Advancing Sustainable Development through Human Rights: How reimagining foreign policy creates a new approach to the global political agenda and SDGs

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I share research insights from a project I conducted with the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Libya, playing a key role in rebuilding the post-conflict society of Libya. I share my perspective on how foreign policy and public diplomacy are central to sustainability.

Foreign Policy Relevance to SDGs: the Foundation for Human Rights

Human rights create conditions essential to the advancement of sustainable development. The United Nations’ 2030 Agenda recognizes that inclusive and participative economies and societies for which the government is accountable, achieving better outcomes for all people while leaving no one behind. The Declaration on the Right to Development emphasizes the right of all individuals and peoples to free, active, and meaningful participation. And the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) set out the duty of States and private companies to ensure that business activities do not abuse people’s rights.

Fundamental among the human rights available to people worldwide includes the right to enjoy a clean and safe environment that developing countries can achieve by adopting sustainable measures. The aspects of human rights in sustainability are related to governments and corporations ensuring that the measures adopted will promote the enjoyment of an individual’s economic, social, cultural, and political rights. On the other hand, tenets of the SDGs, for example, reducing poverty and promoting gender equality, serve to guarantee that individuals can access resources to advance social progress and equality.

Despite this, economic policies in many countries have curtailed social protection and concentrated wealth and political power in fewer and fewer hands. Unsustainable, wasteful growth patterns increase environmental degradation and accelerate climate change, generating effects that harm health, access to water and sanitation, food, housing, and land rights, and endanger life. The poorest, who contribute least to climate change, pay the highest price.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are unprecedented in their scope and ambition for human progress. By diminishing grievances that fuel conflict, progress on the SDGs can be a critical lever to build and sustain peace and stability worldwide. The transformative change they aim to produce can also affect geopolitical dynamics, balances of power, and interdependencies. Thus, progress on the SDGs has significant implications for foreign policy. Despite these critical stakes, the foreign policy dimensions of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda have not been sufficiently broached by foreign ministries to date.

This agenda resonates with fundamental foreign policy objectives such as improving international security, stability, and prosperity. Simply put, because not achieving the SDGs implies severe risks for these priorities, foreign policymakers have high stakes in the SDGs’ outcomes. With the constant shift in international power relations and dependencies in mind, foreign policy must anticipate and help steer the geopolitical implications of a sustainable transformation to minimize the risk of human rights infringements. More than ever, it is time for governments worldwide, especially those of vulnerable nations, to re-appraise their public diplomacy strategies to become more intersectional with cross-cutting political issues, such as human rights, and to re-align foreign policy objectives of conflict prevention and stabilization, with the Sustainable Development Goals.

Implementing the “S” in ESG: Human Rights’ due diligence in Environmental, Social, and Governance Sustainability

Implementing the SDGs will inevitably transform what natural resources are needed, how they will be procured, and how these questions are governed, redrawing the global map of political influence. The foreign policy ensures these changes do not create new threats to stability, or namely, human rights. As such, remodeling the SDGs into being a necessary investment in crisis prevention proves to be critical in unlocking proper governance models for reducing humanitarian issues.

By definition, sustainability is the act of meeting our needs while ensuring that future generation’s ability to meet their needs is not compromised. It is pertinent to note that while there are different definitions of sustainability, the effects brought about because of environmental and social problems facing nations around the world have paved the way to a consensus on the usage of the term. Currently, it is used to refer to the processes that human beings employ to ensure that not only are natural resources depleted, but their utility is not in a manner that sustains balance to allow the continuous enjoyment of quality life.

Sustainability relies on three foundational pillars: the economy, society, and environment. The scope of the pillars is moot among the ranks of state and international actors. However, the effect has been a requirement for corporations to redesign their businesses and the economy. Therefore, there is a need to highlight the impending risks that could arise in failing to follow these aspects for corporations to achieve sustainability. Indeed, following years of long-term damages resulting from the governments and corporations focusing on short-term profits, the public has turned the issue of sustainability into a mainstream concept. Subject to this, there arises a risk of irreparable damage to profits and reputation for corporations that do not align their operations to sustainability.

On the other hand, Sustainable Development Goals are the blueprint used to achieve a sustainable future for all. Countries can measure the success of these goals through the 5Ps, which are the foundational aspects of the SDGs, including People, Plan, Prosperity, Peace, and Partnerships. Notably, SDGs are related to sustainability since the SDGs serve as a call to every state, regardless of the level of development, to initiate plans that will ensure the prosperity of people in today’s world and the future. Subsequently, countries worldwide have rolled out plans to end poverty, limit inequality in health and education, and push for economic growth, which, when coupled with efforts to combat climate change, promise the ability to sustain current resources to serve the needs of the future generations.

Whether sustainability is possible in developing countries has been a subject of debate mainly because elements such as poverty and unplanned urbanization pose a risk to sustainable development. These impediments to sustainable development in developing countries include instability due to civil wars or international conflict and whether implementation will factor in programs related to the local context. Additionally, due to the lack of political consensus in a number of these countries, there is also a lack of political will among the people in power to push the proposed development programs into sustainable long-term practices. However, the need to ensure sustainable development is imperative considering that it borders the delivery of human rights.

Following the adoption of the SDGs, the international community evidenced a new commitment towards ensuring sustainable development. The motivation behind this was that the global consensus on a set of SDGs was a sign of a tremendous diplomatic achievement considering that diplomacy has been an Achilles heel when seeking sustainable growth. This challenge is a result of incessantly changing diplomatic processes, which impede connection between relevant actors and states. However, countries such as the United States can use numerous interventions to address the diplomatic issues impeding sustainability growth in a developing country such as Libya. These issues include civil war and the continuous disregard for human rights by both the government of Libya and the rebel group.

International Cooperation in Third World Countries and Their Relationship with Sustainability/Human Rights: Libya Case Study

Achieving sustainability in countries affected by conflict and extremism demands livelihood security and strengthened governance: core dimensions of sustainable development. Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA) has been in constant war with a rebel group, Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF) based in eastern Libya. The conflict has exacerbated an already worse situation by further limiting the access to essentials such as health and electricity due to an increased destroying of vital infrastructure. Furthermore, armed groups in Libya have persistently abducted people based on their actual or perceived political or religious affiliation.

The government of Libya limits the freedom of speech through the actions of the police. For example, police have used heavy weapons and live-fire to disperse street protests against corruption and poor living conditions. This limits international cooperation as well as the action of international actors in advancing sustainable growth in Libya. This impasse makes it difficult for individuals to achieve specific SDG goals such as poverty eradication, education, and reduction of inequality in such a country. The state of war places certain groups at risk, including women, children, migrants, and refugees who face challenges such as torture, sexual abuse, and murder in addition to limited access to health and basic essential services. The conflict in Libya, therefore, necessitates the need for solutions to adopt a design that advances diplomacy efforts.

Proposed Solutions from World’s First Youth-Led and Government-Backed Policy Innovation Lab in Africa: CollatEd Lab

CollatEd, a global research NGO operating in over 100 countries, conducted policy research in developing nations, one being Libya, through multi-paradigm quantitative research methods, with ministers and partners across the world, including the United Nations. The objective of the research was 1) to determine the appropriate policy solutions for Libya concerning effective human rights policies 2) to identify key political steps in accelerating the UN global sustainability agenda by providing a better understanding of the foreign policy implications of the SDGs to inform each nation’s respective diplomatic strategy. One of the key solutions identified is that the government of Libya should take necessary steps to define human rights based on national interest and the representation of the people.

The infringement of human rights through violence against women and girls, ill-treatment of detainees through torture, mock executions, sexual violence, and limitation of the freedom of expression highlights the areas where human rights could be applicable. Hence, to achieve the aspects of diplomacy necessary for sustainable growth, it is imperative that the proposed definition of human rights perfectly addresses the issues in the local Libyan context. Furthermore, it was included to support the prevention of conflict, violence, and insecurity, central to improving the state of human rights, public health approaches, including sexual and reproductive health policies, comply with international human rights standards and provide non-discriminatory access, especially to children, adolescents, women, and migrants.

Secondly, International actors should enter into discussions with the Libyan government and the rebels, for example. The extent of international interference should rely on the ill-treatment of refugees, detainees, asylum seekers, and contravention of international customary law. The position of these laws is that if the actions of a state have contravened any law from which no derogation is permitted. Such laws referred to as jus cogens include the prohibition against torture and other inhumane treatment. Several activists have been tortured to death by armed groups affiliated with the LAAF.

International interference is necessary considering that having governments that respect and uphold human rights for their citizens is less likely to threaten international peace and security. Therefore, the responsibility of delivering human rights and sustainability efforts in Libya is dependent on action by international organizations and state actors. Ultimately, State authorities should adopt and implement laws, policies, and strategies on land and housing that increasingly comply with human rights. This includes assisting accountability mechanisms to address forced evictions, homelessness, displacement, land grabs, and other violations of housing, land, and related rights such as food, water, and sanitation; strengthen partnerships to increase awareness of the right to housing and land rights; and develop practical approaches to implement the SDG commitment to ‘leave no one behind’ concerning housing, land and related human rights. In short, governance is the DNA of the 2030 Agenda and needs to be prioritized both for government and non-government actors of the SDGs to see a positive difference in the current state of human rights.

Equally important, there should be a negotiation for a united political will. Currently, there are sectors under government control and others under LAAF control. As identified, one of the main reasons behind governments failing to deliver sustainability is the lack of political collaboration to adopt measures and push for their success. 13 As such, peace negotiation treaties can be constituted to ensure that both the “rebels” and the government are on the same page concerning the mutually beneficial impact of government capacity building: optimizing sustainable development through the promotion of human rights and its effect on ESG sustainability.

Lastly, to further any solutions suggested above, it was concluded, throughout the project, that national and multinational institutions, assisted by communities, systematically collect, disaggregate and use data relevant for advancing human rights when they monitor and implement each of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Bibliography

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Cohen, Roberta. “Integrating Human Rights in US Foreign Policy: The History, the Challenges, and the Criteria for an Effective Policy.” Brookings, April 9 (2008).

Hendricks, Cheryl, and Annie Chikwanha. “The role of the United Nations in the search for peace in Libya since 2011.” (2019).

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Leal Filho, Walter, Shiv K. Tripathi, J. B. S. O. D. Andrade Guerra, Ricard Giné-Garriga, V. Orlovic Lovren, and J. Willats. “Using the sustainable development goals towards a better understanding of sustainability challenges.” International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology 26, no. 2 (2019): 179-190.

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Purvis, Ben, Yong Mao, and Darren Robinson. “Three pillars of sustainability: in search of conceptual origins.” Sustainability Science 14, no. 3 (2019): 681-695.

“THE 17 GOALS | Sustainable Development.” United Nations. United Nations. Accessed June 24, 2021. https://sdgs.un.org/goals.

“Take Action for the Sustainable Development Goals – United Nations Sustainable Development.” United Nations. United Nations. Accessed June 24, 2021.

https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/.

Leal Filho, Walter, Shiv K. Tripathi, J. B. S. O. D. Andrade Guerra, Ricard Giné-Garriga, V. Orlovic Lovren, and J. Willats. “Using the sustainable development goals towards a better understanding of sustainability challenges.” International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology 26, no. 2 (2019): 179-190.

Author Biography:

Sara Ketabi has worked as a foreign policy advisor for 3+ years with the H.E. President of Rwanda and consults in international development policy for the UNDP.