Sustainable Development

Does international law protect those affected by environmental degradation and climate change? What are the interlinkages between conflict and the environment and how do international human rights law and international humanitarian law address these? What are the linkages and tensions between the sustainable development framework and human rights? Who are those left behind? And why is development more sustainable if guided by human rights?

Human rights and sustainable development are intrinsically linked and mutually reinforcing. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – which aim to eradicate poverty, protect the environment and reduce all forms of violence – incorporate most of the core elements of civil and political, as well as economic, social and cultural rights. The degradation of the environment and environmental factors can also be at the origin of conflicts or human rights violations, which in turn cause severe setbacks for development.

Our research in this domain aims to explore the linkages between sustainable development, the protection of the environment, climate change and the branches of international law that protect the rights of the most vulnerable. It also focuses on those who are left behind – including peasants who represent 70 percent of people living in extreme poverty and 80 percent of the world’s hungry – and their specific rights.

OUR PROJECTS

Past projects

RESEARCH

Sustainable Development and Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

Completed in 2022

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RESEARCH

Land Commercialization, Gendered Agrarian Transformation and the Right to Food (DEMETER)

Completed in 2022

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RESEARCH

Towards Food Sustainability: Reshaping the Coexistence of Different Food Systems in South America and Africa

Completed in 2022

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Related News and Events

Voting at the UN Human Rights Council on the new mechanisms on the rights of peasants News

A NEW MONITORING MECHANISM FOR UPHOLDING PEASANTS’ RIGHTS

17 October 2023

In its last session, the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council (HRC). created an international monitoring mechanism on the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas.

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UN Security Council holds meeting on Somalia - 21 November 2019 News

New Research Brief Offers a Roadmap for Security Council Members to Engage on Climate-Driven Security Risks

2 June 2023

Our new Research Brief Climate Change in the Security Council: Obstacles, Opportunities, and Options identifies entry points for engaging on environmental and climate security issues at the UN Security Council.

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A woman's hand holding seeds News

New Publication Explores the Right to Seeds in Africa

6 March 2023

The Right to Seeds in Africa explores the implications of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas for the right to seeds in Africa.

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