Environment and Development A Human Rights Perspective

This article explores the contributions of human rights ideas and norms to the rise and content of the notion of inclusive development, with special emphasis on experiences with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and human rights-based approaches (HRBAs) to development and to environmental issues. The human rights-based approach aims to ensure that development programmes and projects are designed to improve human well-being. Within the UN system, the human rights-based approach to development has been defined by a common understanding between UN agencies, which makes human rights the guiding principles of “all development cooperation and programming in all sectors and in all phases of the programming process.”