A MEMORANDUM of understanding (MOU) to enhance advocacy efforts on human rights in the Pacific and to fulfil mutual commitments to ensure that no one is left behind was signed earlier this week.
The MOU was signed during a co-organised talanoa session by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the Pacific Islands Development Forum (PIDF) on “Integration of human rights in the achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs)”, which focused on the linkages between human rights and the SDGs, specifically from a Pacific perspective.
PIDF secretary-general François Martel said human rights were not only important for achieving SDGs, but it was also one of the conditions for accelerating progress towards the achievement of the entire SDG agenda.
“In critical areas for the Pacific, in terms of advocacy, securing the rights of people with specific disabilities, rights of people affected by environmental disasters, and human rights outreach and education, which have been incorporated in PIDF’s MOU with OHCHR today,” Mr Martel said.
He said at the regional level, PIDF would continue working with OHCHR to promote and include human rights in PIDF’s work for sustainable blue/green economies in the Pacific and assist in supporting PIDF members in integrating human rights in their efforts to achieve the sustainable development goals.
