Human Rights and Sustainable Development

Sustainable human development expands choices for all people-women, men and children, current and future generations-while protecting the natural systems on which all life depends. Moving from a narrow, economy-centred approach to development, sustainable human development places people at the core Sustainable human development aims to eliminate poverty, promote human dignity and rights, and provide equitable opportunities for all through good governance, thereby promoting all human rights economic, social, cultural, civil and political. Human rights and sustainable human development are interdependent and mutually reinforcing. Development is unsustainable where the rule of law and equity do not exist; where ethnic, religious or sexual discrimination are rampant; where there are restrictions on free speech, free association and the media; or where large numbers of people live in abject and degrading poverty. Similarly, human rights are enhanced when gender equity or poverty reduction programmes empower people to become

The 1986 UN Declaration on the Right to Development states that development is a human right. A fundamental human freedom is the freedom from want. Poverty is a human rights violation, and freedom from poverty is an integral and inalienable human right.