. In order to understand how to achieve land degradation neutrality

without exacerbating gender inequality, the Convention supports a number of relevant

initiatives.

94. In Namibia, for example, the Government has worked to achieve gender equality

through the creation of formal positions in rural land registration boards, thereby

strengthening women’s land ownership. In Ethiopia, local Governments have been

empowered to create registration mechanisms that allow rural women and men to own land

individually.

95. A final example can be found in the Convention’s Oasis du Sud programme, which

has helped to create jobs for women in the tourist industry. The programme has resulted in

the economic empowerment of women, strengthening their confidence and ability to

participate to a greater extent in society, and ultimately leading to the establishment of a

network of elected women officials to build the capacity and strengthen the role of locally

elected women in governance and decision-making processes.

2. Convention on Biological Diversity

96. The Convention on Biological Diversity imposes obligations on contracting parties

to develop national biodiversity strategies and plans of action, to integrate the conservation

and sustainable use of biological diversity into relevant sectoral and cross-sectoral plans,

programmes and policies, and also into national decision-making, which implies integrating

the conservation of biodiversity into the field of human rights.

97. The Convention and the two protocols thereto – the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety

and the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable

Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization – together with guiding principles,

guidelines, work programmes and tools adopted by the parties contain important

obligations and commitments to raising awareness and promoting civil society participation

to protecting the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities, and to promoting

gender equality, poverty eradication and development, including food security and

sustainable agriculture, biodiversity financing mechanisms and protected areas.

98. The Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 affirms that biological diversity

underpins ecosystem functioning and the provision of ecosystem services essential for

human well-being.

99. Numerous measures have been taken to ensure the full and effective participation of

indigenous peoples and local communities, in particular of women, such as the

establishment of a voluntary fund for participation in meetings, and enhanced participation

mechanisms. Parties are required to take measures to ensure that traditional knowledge

associated with genetic resources held by indigenous peoples and local communities, and

the genetic resources over which they have established rights, are only accessible with the

prior informed consent of indigenous and local communities, and that benefits arising from

their use are shared in a fair and equitable way with them. Specific voluntary guidelines

have been developed for the conduct of cultural, environmental and social impact

assessments of development proposed on, or which are likely to have an impact on, sacred

sites and lands and waters traditionally occupied or used by indigenous and local

communities.

100. Another example concerns the importance attached by the Convention and

subsequent instruments to the full participation of women at all levels of policymaking and

implementation, and in gender mainstreaming.

101. The Voluntary Guidelines on Safeguards in Biodiversity Financing Mechanisms

point to the need to address the potential impact of biodiversity financing mechanisms on

different elements of biodiversity, and their potential effect on the rights and livelihoods of

local and indigenous communities. Other guidelines on biodiversity financing and

safeguards proposed at the Conference of the Parties to the Convention emphasize the

emerging role of safeguards in biodiversity financing mechanisms in supporting equitable

biodiversity and ecosystem governance, including the participation of local populations and

the recognition of their rights.

102. One of the most challenging subjects in the implementation of the Convention

concerns the relationship between people and protected areas. Some standards have the

specific aim of preventing conflicts and providing for the equitable distribution of costs and

benefits by emphasizing diverse governance types of protected areas, and participatory

decision-making and management processes that incorporate and respond to the interests of

a broad range of stakeholders, particularly indigenous peoples and local communities.

IV. Conclusions

103. The contributions received by OHCHR reaffirmed that human rights and good

governance are interrelated and mutually reinforcing. They also reiterated that

transparent, responsible, accountable, open and participatory government, responsive

to the needs and aspirations of the people, is the foundation on which good governance

rests, and constitutes an indispensable condition for the realization of human rights.

104. The conceptual, policy and programmatic approaches described and the

numerous examples provided extend far beyond a narrow conception of governance

understood merely in terms of economic or administrative efficiency.

105. Human rights norms and principles provide a set of standards to guide

governing processes and assess performance outcomes. Good governance is necessary

for establishing and maintaining an environment conducive to the protection of

human rights.

106. Respondents consequently underscored the importance of a human rights-

based approach to good governance and to development cooperation in support of

governance, with a focus on the protection of the human rights of those most

vulnerable to violations, and on their participation.