STORIES FROM THE FIELD - UNDP in Turkey

C. Increasing Momentum Around Human RightsThe mainstreaming of human rights within theUN system has been central to a series of theSecretary-General’s reform initiatives since1997. In the area of development, humanrights mainstreaming has progressively gainedmomentum under the UNDG human rightsmainstreaming mechanism (UNDG-HRM),established in December 2009 as a successor tothe UN inter-agency Action 2 Global Programme.Moreover, the 2010 MDG Summit and the 2012Rio+20 Summit reiterated the importance offurther integrating human rights into the work ofthe UN system and of applying a human rightsbasedapproach to sustainable development.A growing number of UN country teams aresupporting Governments in their efforts tofulfil human rights treaty obligations andintegrate human rights into national policiesand programmes.The case studies of Kenya and Uruguay highlightthe critical role that UN country teams play – bothin low-income and middle-income countries– in supporting efforts by national actors tointegrate human rights into national developmentprocesses and to reform institutions, policies andlaws in accordance with human rights standards.In both examples, the UN system is called on toprovide technical expertise, broker experiencesfrom around the world and draw on its normativemandate and convening power to leverage theimpact of its support.The unique role and comparative advantageof the UN system in promoting the values,principles, norms and standards of the UNCharter will continue to form an integral part ofUN operational activities for development. Humanrights, equality and sustainability have beenrecognized as the three fundamental principlesof the post-2015 agenda.Kenya: Translating Rightsinto Practice“For development to be meaningful, rights mustbe realized by those whose development is atstake.”– Kenya’s National Human Rights Action Plan“Through engaging with the UN, we havehad experts walk us through the process ofmainstreaming human rights into practices andplans. The UN has helped create understandingand buy-in, and then to develop a programmethat can be rolled out to the rest of the publicservices, which will then empower citizens todemand their rights.”– Mary Ndeto, Transition AuthorityA decade after Kenya’s return to multi-partydemocracy, national commitment to democraticinstitutions and human rights remains strong.The National Commission on Human Rights isinternationally respected, and the Constitution,overwhelmingly endorsed by public referendumin 2010, is one of the most progressive in Africa.It paves the way for extensive restructuring ofthe Government, including redressing disparitiesin income and access to public services. Itencompasses rights for all as well as for specificmarginalized groups and for the first timeguarantees economic, social and cultural rights.The UN country team, including UNDP, UNICEF,UN-Women and the Human Rights Adviser inthe Office of the Resident Coordinator, backedeach step of the constitutional drafting process,consistently advocating a sound grounding inhuman rights. The team helped to conveneconsultations among the Government, NationalCommission on Human Rights and civil societyand supported the participation of minorities,women and children. UN assistance also brought20 Synthesis of 2011/2012 Resident Coordinator Annual Reports