WUNRN
Feminist Response and
Recommendations
Proposed Goals and Targets on
Sustainable Development for the Post 2015 Development Agenda
On June 2, 2014, the Open Working Group (OWG) on Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) released a zero draft of the first list
of Proposed SDGs to be attained by 2030. As negotiations over the final SDGs
move forward, the international community must take strong action to ensure a
human rights approach to development that builds on women’s realities and
strengthens women’s human rights.
To uphold human rights obligations and
realize the “transformational shifts” envisaged in current development
discussions, business as usual is no longer an option. The red line for policymaking
must be the realization of gender equality and human rights, rather than growth
and profit as ends in themselves. This means moving power away from corporate
interests and toward marginalized peoples, women and communities. It means
championing political action to overturn current discriminatory, oppressive and
violent social, political, and economic systems and develop, invest in, and
implement those that create an enabling environment for women’s rights,
equality, and sustainable peace. We reiterate the need for Member States to
develop goals, targets and indicators that lead to structural changes in relations
of power, consumption patterns, and the distribution of resources.
The zero draft document notes “poverty
eradication is the greatest global challenge facing the world today and an
indispensable requirement for sustainable development. We are therefore
committed to freeing humanity from poverty and hunger as a matter of urgency.”
However, many of the proposals fall short of creating a truly transformative
and enabling environment for women and girls around the globe who live in
poverty and experience structural inequalities that prevent them from realizing
their rights. It must tackle intersecting and structural drivers of inequalities, and multiple forms of discrimination based on gender,
age, class, caste,
race, ethnicity, sexual
orientation, gender identity
and abilities.
We appreciate and affirm the OWG’s prioritization of freedom, peace and
security, respect for all human rights, including the right to development, and
the rule of law. We also applaud the inclusion of land among productive
resources. Land has a foundational linkage to multiple dimensions of poverty
and is a structural factor in determining one's access to income, wealth, food,
housing, credit, basic services, power, and household and community level
decision-making. Although some of the targets especially mention
marginalized people, including persons with disabilities and indigenous
peoples, people who are discriminated against on the basis of sexual
orientation and gender identity are excluded.
We are concerned that the list of proposed
SDGs and targets only recognizes human
rights as a means to greater growth and not as intrinsically valuable. There
should be an open recognition that States must implement the new sustainable
development agenda within the context of the human rights framework by using
and building onto international
human rights and humanitarian law. Furthermore, all of the goals and targets
should reflect international human rights standards and include reference to
the rule of law through the principles of non-retrogression, progressive
realization, and common but differentiated responsibilities.
In addition, there is limited consideration
of the current macroeconomic model, which perpetuates poverty, inequality and
conflict, including the growing feminization and intergenerational transfer of
poverty. The proposed goals and targets also lack strong language on reforming
current neo-liberal policies of economic growth, privatization, de-regulation
and reduced government spending and its effects in fueling human rights
violations, particularly of women and girls. This draft is silent on the
linkages between existing human rights accountability mechanisms at the
regional and global levels and makes no reference to the extraterritorial
obligations of the private sector. The proposed
goals and targets also fail to go beyond the environmental dimension of the
applicability of common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR) within the
post-2015 development agenda.
A clear
framework that is specific, measurable, time-bound and attainable is a powerful
way to motivate action and mobilize resources. Although the proposal has goals
with national targets that increase country ownership, we would like to see the
development of a mechanism that ensures that the national targets are
sufficiently ambitious to ensure that countries are taking meaningful action. They should also
include provisions for gender-sensitive national budgets and the collection of
age and sex disaggregated data.
Proposed
goal 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere
Any poverty goal must uphold the human
rights obligation to ensure an existence of human dignity and address the
feminization of poverty. Use of the discredited World Bank poverty measurement
of 1.25 USD per day is not a measurement of living with dignity. It measures how many people are likely to soon die of malnutrition,
exposure, etc. On the other hand, the right secure to land and other
productive resources are a critical factor in ending poverty around the world.
It is important that targets and indicators reflect a range of rights that can
include the right to use, control, own, rent, lease, mortgage, exclude, inherit
and otherwise make decisions about land. To be effective, these rights need to
be recognized and protected, legally and in practice in a non-discriminatory
manner. Measuring the distribution of land and resources
and aiming for more equitable distribution amongst people, rather than
corporations, would be meaningful.
Proposed
goal 2: End hunger, achieve food security and adequate nutrition for all, and
promote sustainable agriculture
The global food economy has been both
gender-blind and male-biased in terms of undervaluing women’s roles in land
use, production, processing, distribution, market access, trade, investment,
price volatility, and food availability. Women are involved in all aspects of
production, processing and distribution, but are often not recognized in their
contributions. On average, 43% of agricultural laborers in developing countries
are women who are also the majority of food providers. Furthermore, women and girls comprise an
estimated 60% of the undernourished[1][1]
having adverse effects on universal access to education, including
comprehensive sexuality education, health services, including for sexual and
reproductive health and rights, and access to water and sanitation. In this
regard, we need to go beyond the notion of
food security and call for the achievement of food sovereignty, which questions
the current economic model and puts people who produce, distribute and consume
food, including women and smallholder farmers, pastoralists and fishers, at the
center of decision-making on food systems and policies rather than corporations
and market institutions. Trade
and investment policies should be aligned with existing human rights law
supporting the right to food and linked to women’s human rights to allow
governments the policy space to design and implement appropriate measures at
the national level supporting the right to food. Priority should also be given
to gender-responsive taxation and subsidies that support the infrastructure
needed for women to engage in sustainable production, transport produce, access
warehousing and other storage facilities, and receive a fair price for their
goods. Furthermore, a global coordination strategy should be developed on
reserves to enable better stabilization of global food prices and encourage
investments on in food reserves at the local and national levels, including
distribution mechanisms, infrastructure and storage, that respond to women’s
roles as producers and consumers. Secure land rights should also be called for
in the context of improving food security and moderating the impact of food
price volatility on women and their families.
Proposed
goal 3: Attain healthy life for all at all ages
The zero draft includes a target on ensuring
universal access to sexual and reproductive health for all, but has left out
the explicit mention of “right” which raises a concern. It should also be noted
“for all” should include women, adolescents and young people, those with
diverse sexual orientation and gender identities and other marginalized groups.
Sexuality is an
integral
aspect of being human, and as such, sexual rights are fundamental human rights.
Thus, there is an urgent need for the promotion of an enabling environment
wherein everyone may enjoy sexual rights as part of a development framework. We
are also concerned that addressing maternal morbidity is not included in the
targets, considering that for every woman who dies, another 20 face serious or
long-lasting consequences. Governments must eliminate laws and policies that
impose barriers to access to sexual and reproductive health services and
information. Ensuring gender equality and full realization of women’s human
rights also require repealing laws that punish women and girls for undergoing
illegal abortions, revising laws and policies to make safe abortion legal and
accessible.
Proposed
Goal 4: Provide equitable and inclusive quality education and life-long
learning opportunities for all.
Education has to be provided through the lens of
human rights, including principles of gender equality, non-discrimination,
tolerance and non-violence. Governments should provide safe spaces for girls to
learn. Universal
access to evidence-based, comprehensive sexuality education that is high
quality, non-judgmental and provided in various formal and informal settings.
Proposed goal 5: Attain gender
equality, empower women and girls everywhere
The
zero draft is correct to highlight the target of eliminating all forms of
violence against girls and women. However the links between gender-based
violence and impunity, militarization, military spending, and the prevalence of
small arms must be addressed if meaningful gains are to be made, particularly
in the context of prevention. Reducing and eliminating gender-based violence
against women’s human rights defenders is also critical.
The target on reducing and redistributing unpaid care work should be maintained
under a goal on gender equality. This is
to ensure that the extent of unpaid care work is fully recognized, and that the
amount of care work done by women is reduced by sharing it more fairly within
household and communities, and by greater provision of care services by
governments. Ensuring
gender equality and full realization of women’s human rights also requires the
decriminalization of sex work.
We
are also cognizant of the lack of critical inter-linkages in the majority of
the goals, specifically in terms of women and girls’ rights and gender equality
and question why the “Attain gender equality, empower women and
girls everywhere” is the only goal in the zero draft which lacks a timeframe.
Proposed goal 6:
Secure water and sanitation for all for a sustainable world
A country's overall
development strategy and use of macroeconomic policies directly and indirectly
affect demand for, investments in, and the realization of the rights to water
and sanitation services. Mindful of the ways in which water and sanitation
services are used within the overall economy, linked to the well-being of
communities and households, and connected to gendered roles and
responsibilities, it is necessary to facilitate assessments of the extent to
which contributions of agribusiness and industry are proportionate to their
water use; and establish benchmarks and indicators, using concepts such as
water poverty, to enable States to better identify those communities and
regions within which they need targeted interventions to fulfill their
obligations.
Proposed goal 7: Ensure access to
affordable, sustainable, and reliable modern energy services for all
An
enabling environment requires clear recognition of common but differentiated
responsibilities in addressing climate change impacts, mitigating causes, and
creating the conditions for long-term sustainable development.
Proposed goal 8: Promote strong, inclusive and sustainable economic growth and
decent work for all
In addition to income inequality,
addressing inequalities in wealth is critical for promoting strong, inclusive
and sustainable economies. In this regard, the proposed goals and targets
should enable the creation of a sound macroeconomic environment with strong
fiscal and monetary policies—using human rights as an ethical framework.
Promoting employment is not sufficient, the focus must be on realizing the
right to work, rights at work and the right to an adequate standard of living.
Employment cannot meet the needs of everyone throughout their lives: employment
policy must be complemented by provision of social security and social
protection in ways that are in compliance with the right to social security.
Macroeconomic policy should be formulated in order to enable inclusive and
sustainable economic growth and decent work for all. We recommend clear
regulations to ensure that economic interests are not allowed to override the
greater aim of promoting women’s rights and sustainable development.
Extraterritorial obligations as elaborated in the Maastricht Principles, should
be used as the foundation for facilitating good governance in the context of
inclusive and sustainable economic growth and decent work for all.
Proposed
goal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries
Economic globalization has resulted in
uneven development within and between countries manifesting in unequal
concentration of wealth, increasing poverty and inequality, and disparities in
gender dimensions. Inequalities between countries have served as a major driver
of inequalities globally and historically and need to be included as a
stand-alone goal among the SDGs within the principle of universality. This
principle of universality should bind both developed and developing countries
to undertake commitments across the goals based on their national
circumstances. This is critical in changing the current discourse towards key
structural issues and assigning due responsibilities to both developed and
developing states.
Proposed
Goal 11. Build inclusive, safe and sustainable cities and human settlements
Access to safe public space and services is
essential in building sustainable cities and human settlements and should
include safe schools where girls need not fear being sexually abused, safe
homes, and safe spaces where girls can grow to their full potential.
Proposed
goal
16: Achieve peaceful and inclusive
societies, rule of law, effective and capable institutions
We call for peace as well as gender to be
addressed as stand-alone goals and also mainstreamed throughout all other goals
with an emphasis on the principles of good governance and rule of law. Reducing
military spending, manufacture of arms and taking
active steps towards nuclear disarmament and diverting spending to social
services and protection of the commons are critical to addressing the
interlinkages between other goals. The link between gender inequality and
militarization should be recognized and addressed, and a holistic approach to
the women, peace and security agenda that addresses participation, prevention,
protection, and relief and recovery, including women’s participation in peace
processes be integrated into the proposed goals and targets.
Goal
17: Strengthen and enhance the means of implementation and global partnership
for sustainable development
A global regulatory framework set by
governments to protect people from the avarice of business is essential if
sustainable development is the ultimate goal, especially given that the only
priority of the private sector is its profit motive. Extraterritorial
obligations, as outlined in the Maastricht Principles, should serve as the
foundation for good governance in the context of the new global partnership. We
recommend clear regulations to ensure that economic interests are not allowed
to override the greater aim of respecting human rights and promoting
sustainable development. We call for a change in the current policies of
international institutions that serve to entrench inequalities through
neoliberal reforms that leave countries struggling to meet their sustainable
development objectives as well as the establishment of a review mechanism of
international financial institutions, private sector entities and transnational
corporations by human rights mechanisms such as the Universal Periodic
Review, CEDAW and its Optional Protocol, and other human rights instruments.
More specifically, under the means of
implementation of the gender equality goal, we call for ensuring effective
financing for gender equality, which move away from fragmented, short-term funding
to longer term partnerships that are predictable and flexible, and provide
multiyear support. Furthermore, as global ICT networks, especially the
Internet, have become a major space for economic, social, cultural and
political development and distribution, promoting democratic mechanisms for
governance of these networks as an equal playing field, and for equitably
promoting the interests of less developed regions and countries, as well as
marginalized communities is of utmost importance. The availability of open data
of a public nature that works for women's citizenship and claims and the
establishments of safeguards against surveillance strategies which pose
security risks to human rights defenders, especially women are needed.