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A Poverty of Rights: Six Ways to Fix the MDGs

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  • Malcolm Langford

Abstract

The reactions of the human rights community to the MDGs have been diverse. The goals have given a clear, communicable and quantitative focus to development but they arguably distract attention from important issues and are structurally flawed. In looking backwards, we need to consider whether the human rights gaps in the MDGs architecture are partly responsible for the mixed success of the enterprise and whether the MDGs are also being used to avoid human rights commitments. This reflection is used to look forwards to 2015 and it is argued that, even if we accept the target‐based approach, human rights can make six key contributions, namely: (1) increasing participation in target selection; (2) ensuring targets better reflect human rights; (3) aiming for equality not just average improvements; (4) adjusting the targets for resource availability; (5) locating economic trade‐offs within a human rights‐based normative framework; and (6) improving the accountability infrastructure.

Suggested Citation

  • Malcolm Langford, 2010. "A Poverty of Rights: Six Ways to Fix the MDGs," IDS Bulletin, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 41(1), pages 83-91, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:idsxxx:v:41:y:2010:i:1:p:83-91
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1111/idsb.2010.41.issue-1
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    Cited by:

    1. Norichika Kanie & Naoya Abe & Masahiko Iguchi & Jue Yang & Ngeta Kabiri & Yuto Kitamura & Shunsuke Mangagi & Ikuho Miyazawa & Simon Olsen & Tomohiro Tasaki & Taro Yamamoto & Tetsuro Yoshida & Yuka Hay, 2014. "Integration and Diffusion in Sustainable Development Goals: Learning from the Past, Looking into the Future," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(4), pages 1-15, April.
    2. O. Flores Baquero & J. Gallego-Ayala & R. Giné-Garriga & A. Jiménez-Fernández. Palencia & A. Pérez-Foguet, 2017. "The Influence of the Human Rights to Water and Sanitation Normative Content in Measuring the Level of Service," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 133(2), pages 763-786, September.
    3. Jan Vandemoortele, 2011. "Forum 2011," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 42(1), pages 1-21, January.
    4. Håvard Mokleiv Nygård, 2017. "Achieving the sustainable development agenda: The governance – conflict nexus," International Area Studies Review, Center for International Area Studies, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, vol. 20(1), pages 3-18, March.
    5. Diane F. Frey & Gillian MacNaughton, 2016. "A Human Rights Lens on Full Employment and Decent Work in the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda," SAGE Open, , vol. 6(2), pages 21582440166, June.
    6. Keith R. Skene, 2021. "No goal is an island: the implications of systems theory for the Sustainable Development Goals," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(7), pages 9993-10012, July.
    7. Matthieu Boussichas & Tancrede Voituriez & Julie Vaillé, 2019. "Tackling inequalities and vulnerabilities: Why and how G7 development policies could do better," Working Papers hal-02288094, HAL.
    8. Oana Forestier & Rakhyun E. Kim, 2020. "Cherry‐picking the Sustainable Development Goals: Goal prioritization by national governments and implications for global governance," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(5), pages 1269-1278, September.
    9. Janet Michel & Annette Mettler & Martin Müller & Wolf E. Hautz & Thomas C. Sauter, 2022. "A Utility Framework for COVID-19 Online Forward Triage Tools: A Swiss Telehealth Case Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-10, April.

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