From Innovation to Impact: Human Rights-Based Approaches for Transformative and Equitable SDG Delivery (Side Event of ECOSOC Operational Activities for Development Segment)

Good afternoon and a warm welcome to everyone joining us today for the side event. Under the title "From Innovation to Impact: Human Rights-Based Approaches for Transformative and Equitable SDG Delivery." My name is Karima El Khoury, and I will be your moderator today. I work at the Executive Office of the Secretary-General, heading the Sustainable Development Unit. It's a pleasure to see such a diverse group of participants today and such a prominent panel. Member States, colleagues from across the UN system, Resident Coordinators joining us here in person and online. I see friends there. National human rights institutions, civil society representatives, youth advocates, partners. Your presence really reflects the broad and shared commitment to the 2030 Agenda Sustainable Development and to human rights. I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to the Permanent Mission of Luxembourg and its for its co-sponsorship, leadership, and continued support in advancing this important work. Many thanks also to Ecuador for its strong engagement and leadership on these issues. And Luxembourg and Ecuador, as you probably know, were the lead co-sponsors of the Human Rights Council Resolution 61/28 on human rights and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. It's a landmark resolution that was adopted just on the 31st of March this year here, but it is at the heart of today's discussion. It is also very much a reaffirmation of the human rights and sustainable development interlinkages and how these two agendas and their respective values are intrinsically linked. Finally, I would like to acknowledge OHCHR, UNICEF, UNDP, UN Women, and the Development Coordination Office for convening this discussion on behalf of the broader UN Interagency Network on Human Rights, Leaving No One Behind, and Sustainable Development. I will not name all the agencies in the network, and it's a lot of acronyms for you for an early afternoon, so I will just thank all the membership for this effort. Why this discussion now? We are coming together at a critical moment for the United Nations and for the world. World in general and for global development in particular. The world is facing challenges of unprecedented complexity, and we see that complexity increasing every day. Conflict, rising inequalities, the climate crisis, debt distress, increasingly constrained fiscal space, shrinking civil space, all of which are slowing progress and putting pressure on our collective efforts to meet our deadline of 2023. 2030 and the SDGs. At the same time, we are in a period of important institutional renewal with ongoing reforms of the UN development system, and we are here attending on the margin of the operation— of the operation activity segment of ECOSOC, and we're also in the context of the UN80 initiative. We're turbocharging the implementation of the Pact for For the Future, another landmark commitment to advancing sustainable development, but also technology, innovation, peace and security, and many other commitments. Collectively, these frameworks call for a more comprehensive, more coherent, more effective, and more integrated multilateral response to the issues that we face. Human rights and sustainable development are fundamentally and mutually reinforcing, as I mentioned, A human rights-based approach helps ensure that development efforts are grounded in the real needs of people. They address persistent exclusion and discrimination, and they strengthen accountability at all levels. From my experience in the field as a former Resident Coordinator working in a complex context also, this is not just a conceptual link. This is something that is practiced, that is tested in real context, and it helps build trust, reinforce social cohesion, and ultimately deliver results that are more inclusive, durable, and sustainable over time. So in many ways, the question before us today is no longer whether human rights and development should be connected and how they are connected, but it's more about how to make that connection really work, how to make it more systematic, how to make it a— a reflex, a more at the more practical and impactful level, but also in the day-to-day work that we lead. Today's discussion is an opportunity to reflect on this, and it's also an opportunity to explore how human rights-based approaches can strengthen SDG implementation, and I would say vice versa, how SDG implementation strengthens human rights achievement, how we can improve coherence and integration across the UN development system, but also across all the partnerships that we carve out to advance the meaningful participation of everyone. We will look at these approaches, how they have brought us some very concrete impact, and I believe our colleagues from the field will report on that. We will look at innovative, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable solutions that push both agendas forward. So I'm very fortunate today. I'm surrounded by an eminent group of panelists from member states, from leaders in the UN system, and from partners in the national human rights institutions, civil society, global networks, and also youth advocates that we will hear from shortly. So let me start by giving the floor to Ambassador Olivier Mess. He's the Permanent Representative of Luxembourg to the United Nations. He brings extensive experience in multilateral diplomacy spanning human rights, development cooperation, international negotiations, including key UN processes on financing for development and migration. Luxembourg has been a constant and coherent and consistent principled advocates of human rights and multilateralism promoting human rights-based approaches and supporting the effective implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Together with Ecuador, as I mentioned, you've played a critical role in advancing a Human Rights Council resolution, not just one, that reinforced the integration of human rights equality and the pledge to leave no one behind. We're grateful for your support to this event and honored to welcome you. Excellency, you have the floor for about 4 minutes.

Merci beaucoup. Thank you very much, Madam Moderator, Madame Al-Khouri, and thank you to all who join us today for this event. Allow me to start by thanking the UN Interagency Network on Human Rights— I'll not say the acronyms— and other co-hosts, including my great colleague and friend, Ambassador Permanent Representative of Ecuador to the UN. I would like to thank you all for the great cooperation leading up to the event today. It has been a pleasure for us to co-organize this meeting with you. It is indeed the second time that Luxembourg is joining such an event in the margins of the operational activity segment of ECOSOC, and it is always a great honor for us. Madame Moderator, you already mentioned The link between human rights and sustainable development is not conceptual, it is very practical. Both are mutually reinforcing and in order to develop in a sustainable way that leaves no one behind, we need to tackle the root causes of inequalities and this can only be done through a human rights-based approach. Luxembourg firmly believes in this.— and this is exemplified also through our development cooperation activities and our multilateral engagements. Human rights are one of the cross-cutting priorities of our development cooperation. In practice, this means that human rights are mainstreamed throughout all our programs and partnerships with our partners in the developing world., and we are also proud to be among the UN member states that dedicate 1% of gross national income to official development assistance. Let me also mention, because we have many distinguished RCs and former RCs with us today, that we are a supporter of the Resident Coordinator System. Resident Coordinators are the most effective mechanism to deliver at scale, and they have a crucial position within the UN development system to mainstream human rights through cooperation frameworks and through their work with all the UN actors in the field. We have highlighted the importance of the nexus between human rights and development in the Human Rights Council resolution adopted last March in Geneva. The resolution entitled "Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development." We were very honored to be the penholders for this resolution together with our friends also from Ecuador. And this resolution, I would just highlight one aspect of it, is crucial in formalizing the important role that the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights plays in supporting Member States, but also the UN Development System, in including a human rights perspective in country programs and national action plans for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda. So this support is paramount, and we thank OHCHR for their meaningful contributions, and I'm glad that we are joined today also by Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, Ms. Claudia Fuentes Giulio, who just started her important work here as ASG in New York for OHCHR. I would also like, in conclusion, to take a moment to acknowledge the important work that the UN Development System is doing in the field, delivering not only on the SDGs, but also offering crucial policy advice to governments that wish to fulfill their human rights obligations. Consistency— consistently, sorry, streamlining a human rights-based approach throughout their programs and projects has a twofold effect. It gives governments who have the primary obligation to uphold human rights the means to effectively do their job, and it also gives the rights holders, the citizens, tools to claim their rights every day. And with these words, I thank you again, Madam Moderator.

Thank you very much, Ambassador, for your remarks and for abiding by the time limit. It's great, it's a good start. Let's see if we can do this throughout. I will not comment on the speakers. I think I'll just try to perhaps do a humble wrap-up at the end of of the session so that we don't waste time just listening to me trying to summarize very excellent, actually, interventions. Let me turn now to His Excellency Ambassador Andrés Montalva Sosa, the Permanent Representative of Ecuador to the United Nations. Ambassador Montalva Sosa brings extensive experience in multilateral cooperation, international governance, and development, with a strong focus on inclusive and equitable approaches. His engagement on international partnership frameworks brings valuable perspectives to today's discussion. So without further ado, and acknowledging your support, your collaboration, your partnership with Luxembourg in driving this effort, I'm very happy and honored to give you the floor, Your Excellency.

Thank you, Madam Moderator, and Thank you, Olivier. It's always a pleasure to work with you, and thank you for not using all the time and give it to me. I appreciate that. At the outset, I would like to thank the members of the UN Interagency Network on Human Rights Leaving No One Behind in Sustainable Development, as well as the other organizers for convening this important discussion. For Ecuador, the integration and mainstreaming of human rights into sustainable development efforts has long been a priority. Together with Denmark, Chile, and other partners, Ecuador helped lead the adoption of Human Rights Council Resolution 37/24 in 2018, which recognized for the first time that the implementation of the Agenda 2030 agenda and the promotion and protection of human rights are interrelated mutually reinforcing, as you mentioned in your opening remarks, Madam Moderator. This recognition has since been reaffirmed through subsequent Human Rights Council resolutions. Most recently, as, as mentioned, Resolution 61/28, adopted by consensus in March 2026 under the leadership of Luxembourg and Ecuador as co-penholders. As the current members of the Human Rights Council and vice president of its bureau, Ecuador is proud to continue promoting a strong message in support of multilateralism and of the coherence and complementarity between human rights and sustainable development. We also underscore the relevance of broader international commitments and processes, including the Pact for the Future, the Sevilla Consensus, the Doha Social Summit, the outcomes of the conferences of the parties of the Rio Convention, and the recent advisory opinion on the International Court of Justice. Today, progress towards Sustainable Development Goals remains uneven and in many areas out of track. Achieving the SDGs therefore requires integrated and rights-based approaches capable of addressing structural vulnerabilities while delivering tangible result for those furthest behind. Human rights-based approaches help strengthen transparent, inclusive, and accountable institutions, reduce inequalities, improve participation in access to services, and ensure that the population can participate in, contribute to, and benefit from sustainable development processes and outcomes. In this context, innovation must not be understood as an end in itself, but as a tool to deliver more equitable, inclusive, and right-consistent outcomes. As recognized in Human Rights Council Resolution 61/28, technical cooperation, capacity building, science, technology, and innovation can play an important role in supporting states to achieve the SDGs in a manner consistent with their obligation and the international human rights Law. However, we do not need innovation driven exclusively by profitability or technological advances alone. We need innovation that advances human dignity, environmental sustainability, and the protection of all human rights, including the right to development and the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment. Ecuador also welcomes the concept of a human rights economy promoted by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights as an important contribution to reducing inequalities, addressing structural barriers, and advancing sustainable and inclusive development. At the same time, stronger coordination across the United Nations system remains essential. The 2024 Quadriennial Comprehensive Policy Review reaffirmed the important role of the United Nations development system in supporting countries to integrate human rights, gender equality, and the principle of leaving no one behind into sustainable development efforts. In this connection, we confirm the work of the UN Interagency Network on Human Rights, Leaving No One Behind, and Sustainable Development under the Secretary-General's Call to Action for Human Rights for helping translate normative commitments into operational realities at country level through the support of the residence coordinators, UN country teams, and national institutions. Finally, Ecuador believes that advancing transformative and equitable SDG delivery will require stronger international cooperation, greater investment in sustainable development, and renewed collective action to combat inequalities against discrimination in all their forms. And I thank you.

Thank you very much. Thank you very much, Your Excellency. Thank you for this overview and also for the key messages on the need for consistency, coherence, and renewed action to advance both the human rights agenda and the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development. I'd like to move now to ASG Claudia Fuentes Julio. First, let me welcome you to the New York UN family, and I am inviting you to further frame our discussion with a scene-setting intervention. So, Ms. Claudia Fuentes Julio is coming to us as the new Assistant General for Human Rights based here in New York. She brings extensive experience in multilateral diplomacy and human rights leadership, including senior roles in the Human Rights Council and the International Labour Organization. We look forward to your perspective, you know, as you help us draw the scene and look at how the integration is not again just an ambition or aspiration but can become a reality. In how we do our, our job. Thank you.

Thank you so much, Karina, and good afternoon to each one of you, dear Excellencies, dear colleagues and friends. A special thanks to the UN Interagency Network for Human Rights, but in particular to the Ambassador of Luxembourg and Ecuador for organizing also this event, and because they are the pen holders of this very important resolutions in the Human Rights Council that I happened to follow very closely when I was ambassador there in Geneva as well. So let me start by saying that this is my first public engagement here in New York, so it will remain a very important one. So this is my first engagement as Assistant Secretary General for Human Rights. So for that reason, allow me to begin with a brief reflection on what it means to assume this responsibility at a moment of profound global uncertainty and increasing pressure on the multilateral system. It may seem a little ambitious, but as you will know and you will see me, I, I am an optimistic person by nature. So the reason why I took this role is because I believe Human rights are not peripheral to today's challenges but central to addressing them. I remain convinced that despite its imperfections, multilateral cooperation is our most powerful instrument for advanced peace, dignity, and sustainable development. It is this conviction that brings us together today. We understand more clearly that than ever what drives progress and what undermines it. Across regions, the evidence is consistent. Societies are stronger when people can participate in shaping the decisions that affect their lives. Inequalities are often the result of policy choices and threaten social cohesion and stability. Development loses legitimacy when it systematically exclude those it is meant to serve. They are not abstract insights. They are lived realities experienced across context and over time. The clear conclusion is that human rights are not separate from development, and I, I— you will see me emphasizing this very strongly probably over the years here. They are what give development concrete meaning, direction, and durability. Human rights are often described as tools or as a moral compass, but they are also instruments of accountability, guiding responsible, transparent, and inclusive governance. They ask a direct question: How can we ensure that people are not excluded, discriminated against, and denied access to basic services and opportunities? In this way, human rights make inequality and its root causes visible, and therefore actionable. They anchor institutions not only in efficiency but in accountability to people and for people, and they ensure that public trust is never assumed, it must be continuously earned. Human rights sharpen the choices that governments must make. In health, education, social protection, and environmental policy, human rights shift the focus from aggregate progress to progress for those farthest behind, examining who benefits, who is excluded, and why. They ensure that those most disadvantaged are not an afterthought, but rather at the center of our policymaking and debates. Dear friends and colleagues, this is why the 2030 Agenda and human rights cannot be treated as separate frameworks. They are interdependent and they stand or fall together. As we approach the 40th anniversary of the Declaration of the Right to Development, this interdependence takes on renewed importance. It reminds us that development is not only about outcomes, but ultimately about empowering everyone to participate in it, contribute to, and enjoy the benefits of development. The Human Rights Council reaffirmed this in its central renewal of the Resolution on Human Rights on the 2030 Agenda. Let me express once again that I warmly acknowledge the governments of Luxembourg and Ecuador for their leadership on this. The resolution is clear: sustainable development cannot be realized without grounding implementation in human rights. It emphasizes the urgency of bridging states' human rights obligations with social, economic, and environmental policy choices while recognizing OHCHR's vision of a human rights economy, placing people, participation, equality, and sustainability at the center of economic decision-making, not at its margins. If we are serious about this commitment, states must go farther in aligning implementation of the 2030 Agenda with their human rights obligations and related recommendations from international human rights mechanisms. This requires embedding a human rights-based approach in national development strategies, budgets, and policy choices so that human rights commitments are translated into decisions and that— and therefore they're impactful. The resolution also underscores the urgent need to reform the international financial architecture so that it is more equitable, inclusive, and responsive to today's challenges. Unsustainable debt burdens continue to constrain fiscal space and undermine the realization of human rights. Addressing the require— addressing this requires a rights-based approach to debt and fair, transparent global economic rules that support rather than hinder sustainable development and human rights for all. Dear friends, at the moment of compound crisis, Deeper and more consistent integration of human rights into the work of the United Nations is essential. The UNHCR reform process further advances the direction through the establishment of the newly established human rights group. It aims at strengthening system-wide coherence and coordination of human rights activities throughout the UN system, reduce fragmentation, and improve efficiency and impact across the system at all levels. The United Nations Development System has a central responsibility in this regard. The Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review requests the UN to support member states in implementing their human rights commitment to leave no one behind. UNHCR processes underway reinforce this direction, including through strengthening regional capacity. The UN Development System is determined to ensure that human rights including the right to development, shapes operational delivery across the system. The UN Interagency Network on Human Rights leaves no one behind, and Sustainable Development, bringing together 20 UN entities, is an example of this determination. It is strengthening coherence and support UN country teams and resident coordinators in translating commitment into actions. The Network's recent review of the integration of human rights, gender equality, and leave no one behind in common country analysis and cooperation frameworks points to progress on many fronts. Human rights analysis is more systematic today. Cooperation frameworks increasingly address the most pressing human rights issues. Gender equality is increasingly mainstreamed, and over half of cooperation frameworks integrate children's rights across outcome. At the same time, rights-based analysis is not systematically reflected in concrete practice. Recommendations from international human rights mechanisms too often fail to inform programming and prioritization. Critical issues including civic space, fundamental freedoms, racial discrimination, minority rights, and strengthening of national human rights institutions remain insufficiently reflected in UN programming. Distinguez le français, and with this I will finish because I think we are running out of time. The examples we will hear today show what closing the gap can look like in practice, and this is why this seminar today, or this reflection, is so important. We will look from disability inclusion to Indigenous peoples' participation in decisions on critical energy transition minerals, to environmental accountability, to how data and gender equality shapes policymaking. At OHCHR, we remain committed to supporting member states and UN partners in making this shift real. We have strengthened regional capacities and deepened system-wide collaboration to support implementation. But we must be clear: without sustained investment in the human rights pillar and the development system by member states—financial, institutional, and political—this agenda will not deliver at scale. I began by speaking of optimism, optimism, so let me finish with an optimistic note as well. Optimism is not passive expectation. It is the conviction that progress remains possible and the determination to act upon that conviction. When participation is meaningful, when institutions are accountable, and when human rights guide decision-making, Transformation is not only possible, but it's already on its way. Thank you.

Thank you very much, and congratulations on your first public speech here at the UN. We will remember it as an excellent scene-setting and reiteration of the values and principles that guide this work and will allow us to keep that discussion. I was here many, many years ago and I was in a room that was about an event about older persons' rights. At the time, I was managing population affairs. Someone that I unfortunately didn't get the name of said, "Well, the 2030 Agenda is basically a development agenda in a human rights Human Rights Framework. I think it's very, very true in the way we do things. We will hear from our colleagues, and I think it's also very important in the way it is presented to the countries that we serve and in which we try to advance human rights and sustainable development hand in hand. I think that distinction is does not make any sense in many cases. So it is one agenda. We are going to hear now, after these reflections, we are going to hear now from Rey. I believe we have a recorded intervention. Let me just very quickly introduce to you Rey, who is a youth disability rights advocate from the Philippines and is also a political science student at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines. He works with UNICEF on several youth-led initiatives to advance accessibility and inclusive governance, with a strong focus on the meaningful participation of children and youth. And this is at the very heart of the youth strategy of the United Nations as well. So it's really, you know, moving from tokenism to effective participation and meaningful engagement. He will speak from the perspective of rights holders, as we heard just earlier, of really balancing both the duty bearer and rights holders' responsibilities and rights and duties. So let me ask our colleagues to start the video. Thank you.

Good day, everyone, and mabuhay from the Philippines. UNICEF, our partners, fellow advocates, duty bearers, and especially to children and young people with disabilities joining this conversation today, thank you for creating this space and thank you for listening. My name is Rey, 22 years old, and I come from a rural community in the Philippines. But before I became involved in advocacy spaces and before I learned the language of disability human rights, participation, sustainable development, and inclusion. I first learned what it felt like to quietly adapt to spaces that were not always designed for people like me. And honestly, from my experience, intent to include was really the problem. Many people wanted to include us, many organizations invited us, many programs genuinely I really believe they were creating participation, but over time I realized something important: that being invited is not always the same as being heard, and that difference matters. And I think this is where conversation around meaningful participation becomes very important because oftentimes when people talk about inclusion they immediately think about physical accessibility such as ramps, captions, sign language interpretation, accessible venues, and these are very important. They are necessary, but meaningful participation goes deeper than access to a room. A child or a young person can physically enter into a space and still feel excluded I know that feeling. I know what it feels like to prepare your thoughts but hesitate because the environment does not feel enough safe to speak. I know what it feels like to wonder if people are listening to understand you or simply listening because consultation requires it. I know what it feels like when participation becomes symbolic instead of meaningful. And this is where I connect strongly with design thinking and human-centered approaches. One thing that stayed with me from a design thinking workshop was this idea: design thinking begins with empathy and understanding the needs of who you are designing for. That stayed with me because I realized that inclusive disability participation should begin the same way. Way, not from assumption, not from what institutions think that communities need, but from listening deeply to lived experience. And for me, this is where empathy becomes different from sympathy. Sympathy often says, "I feel bad that barriers exist," but empathy asks, "What does this experience actually feel like for for the person living it? What systems are making participation difficult? And what needs to change so people can participate with dignity? That difference matters because meaningful participation is not about feeling sorry for children and youth with disabilities. It is about recognizing us as people with perspectives, ideas, expertise, and leadership that are valuable and shaping sustainable development itself. And honestly, many young people with disabilities are already participating every day in schools, communities, and in organizations. But participation becomes meaningful when our perspective influences decision. Participation is not attendance. Participation is rights. So when we talk about participation, we are not talking about a favor. We are talking about right. We are talking about dignity. We are talking about justice. I've also seen encouraging examples where organizations and UN-supported initiatives genuinely strive to move participation beyond tokenism. Through UNICEF-supported spaces, youth consultations, and community discussions. Programs like the UNICEF Young Disability Leaders Program helped many young people, including myself, understand that participation is not something we earn by proving ourselves first. It is something we are already entitled to as rights holders. I also saw this project through Project Aruga at UNICEF country level. What made the project meaningful was that it created spaces where children and youth with disabilities could openly share their experience, reflect on barriers, and talk about what inclusion and participation actually feel like in everyday life. And when institutions truly listen to children and youth with disabilities, they begin asking different questions. Who is missing from the room? Who is who are present but silent because the environment is inaccessible, who participate once but never returns because the participation felt unsafe or exhausting. And for me, one of the biggest barriers that still exists is that many systems still involve children and youth with disabilities too late in the process. Sometimes, we are consulted after decisions are already drafted. Sometimes feedback is collected but never revisited. Sometimes participation becomes an event instead of an ongoing relationship. But consultation should not be the end. Accountability must follow. Please do not ask children and youth with disabilities to share our experiences only for reports. Please do not only invite us so programs can say they were inclusive. Inclusive. Come back to us after World Autism Day. Tell us what changed. Tell us what was learned. Tell us what still needs improvement because feedback is also part of respect. Because children and youth with disabilities are not waiting to become leaders someday. We already have voices. We already have ideas. We already have leadership. What we need are systems willing to trust those voices enough to share power, create belonging, and design sustainable development with us instead of for us. And for me, that is what meaningful participation truly looks like. And that all ends my presentation. Thank you very much.

Unfortunately, Ray is not with us, so we can't thank him directly, but perhaps he will be able to watch this recording and hear how articulate and honest and direct he's been to this audience. And hopefully, we will be able to match that level of honesty with also accountability, resolve, seriousness in addressing the issues of disability and also of youth and participation. So let me now turn to my friend and colleague, former colleague, and give the floor to Maria José. Can you hear us well?

Yes.

Okay, super. I think we can hear you also, and we do have these devices to just amplify the voice if we can't hear you very well. María José is the UN Resident Coordinator in Chile until very recently, or perhaps you're still there, moving soon to Colombia. She's come to the system with extensive experience in development coordination, humanitarian affairs, and peacebuilding. Across multiple contexts. And as you're transiting and reflecting probably on your experience in Chile, how is the UN in Chile supporting meaningful, or how have you supported that meaningful consultation and participation, perhaps with a focus on indigenous peoples and local communities, as I know that has been the focus of your work? Especially those affected by lithium mining. And perhaps if you can share some of the lessons drawn from that experience in advancing, you know, just and rights-based sustainable energy transition in a context like the one you worked on. Over to you.

Thank you so much, Karima. It's a pleasure really to see you there. And as you said, we were former colleagues when you were also part of this crowd of resident coordinators. Really thankful for the interventions of the PRs of Luxembourg and Ecuador for giving credit and the space to the Resident Coordinator System and the UN Country Teams in this conversation about human rights and impact in development. And very happy to say hi in her new role to our AESG for the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights, Claudia Fuentes, with whom I have the pleasure to work over her tenure in Geneva. And there are other colleagues in the panel, Habiba Osman, who I had the pleasure to work in Malawi. So it looks like they are a group of colleagues, former colleagues, and friends having this very important conversation. I can see also Arno Pedal from the Philippines, so it's great to see you, Arno. Thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to discuss with the ECOSOC on precisely how human rights are essential to development efforts. And I'm going to focus, as Karima mentioned, on exactly the rights of Indigenous people and critical minerals. But I really wanted to echo something that Ayesha Fuentes mentioned, and it is precisely how human rights are at the center of development, not, are not accessory to development. It is at the center of development. It's not an abstract principle, it's an operational framework and shapes how we design policies, how we deliver programs, and how we measure success. Three very quick examples, and then I'm going to zoom in into our issue of human rights, Indigenous issue, Indigenous rights, and and lithium. Our country team has been very, very forthcoming in supporting the government of Chile in fulfilling their obligations, particularly on the UPR. And, um, we tagged all the indicators of our progress report to how we were supporting or not the UPR recommendations in 2024. You can see that in our report of activities and that was technical work with a strong support from the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights and the entire country team. Second example is on disability. We just established a disability advisory committee to the country team. It's a new feature, and I think it's listening to dry— precisely giving a voice to impact and give space in programming of the country in Chile to people with disability. The third example is on data and how we have produced, uh, furthering the GEAP commitment, the Secretary-General and Gender CCA that provides the data for the new cooperation framework that we are just developing, specific data on gender gaps and opportunities that I'm convinced we are going to be using thoroughly in our planning process now. Human rights really help us to go from projects, fragmented interventions, and non-systematic responses to really tackling the root causes of inequality and strengthen accountability. I think this is key. It is key because it's the way in which we can support countries to really come together with their own communities, with their own different people, to really make sure that we are taking those farther behind and putting them leading the development process. They are agents of change. I think this is the transformation that happens when human rights is at the center of our planning process.. And for that, we really need to come together as country teams and using the capacities of the different actors in our teams. And I have to say very proudly that we have that in Chile. So we have a very strong office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights. We have a strong ILO office, therefore we have labor rights very close and central and lots of capacities by different agencies on environment and development. Which has helped us to come to respond positively to this request by the Ministry of Mining that I'm going to tell you about. So on this request, the Ministry of Mining wanted to help, the help of the UN, to support capacity building in the process of the National Lithium Strategy. In particular, this initiative that brought the expertise of the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights and ILO together, we really focus and center in strengthening the knowledge of Indigenous Peoples' rights in the consultation process, bringing international standards and including the elements of 1969 Convention of the ILO as well as the UN Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. And we did that together with the officials meaning civil servants that were in charge in the consultation processes and in dialogue with Indigenous communities, both at national and regional level. And let me strengthen that part of the regional level, because if we don't reach out to those areas, territories, and communities, we are never going to realize the leave no one behind paradigm. So these To combine this effort of the UN system that also counted with my involvement in the beginning of the request includes human rights expertise, technical labor standards, and also using the UN convening role to support a shared understanding across institutions. This is what UN support looks like in practice: demand-driven, interdisciplinary, and focused on strengthening the capacity to uphold human rights. Now, if you want to really look into how a meaningful consultation and participation of Indigenous Peoples and local communities impacts lithium mining, what are those lessons learned? Allow me to just share a few thoughts here. You know that Chile is one of the top runners in the global energy transition. It has a dominant position in the global lithium market, over 30% of global reserves. So it means a lot for the country and for the global community, I believe. Lithium is a strategic mineral for decarbonization, and global demand continues to grow rapidly. It is expected to increase 5-fold between 2024 to 2040. So, it is here to stay for a while. And the experience of lithium and the work that we did together with the Ministry of Mining reminds us of a fundamental truth that I think was underlined by our ASE on human rights: energy transition is not about technologies and markets, it's about people, rights, and justice. We need to put the two together. As such, the energy transition is not just sustainable unless it's grounded in human rights. I think this is one of the fundamental lessons that we have learned. Critical energy transition minerals presents undeniable opportunities, but also there are risks involved in this type of work, and I think the keyword here is responsible, responsible with climate action, economic diversification, decent work, and sustainable development. Can we do that as we look into countries expanding their, um, own economic matrix? There is something very essential to achieve this, um, is governance. We need to make sure that, um, the governance of these processes achieve results because reproducing patterns of exclusion, environmental degradation, and inequality is not going to give the communities that sustainable development aspiration, and it really can undermine any benefits that can come in the short run. Therefore, we absolutely advocate from this experience to understand that For Indigenous communities, land or territory is not a resource. It's also a source of life, identity, and cultural continuity. Therefore, when we are discussing energy transition, it's very important to absolutely take into account the rights-based approach to make sure that we are not just thinking about today, but we are also creating a prospect that can sustain in the future. In Chile, the UN system has supported spaces for dialogue. This is a super important role that we play in countries, in many countries around the world, but I would say that in particular the trust that the UN provides by opening a table and bringing different stakeholders grounded on the rights of Indigenous Peoples has been essential to meaningful consultations, participation, consistent with international standards. I have to say that our Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights—

Maria José, can I please ask you to wrap up?

Absolutely. Thank you. So, maybe a couple of gaps and 3 lessons. So, there is one element that is very important. One thing is the standards and the other thing is the implementation. So, I think this is something that we need to keep in mind when we are discussing these issues.. And the other element is how this agenda is not marginal but central to the development, sustainable development agenda. So, 3 lessons from Chile. First, participation is not optional, it's a right. And I think as a community we need to work together with the local and central government as well as with the communities to realize it. Second, policy coherence is not a technical element, but it requires political commitment across institutions and sectors. And third, integrated UN support is not just an administrative exercise, it's catalytic for more inclusive and sustainable development outcomes. So coordination, as discussed, is not only about bringing people together, it's about impact. And I think, I hope, this experience from Chile can illustrate that. Thank you very much.

Thank you so much, and I'm sorry for having to pressure you. We just have about 15 minutes and 3 speakers, and hopefully maybe a few minutes to just get a few thoughts from the room. So, I'm not going to speak any further. I'm just going to hand over very quickly to Arnaud. Mr. Arnaud Perral is the Resident Coordinator in the Philippines, bringing to us many decades of experience experience across sustainable development, democratic governance, gender equality, crisis prevention, and peacebuilding. He will share with us some reflections on advancing human rights-based approach to development at the country level. We've just heard a speaker from the Philippines. You know the context now in which Rey was speaking. Over to you for some additional thoughts. If you could make it in less than 4 minutes, that would be appreciated.

Thank you. Thank you so much. Good morning, good afternoon. I'm going to start this. Bonjour. Dear Karima, I will be brief. Ambassadors, great to be here. My dear colleagues from the Interagency Group, I will invite you for a quick trip to the Philippines after listening to this very inspiring speech from Rey, this young, young, amazing activist. And I would like to bring you to the south, to Mindanao, where, you know, there has been a conflict for decades that has cost so many lives, more than 100,000 dead and so much suffering. And there has been a peace agreement 10 years ago, and since then there's an interim government working there, and we hope to will have elections now in September. And in this region, we're trying to bring the whole of UN approach to the work of the local authority in coordination with the national authority. And for us, the human rights approach is the framework in which we operate and we function. Actually, it's part and it's It's written in our cooperation framework and it's there also in our work too. I will give you just two quick examples from BARMM, from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, two recent experiences where we brought the human rights lenses and approach. The first one is the approval last year of the Bangsamoro Labour and Employment Code. It was approved in 2025, supported by ILO and the whole UN system, and it's not just a new labour law, it's really a development instrument, a peace-building instrument, and a rights instrument. And it sets the standards for employment, workers' welfare, dispute resolution, and gave stronger mandatory to the Ministry of Labour and Employment on recruitment, on minimum wages, workplace safety, labour disputes, and so on and so forth. I mean, it's a very modern labour code that was approved for the first time in this region. And why does it matter? Because decent work is not only about job, it's about dignity, protection, social justice, trust in the institution, in a region emerging from decades of conflict, where labor rights are part of really, really building and sustaining peace. And so I will leave it there as a very strong and recent example of how we put human rights approach to sustainable peace. The second example, also in Barm, I thought was really interesting, but it's also really recent. For the first time, we have a landmark law that was supported by UNHCR, but the whole team, the Rights of Internally Displaced Persons Act in Barmes, so the IDP Law, as we called it. It was a landmark law, not only because it was approved by Barmes, in Barmes, but by the local government and Congress, but also because it's the first IDP law in Southeast Asia. So it's really an inspiring agreement. And it's very significant because displacement has been a recurring reality in the region, obviously caused by conflict, clan violence, disasters, climate-related shocks. And now the parliament described it as the first law in the Philippines specifically aimed at protecting the rights of internally displaced persons, and it's entered into force now. So again, the human rights-based approach is very concrete, and it means IDPs should not be only seen as beneficiaries of aid; they are rights holders, and they have the right to protection without discrimination, 'adéquate assistance', to information, to participation in decisions affecting them, and to durable solutions, whether return, local integration, resettlement. And this law creates a very strong basis for data, coordination, and accountability, so that displacement is just not managed as an emergency, but addressed as a development and governance challenge. So I just wanted to bring those two those two examples. Can I add another minute or not? Half a minute. I mean, I don't want to— I had some lessons learned, but maybe one key lesson learned for us is how powerful the human rights approach is when we connect it with our development agenda. And the SDGs and connected for all kinds of population, leaving no one behind. And in that case, with the labour code and the IDPs, we see how we can put it in action in creating the legal frameworks that will then help design more efficient public policies and have human rights really at the core of the development agenda. It's been a journey for us as country team with those lead agencies, but the whole country team reflecting how we can come together around those two pillar new laws and also inspiring also at national level where we still are working and advocating for a national IDP law, for instance. And there is no one in Bahr, but not yet. Approved at national level, so also showing how local work also can inspire national transformation with a human rights lens. I will leave it here. Thank you so much.

Thank you, Arnaud. Thank you, and really thank you for sharing these two very concrete examples of how not only the UN can come together to advocate in advance, but also how that has an effect that has particular weight in areas where we know it is about reconciliation, peacebuilding, and advancing what we also try to broker as a pathway to peace. So thank you for these inspiring examples as well. Let me now turn to Ms. Amina Bouaïech. She is the chairperson of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions and also the president of Morocco's National National Human Rights Council. She's a leading human rights advocate with extensive experience on issues including democratic governance, women's rights, migration, accountability, bringing to us today the perspective of a national human rights institution, but also your perspective as coordinator of many national human rights institutions across the world. The floor is yours, and if possible, a few minutes.

Thank you, Chair, Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen. It's a great pleasure to take part in this important exchange. Let me first share with your— with you a conviction widely held by national human rights institutions. First, it's we will not achieve the Sustainable Development Goals nor respond effectively to environmental and climate change if human rights continue to be ignored in development processes. These convictions have been built greatly through the experiences of human rights actors, including national human rights institutions. Since the adoption of The 2030 Agenda, GANRI and its regional network have mobilized to promote human rights-based approach to implement the SDGs. The Merida Declaration adopted in 2015 marked an important step by recognizing the essential role and the key role of national institutions in monitoring, evaluating and implementing sustainable development commitments. Since then, national institutions have broadened their field of interventions and developed new approaches to their work. Yet, this evolution was not self-evident. Environmental and climate issues remained are relatively new for many national institutions which had traditionally focused on fundamental freedoms. Today, national institutions are fully engaged in these emerging challenges which require new skills, new tools, and new forms of cooperation. The experience of Network of National Institutions Institution in the Americas in relation of the Escazú Agreement illustrates this dynamic very well. It highlights, among other priorities, the need to protect also environmental human rights defenders who remain particularly exposed in many regions. GENRI, ladies and gentlemen, has developed several spaces for peer-to-peer cooperation, helping institutions to share experiences and build common responses to challenges that extend beyond the national borders. The growing engagement of regional and national institutions, as well as their active participation Participation in the Conferences of the Parties on climate change reflects a collective awareness: human rights and environmental justice and sustainable development are inseparable and form parts of the same protection and promotion agenda. This evolution is often more difficult in, in context of crisis, instability, or conflict, where immediate security and governance imperatives tend to push environmental concern into the background. Innovation for the SDGs cannot be reduced to technological advance only. It also means imagine new forms of governance, citizen participation, public policy monitoring, and institutional cooperation. Allow me to highlight two major challenges facing the national institutions. First concerns equitable access to innovation and to the benefits it generated. Second, concern the ability to ensure that the innovation being implemented effectively strengthen the protection and enjoyment of human rights. Our environmental and climate challenge— challenges make these requirements even more urgent.— in these contexts that innovation tools take on their full importance. In this regard, I welcome the tripartite partnership between UNDP, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and GANRYU. This cooperation has unveiled several concrete initiatives, including the development of the toolkit, a methodological guide to support national institutions in monitoring the rights to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment. This tool represents an important step for the national institutions to strengthen their capacities and in data collection analysis public policy monitoring and identification of the most vulnerable populations. It also contributes to the better integration of human rights into national SDGs monitoring mechanisms. The growing engagement of national institutions in climate and environmental issues reflects a positive and the progressive dynamic. For Ghanai, innovation also lies in our collective ability to build strong partnership. Thus, our common challenge is to make innovation a true instrument, one that protects the most vulnerable, reduces inequalities, and strengthens environmental justice. Thank you.

I am on time? Yes, you are. You are perfectly on time. Thank you very much. And just sharing with the audience before I turn to the experience from Malawi, I arrived in Malaysia as the Resident Coordinator just as Malaysia was campaigning for the human rights Council membership, and they sponsored and co-sponsored the resolution on clean and healthy and sustainable environment. It was a breakthrough to see a country where fossil fuels still play a very important role in the economy also having that advocacy for healthy and clean environment. So, yeah, with that, I'm going to turn to Africa and to a representative of a national human rights institution in Malawi. And Habiba Osman, you're the Executive Secretary of the Human Rights Commission in Malawi, and you're bringing, you know, very, very diverse also experience to this discussion, and you will be telling us more about the Observatory Hub that provides data on sexual and gender-based violence, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and harmful practices. I know that you've been part of the Spotlight initiative, and we know you also from that perspective as well. Just again, if you can tell us more about how can the UN integrated approach advance and support with some of the challenges challenges that were highlighted in terms of readiness, capacity, innovation in national human rights institutions and how those needs could be addressed. Over to you. A few minutes.

Thank you, Madam Moderator. I hope I can do justice to this, but just to also acknowledge all the excellencies that have spoken before me, and especially Madam Maria Torres, who was actually at the helm of the Spotlight Initiative when we started in Malawi. Some years ago. And just to frame the context from the global narrative, I'm glad that our chairperson from GANRYE has really highlighted the issue of innovation, and as well as the assistant general secretary that has mentioned the closing the gap in practice. Malawi is an example of that, and perhaps I would wish to state that Malawi has demonstrated how human rights evidence-based approaches can translate into concrete SDG results, and basically, especially for those furthest behind. With our hub that was developed, I would say that it's obviously flagship innovation, the Observatory Hub, and so far we've seen it has been able to capture, track, and analyze GBV cases in real time. Particularly the system has operated from the community district level to national level, ensuring that, you know, data of girls and women has been put into national decision-making. So it directly addresses the structural invisibility of violence and action across all levels for government. So, for example, the NHRI, we rely on that data to do our systemic violations— I mean, to do our systemic investigations of the violations that are coming out. So over 17,000 cases have been tracked and approximately 70% have reached prosecution and case completion, which is a great result. And it has also been operationalized from multiple districts, meaning that it's expanding and has got national replicability. Of course, there are challenges, as you rightfully point out, challenges to to do with data quality and sometimes institutional capacity, as well as the fact that when cases are tracked end-to-end, countries like Malawi, where internet is not free, that can be a challenge, particularly in terms of compiling and coordinating the data into the systems. So, capturing the data can be challenging. However, I would want to say that when we look at what has collected, this directly supports the elimination of violence against women and obviously addressing the issues of ending harmful cultural practices, so supporting SDG 5, 2, and 3. But then again, also, I think the HAB has helped us to integrate the data into development plans. So recently, the new administration that just came up in 2025 has announced that it would like to give money, transfer the money to the district assemblies through what is known as the Constituency Development Fund. So in this regard, it means there is also ownership by the national government to make sure that they are translating what is happening on the ground into national— national development plans. I would say that in terms of innovation, recognition, and replicability, The hub has also received recognition as a top digital development initiative for Malawi, which again puts us also on the global map, because it's designed to scale up the architecture, but also the national ownership, which is given to the National Statistics Office. And NHRI are able to access this data. This is not a pilot. It is a nationally owned system with global relevance., and the potential to be adapted by other member states for those that do not have it. And in closing, I would say that systems matter, so transformative change happens indeed when human rights principles are embedded into national systems, just as we've seen in Malawi, not just as standalone projects. But again, disaggregated data that is collected in real time can be one of the most powerful tools to have to advance accountability. Sustainability and equity, just as NHRI are well positioned to do that in the country. But also, I would also wish to add that sustained progress depends on integrated UN support. This would not have happened had it not been there was no UN support, particularly the support coming from UNDP, which has been very instrumental in systems building, but also in capacitating national human rights institutions. In that regard, they've shown leadership, and multi-sector— that multi-sector— multi-sector holder relationship and collaboration is very key. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much. Thank you for this very refreshing and also always inspiring when, you know, when you listen and hear something and you start already thinking, this is replicable, this this can work, this can be put at scale, because that's the only way for that impact to really go beyond the borders and impact other countries that are going through very similar situations. Time-wise, we're not doing very well, that's the news. It's 2:36, and I do know that everybody has other commitments, and the session will resume soon. I would like perhaps to just take two interventions, two thoughts of one minute each, just to give you justice again. And I'm sorry, I am practicing tokenism in terms of participation, but that's not who I am. I just want to make sure that I give a chance to the room to also give us just one or two reflections, and then I'll try to do a very, very quick wrap-up to this session. So let me open the floor and our colleague will try to just activate the mic. Okay. Yes. So we have one speaker here and one here. So we'll, we'll just do these two and then wrap up.

Yes. Thank you so much. And I'm representing here the European Union. So it was a very rich discussion. I enjoyed very much and I think we agreement almost everything that has been said. Welcome also, of course, to the new ASG. And I just want to raise also maybe a bit how important human rights for the EU are. I think everyone is aware we include them in our trade relations. We have preferences in different trade instruments where we kind of highlight human rights and include standards, including the standards on international labor rights, but we also include them in our programming, of course, and in the toolbox we have been reviewing several times and linking them in particular to the SDGs. And this is something that's quite important also from the donors' perspective and can, of course, also be challenges. I mean, when talking about challenges, what we have seen, for example, is that we We think about human rights very much in the design phase of the project, but of course we also have to follow up when projects are being implemented and when they are assessed. And this is maybe the point I want to add here. And thank you again very much. Thank you very much.

Thank you. And thanks to the EU for the consistent support also to our efforts on human rights. Let me turn to the colleague from Morocco.

Thank you very much, Moderator. I'm Khalid Ramli. I'm representing the Moroccan National Human Rights Council. I would like just briefly to share with you an important practice developed by African national human rights institutions which have been actively engaging with the COP process through sustained advocacy, calling for further integration of human rights to climate policies, particularly in the areas of adaptation and mitigation. This engagement is especially relevant in the African context, where climate change disproportionately affects vulnerable communities, exacerbates inequalities, threatens livelihoods, food security, and access to water, and increases the risks of displacement and social instability. We have been doing this through our working group on migration, which the Moroccan Agency presides, and we have been tackling issues, especially climate migration, among other things. And our advocacy has demonstrated how NHRIs can play a key role locally, regionally, and internationally, including through cooperation with UN agencies and other stakeholders. And of course, to do this, NHRIs need to be strengthened by states through the adoption of laws compliant with the Paris Principles and a provision of adequate resources. In addition to strong political will, this remains a sine qua non condition for NHRI to discharge impactful mandate for the promotion and protection of human rights. I thank you. Thank you very much.

Thank you for bringing the angles of the regional dimension and how Africa is advancing that, but also in getting closer to the global processes, in this case, climate. I'm going to try to do a very, very difficult job, but I'll just give you headlines of just a few takeaways, perhaps. We conclude this discussion, and I really, really thank the panelists and interventions that we've heard from colleagues and from the room. I apologize for the short time. And thank the organizers for still allowing us to have this opportunity to really exchange on this very important relationship between development and human rights. And also, perhaps something that we didn't hear, it is very difficult. It is not an easy job to try and integrate human rights in development work. And I think this is also the reality, and perhaps trying to find a balance between being too pushy and disruptive protecting that trust that we try to build, but also making sure that we are, at least from the side of the UN, that those rights are non-negotiable and that we need to make sure that those two converge and the mindset shift that is needed at government and other institutions needs to happen. Development without rights is fragile. It is not something that stands and withstands the shocks, and we We are seeing it in many, many, many places, too many places to really doubt that. Today, what we've heard is definitely embedding human rights in development, whether we're talking about indigenous communities in lithium mines or whether we're talking about the southern parts of Philippines or other parts of the world. Participation is not a box to tick. It is really an approach, and it is a right as well. So making sure that, you know, women, young people, persons with disabilities, Indigenous communities, and other marginalized groups, IDPs or other, are at the very core and are not just there because we need to take pictures with them, but are there because their rights matter. And we need to do everything possible to engage them and not make policies for them, but with them. Today's challenges—climate, fiscal pressures, gender equality, violence against women, critical minerals—they don't respect international institutional boundaries, and our responses should also be the same. We should make sure that institutions talk to each other, that we bring in that breadth of coordination, not because coordination is a nice word, but because coordination is effective. Coordination is really the right way to go, and it brings coherence, it brings consistency, it brings credibility, it brings trust, and it brings impact ultimately. This is what the UN reform is about. It's also about really strengthening that trust in multilateralism as the only way forward, but also as the values that we have in the Charter, they're not are again just words, but they're really the drivers of change that we want to see. So let me stop here. I know I didn't do justice to everything, but these were just some of my thoughts, you know, as someone who tried, you know, to, and who continues to try every day to really make sure that, you know, the UN values, but also universal values of human rights and dignity are what drives development and vice versa. So thank you all very much for being part of this conversation. Thank you for inviting me to moderate and to be part of this. And best of luck to everyone.