Human Rights Watch is an international nongovernmental organization dedicated to the promotion and protection of human rights around the world. Human Rights Watch investigates and exposes human rights violations in over 100 countries, while advocating for economic justice, the right to a healthy environment, and other fundamental rights. The organization stands with victims and activists to prevent discrimination, upholds political freedom, protects those subject to unlawful conduct during wartime, and helps bring offenders to justice.
Human Rights Watch calls on United Nations member states negotiating the Pact for the Future (the “Pact”) to adopt actionable commitments with concrete steps for governments to confront existential crises, such as widespread violations of international humanitarian law, climate change, global inequality, and democratic backsliding. The Pact offers a once-in-generation opportunity to reaffirm and strengthen the UN’s commitment to human rights.
While the draft Pact for the Future has some strong language on human rights, there are areas where it should be strengthened.
Unfortunately, the initial formal discussions on the Pact excluded civil society, meaning that the drafters were not able to draw on all the expertise of human rights groups and other organizations. In an attempt to rectify this, we are offering some of our priority recommendations as you continue to negotiate on the Pact for the Future.
Sustainable development and financing for development (1)
Present a holistic vision of human rights that encompasses a human rights economy and strengthens global commitments to all human rights
The Pact should offer a holistic vision that gives equal weight to all human rights, and that addresses global structural impediments to the full realization of economic, social, and cultural rights, including the right to development.
Human Rights Watch proposes explicitly mentioning the concept of a “human rights economy,” a broadly supported framework developed by a wide range of human rights experts, particularly in the Global South, and embraced in recent years by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, among others. Its main pillars include reforming international tax cooperation, debt mechanisms, and international financial institutions to align with human rights, and enable adequate spending on rights including to education, health care, and social security.
Governments should also resist attempts to use the Pact to dilute or undermine human rights obligations and reject any suggestions that human rights should be secondary to economic development.
As such, Human Rights Watch recommends the following revision:
An explicit reference to a human rights economy, added in Action 5.7 (b)
- 7 (b) “Ensure that economies and the international financial architecture are aligned with
allhuman rightsare at the centre of our effortsto eradicate poverty, combat inequalities, leave no one behind and implement the 2030 Agenda.”
Additional strengthened language:
- “Support the development of frameworks such as the call for a human rights economy to enable the full realization of economic, social, and cultural rights, as well as the right to development and guide efforts to eradicate poverty, combat inequalities, leave no one behind, and implement the 2030 Agenda.”
Avoid any false implication that human rights are subject to development or other conditions by aligning paragraph 2 with the language on paragraph 7:
- We cannot guarantee
the human rights of all withoutsustainable development and a thriving planet without addressing the global structural impediments to the full realization of economic, social, and cultural rights and the rights to development and to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment.
End Abuses Against People with Disabilities
Worldwide, more than one billion individuals have a disability. In many countries, people with disabilities face countless abuses: they are denied the chance to go to school, languish for years in institutions, are subjected to horrific violence, or chained in their own homes - simply because they have a disability. This is often because of entrenched stigma, archaic laws, and a lack of community-based services essential to ensuring their rights, as laid out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. UN Member States should use the Pact for the Future to remind governments of their obligation to uphold and protect the human rights of everyone who has a disability.
As such, Human Rights Watch recommends adding the following under Action 5:
- “Calls on UN Member States to uphold the human rights of people with disabilities and ban all abusive treatment of them, including chaining and other inhumane practices, in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.”
Adopt a Treaty on the Rights of Older People
Recently the UN Open-ended Working Group on Ageing decided by consensus that the international human rights system does not fully protect older people’s rights and recommended a new human rights treaty to help correct this. The goal of such a treaty is to address protection gaps for older people in international human rights law. One such gap is that no international human rights treaty explicitly prohibits violence, abuse, torture and ill-treatment, and neglect toward older people. Actions or treatment deemed unacceptable or even unlawful for younger people might be treated as acceptable for older people. In the absence of international standards providing clear guidance, states’ domestic laws often fail to adequately protect older people from mistreatment.
As such, Human Rights Watch recommends adding the following under Action 5:
- “We urge UN Member States to expeditiously agree to a treaty aimed at guaranteeing and protecting the human rights of older people in line with the recommendation of the UN Open-ended Working Group on Ageing.”
Protect LGBT Rights
UN Member States should strive to uphold and protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender peoples' rights. UN Member States should demand an end to abuses based on sexual orientation and gender identity worldwide, including torture, killings and executions, arbitrary arrests under discriminatory laws, unequal treatment, censorship, medical abuses, discrimination in healthcare and jobs and housing, domestic violence, abuses against children, and denial of family rights and recognition. Those who commit such abuses should be held accountable. The draft Pact for the Future neglects the issue of LGBT people's rights. Member states should rectify this in the next revision.
As such, Human Rights Watch recommends adding the following under Action 5 or 6:
- “We urge UN Member States to commit to uphold and protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender peoples' rights and demand an end to abuses based on sexual orientation and gender identity worldwide.”
Explicitly Endorse the Right to a Healthy Environment
Burning fossil fuels is the primary driver of the climate crisis, accounting for over 80 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions. All stages of their use can be linked to severe human rights harm. There is growing consensus among experts, including from the International Energy Agency and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, that for governments to meet global targets, there cannot be new oil, gas or coal projects. However, governments have yet to settle on a plan to phase out fossil fuels through a just transition, or on how that transition will be financed.
The revised version of the Pact makes no mention of fossil fuels, unlike the Zero Draft, which recognized the need to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels. Governments should ensure that the Pact reaffirms the centrality of human rights in confronting the climate crisis and explicitly endorses the right to a healthy environment, while emphasizing the need for phasing out fossil fuels through a just transition that is consistent with human rights.
Governments’ financial support for the production and use of fossil fuels, including through subsidies, represents a key obstacle to achieving the emissions reductions urgently needed to address the climate crisis. Subsidies artificially reduce the costs of fossil fuel production and use, driving continued fossil fuel dependence at a time when governments should be rapidly transitioning away from fossil fuels toward clean, renewable energy. By continuing to subsidize fossil fuels, governments are undermining their ability to uphold this obligation.
As such, Human Rights Watch recommends the following revisions under Action 8:
The inclusion of a specific reference to the obligation to respect, protect and fulfill the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, with the following language added to Action 8:
- “We commit to realize the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment as recognized by the United Nations General Assembly in resolution 76/300, and we recognize that it is essential for the full and effective enjoyment of all human rights.”
Reinserting language from the Zero Draft on phasing-out fossil fuels through a just transition:
- “We recognize the need for deep, rapid and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in line with 1.5° C pathways and call on Parties to contribute to the global effort including through accelerating the transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner, accelerating action in this critical decade, so as to achieve net zero by 2050 in keeping with the science.”
- “We commit to setting a deadline for eliminating fossil fuel subsidies, helping achieve transformation while supporting a sustainable, inclusive and equitable pathway to economic growth.”
International Peace and Security (2)
Adopt a Convention on Crimes Against Humanity
UN member states have been discussing a draft for a treaty aimed at preventing and punishing crimes against humanity. While there are separate treaties to prevent and punish genocide, war crimes, torture, apartheid, and enforced disappearances, there is no comparable treaty for crimes against humanity. This gap has meant a lack of domestic laws to prevent and punish these serious offenses through national courts, as well as widespread impunity for these crimes inflicted on civilians.
As such, Human Rights Watch recommends adding the following under Action 12:
- “We urge UN Member States to expeditiously begin negotiations on a treaty aimed at preventing and punishing crimes against humanity.”
Keep Commitment to Adopt Treaty Prohibiting Autonomous Weapons Systems
Human Rights Watch is a co-founder of the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, a coalition of over 270 nongovernmental organizations in 70 countries that advocates negotiating and adopting an international treaty to prohibit and restrict autonomous weapons systems.
Autonomous weapons systems raise numerous serious ethical, moral, legal, accountability, and security challenges and concerns. Human Rights Watch supports the Pact’s call for a legally binding instrument to prohibit and regulate autonomous weapons systems, and stresses the importance of the proposed language in Action 23(b):
- Conclude by 2026 a legally binding instrument to prohibit autonomous weapons systems that select targets and apply force without human control, and to regulate all other types of autonomous weapons systems to ensure their compliance with international humanitarian law.
As such, Human Rights Watch recommends the following:
Human Rights Watch urges states to keep this clear and strong call for a legally binding instrument on autonomous weapons systems and avoid any attempts to dilute or remove it.
Youth and Future Generations (4)
For millions of children around the world, the cost of schooling remains one of the most significant barriers to education, particularly at the pre-primary and secondary level. Approximately 85 percent of children worldwide complete primary school; but fewer than half complete secondary school or have access to pre-primary education.
Education underpins the realization of other children’s rights, including their right to health, to an adequate standard of living, and protection from abuse and harm.
Human Rights Watch notes that the Zero Draft had strong language in paragraph 106 with a significant reference to “universal” education: “We recognize that generating decent work and quality employment for young persons is one of the biggest challenges that needs to be tackled. We therefore emphasize that investment in universal, accessible, quality and inclusive education, at all levels, and professional training, both formal and non-formal, is the most important investment that States can make to ensure the immediate and long-term development of youth.” The reference to “universal” education was particularly important.
Unfortunately, point 42 of the revised Pact now includes much weaker language: “We stress the importance of investing in essential social services for young people, especially health, education and social protection.” Action 32 (point 42).
As such, Human Rights Watch recommends the following revision:
Reinserting and strengthen language from the Zero draft under Action 32, point 42:
- “We emphasize that universal, quality and inclusive free education for all children, and professional training, both formal and non-formal, is the most important investment that States can make to ensure the immediate and long-term development of youth.”
Strengthen the current language in 42(c):
(c) Ensure universal, quality, and inclusive free education, from pre-primary through secondary school, for all children and build Build education systems and life-long learning societies that are tailored to the needs of young people today and in the future by enhancing curricula, harnessing digital technologies and improving access to technical and vocational training for the digital and green transitions.
Transforming global governance (5)
Aligning International Financial Architecture with Human Rights
The Pact should also call for aligning the international financial architecture with human rights and urge governments to improve international cooperation to scale up governments’ resources for the realization of economic, social and cultural rights. In line with this, governments should seek greater international cooperation on tax issues, including supporting efforts to agree on a global tax treaty, combatting illicit financial flows, and reducing governments’ debt burdens.
International financial institutions and development banks, particularly the International Monetary Fund, profoundly impact governments’ economic policies with direct and indirect consequences for rights, include their ability to increase, or even maintain, social spending. The Pact should include language recognizing these risks, and commit governments to support, including through their role on executive boards, a shift to grounding international financial institutions’ (IFI) and multilateral development banks’ (MDB) operations in human rights. This should entail the equitable distribution of resources between and within countries to maximize available resources for the fulfillment of economic, social and cultural rights.
A positive change in the revised Pact is the strengthened language with respect to the UN tax convention, the consideration of a global minimum-level of taxation on high net-worth individuals (“global wealth tax”), a commitment to universal social protection, and the establishment of an independent high-level expert group to develop recommendations for moving beyond gross domestic product (GDP) as a measure of a healthy economy. However, we would like to suggest additional revisions.
As such, Human Rights Watch recommends the following revision under Action 46:
- Add “aligns with human rights” to the action item so that it reads: “We will reform the international financial architecture so that it aligns with human rights, shields countries equitably during systemic shocks and makes the financial system more stable.”
- Restore and strengthen language on impact reporting that was in the Zero Draft but not in the Revision by adding the following to Action 46:
- “We call upon the banks to conduct and publish impact reporting on human rights and the Sustainable Development Goals throughout their operations, disaggregating impacts on women and economically marginalized groups, and to build internal incentives tied to maximizing achievement of both.”
- “We call upon international financial institutions to incorporate human rights standards, including internationally recommended benchmarks on social spending, across their operations.”
Protecting free speech and expanding civic space
UN member states should commit to protecting free speech – online and offline – and protecting human rights defenders. Many governments are trying to silence and criminalize advocacy for human rights. The Pact should include a commitment by governments to protect human rights defenders, environmental activists, journalists, and civil society organizations, and all those who publicly expose the failures of authorities to live up to their responsibilities and obligations.
Related to the discussions on human rights, the Pact should call for expanding civil society access to the UN and ensuring that the UN keeps a door open to human rights and civil society organizations by either reforming or shutting down the UN Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations. Some members of the NGO Committee have systematically blocked a range of human rights groups from securing UN accreditation for no legitimate reason.
As such, Human Rights Watch recommends including the following language in the Pact:
Under Action 51:
- “We call on the United Nations leadership and Member State governments to protect human rights defenders, environmental activists, journalists, civil society organizations, and all those who publicly expose the failures of authorities to live up to their responsibilities and obligations.”
- “We call for comprehensive reform of the UN Economic and Social Council’s process of granting UN consultative status to civil society organizations, including reforming or replacing the UN Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations.”
Ensure Full Funding for UN Human Rights Work
The Pact should also call on UN member states to pay their dues in full to the organization and strengthen penalties for failure to do so.
In February 2024, Human Rights Watch reported on the impact of the UN’s fiscal crisis and the importance of ensuring that the UN’s human rights teams and bodies have the funding and staff necessary to fulfill their mandates. That point was amplified in a joint civil society letter from the International Service for Human Rights, Human Rights Watch, and other organizations. It calls on all member states to pay their contributions in line with their legal obligations under the UN Charter (article 17, paragraph 2).
As such, Human Rights Watch recommends including the following language in the Pact in Action 42:
- “We call on Member States to pay their assessed contributions in full and without delay now and in the future, and immediately pay all assessed contributions owed in arrears to avoid negative impacts on UN humanitarian, human rights, development and other work.”
Support UN Security Council Reforms
Human Rights Watch has long called for permanent members of the UN Security Council to refrain from vetoing resolutions aimed at stopping mass atrocities. In recent years there has been an increase in the use of the veto by UN Security Council permanent members during situations of mass atrocities.
We welcome the adoption of General Assembly resolution 76/262, known as the “veto initiative,” which calls for the General Assembly to hold a public meeting when a permanent member of the Security Council casts a veto.
The draft Pact notes that it will include language on Security Council reform.
At a minimum, Human Rights Watch recommends including the following language in the Pact (Action 37):
- “We call on Member States to strengthen efforts on Security Council reform, including efforts aimed at ensuring that the Permanent Members of the Security Council refrain from using their veto in times of possible atrocity crimes, and, in line with Article 27(3) of the UN Charter, abstain from voting on Chapter 6 resolutions on conflicts to which they are a party.”
