The Mérida Declaration
The Role of National Human Rights Institutions
in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
1. The Twelfth International Conference of the International Coordinating Committee of
National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (ICC) took place in
Mérida, Yucatàn, Mexico, from 8 to 10 October 2015. It was hosted by the National Human
Rights Commission of Mexico (CNDH) and organised in collaboration with the Office of the
High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the ICC. The focus of the
Conference was “The Sustainable Development Goals: What Role for National Human
Rights Institutions?”
2. National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) expressed their gratitude to the CNDH for
the excellent organisation and warm hospitality. They also thanked the ICC, the OHCHR,
and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for their contributions to the
organisation of the Conference. Participants appreciated the opening statement of Lic.
Luis Raúl González Pérez, President of the CNDH; Adv. Mabedle Lourence Mushwana
ICC Chairperson; Ambassador Miguel Ruiz Cabañas Izquierdo, Under-Secretary of
Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Lic. Roberto
Campa Cifrián, Under-Secretary of Human Rights of the Ministry of the Interior; and of Lic.
Rolando Zapata Bello, Governor of the State of Yucatán. Participants further welcomed
the statements of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the President
of the Human Rights Council and the Resident Coordinator of the UN-system in Mexico
representing UNDP, and other keynote speakers and the valuable contributions from UN
agencies, non-governmental organizations and academic institutions from around the
world to inform deliberations. The interactive and productive discussions, which reflected
the experience and perspectives of NHRIs from all regions, were highly appreciated.
The Twelfth International Conference adopted the following Declaration:
3. Participants recalled the inherent dignity, equality and inalienable rights of all human
beings and the universality, indivisibility, interdependence and inter-relatedness of all
human rights, as expressed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Vienna
Declaration and Progamme of Action, adopted by the 1993 World Conference on Human
Rights.
4. Participants further recalled that human rights, development, and peace and security
are central, inter-related and mutually reinforcing pillars of the United Nations system, as
reflected in the United Nations Charter, and, while acknowledging the progress made
under the Millennium Development Goals, participants noted that these were not rights-
based and failed to reach all.
5. Participants welcomed the adoption by United Nations Member States of the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development (hereinafter: the Agenda) as a result of a global
process that brought together millions of diverse actors in constructive dialogue and
inclusive consultation at an unprecedented scale. The Agenda constitutes a
transformational framework applicable to all countries, which unites the environmental,
social and economic dimensions of development, aiming at re-establishing harmony with
nature. Participants called on all States to implement it.
6. Participants welcomed in particular that the Agenda is firmly grounded in the United
Nations Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international human
rights treaties and instruments, and informed by other instruments such as the Declaration
on the Right to Development. References to human rights are included throughout the
Agenda1 with the explicit recognition that implementation must remain consistent with
relevant international rules and commitments and contribute to their realisation. The 17
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their 169 targets directly or indirectly reflect
human rights standards2, and integrate cross-cutting human rights principles such as
participation, accountability and non-discrimination. Whilst acknowledging country-specific
challenges, participants affirmed that if adequately implemented, the Agenda will have a
significant impact on the enjoyment of human rights by everyone, everywhere.
7. The Agenda is comprehensive and sets ambitious goals for the range of issues that
affect people and the planet. For example, it builds upon economic and social rights, when
aiming to end poverty (Goal 1) and hunger (Goal 2), and ensure access to health care
(Goal 3), education (Goal 4), water and sanitation (Goal 6), as well as employment and
decent work (Goal 8). Goal 16 aims to achieve peaceful and inclusive societies, access to
justice and accountable and inclusive institutions and reflects a range of civil and political
rights.
8. Participants emphasised that eradication of poverty and inequalities and the realisation
of human dignity are among the key objectives of the Agenda, and that the pledge to leave
no one behind, and to reach those who are furthest behind first, represents a commitment
to the human rights principles of equality and non-discrimination. These principles are
strengthened through the stand-alone goals of reducing inequality within and among
countries (Goal 10), and achieving gender equality (Goal 5) as well as explicit references
to indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, children, migrants and other rights-
holders, including Afro-descendant communities in the Americas. Participants stressed the
need for addressing inequalities based on prohibited grounds of discrimination, and
reaffirmed the commitment reflected in the 2012 ICC Amman Declaration and Programme
of Action on the role of NHRIs in promoting gender equality.
9. Participants affirmed that the SDGs will be relevant for all rights-holders everywhere and
engage a variety of key role players at global, regional, national and local levels, including
women and girls, indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, children, youth, older
persons, farmers, workers, as well as Parliament and local authorities, business,
academia, non-governmental organisations and civil society.
1 See [Link]
2 See [Link]
10. Participants strongly reaffirmed that civil society has a major role to play in
contributing to the realisation of the Agenda. This opens opportunities for collaboration,
partnership and synergies, and highlights the need to ensure full civil society participation
in monitoring and implementation.
11. Participants also reaffirmed the important role that business can play in the fulfillment
of the Agenda, and the possibilities for partnership that this offers. They highlighted the
need to align implementation with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human
Rights and welcomed the explicit reference to these Principles in the Agenda. They
recalled the 2010 ICC Edinburgh Declaration on the role of NHRIs in relation to business
and human rights, whilst reaffirming the importance of ongoing work of the ICC and NHRIs
in this area.
12. Human rights instruments and mechanisms will provide an important framework for the
implementation of the SDGs, and the implementation of the SDGs will contribute to the
realization of human rights. This points to the potential of using international and regional
human rights mechanisms, including the Human Rights Council, Special Procedures, the
Universal Periodic Review, and treaty bodies, as well as the International Labour
Organization's supervisory bodies, to assess and guide SDG implementation. Participants
further stressed the need for the SDG monitoring and review mechanisms to consider
human rights and to take into account the recommendations of international, regional and
national human rights mechanisms.
13. Whilst recalling that States are the primary duty-bearers and accountable to their
people, participants urged all stakeholders to adopt a human rights-based approach
to all stages of planning, programming and implementation, in line with international
human rights instruments and mechanisms. The rights-based approach should
always prevail, also in case of seemingly conflicting development objectives and
approaches. Participants stressed the need to devise solid public, participatory,
broadly accessible, and evidence-based monitoring and review mechanisms. They
acknowledged the process undertaken under the auspices of the UN Statistical
Commission to develop an indicator framework for measuring the new Agenda, and
emphasised the importance of defining indicators that will uphold the human rights
commitments reflected in the goals and targets.
14. Target 17.18 aims at significantly increasing the availability of disaggregated
data by income, gender, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographic
location and other relevant characteristics. Participants recalled that it is widely
recognised that the collection and dissemination of data disaggregated by prohibited
grounds of discrimination play an important role in realising human rights, and
highlighted the experience and potential of NHRIs in this area. They welcomed the
efforts of statisticians in building a ‘data revolution’ and partnerships with new data
producers and users at global, regional, national and local levels. This has the
potential of enhancing data disaggregation and development of inclusive and sound
data collection systems to be conducive to the respect, protection and fulfilment of
human rights.
15. Participants emphasised that NHRIs in all regions are already addressing issues of
crucial importance to the Agenda in their regular work. Strengthening NHRIs in all regions,
including their technical and financial independence, is thus an effective means of
promoting the realisation of the Agenda. NHRIs are uniquely placed to play a bridging role
between stakeholders and promote transparent, participatory and inclusive national
processes of implementation and monitoring. Participants encouraged NHRIs in particular
to address all forms of exclusion, poverty and to prioritise and mainstream the human
rights of women and girls and gender equality in their work.
16. Participants endorsed the establishment of the ICC Working Group on the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development as a vehicle for collaboration among, and a global
voice of, NHRIs on these matters.
17. They further encouraged ICC Regional Networks and individual NHRIs, in line with
their mandates under the Paris Principles, to collaborate in mutual capacity building and
sharing of experiences, and to consider the practical functions they can assume to
contribute to a human rights-based approach to implementation of the Agenda. Such
functions and activities include but are not limited to the following:
(1) Undertake workshops on human rights and sustainable development in each
ICC region, in collaboration with the ICC Working Group on the 2030 Agenda
for Sustainable Development, and develop regional action plans that will also
identify and address NHRI capacity needs. Regional Chairs are encouraged
to report thereon to the ICC General Meeting in March 2016 and to
subsequent regional and international meetings of NHRIs.
(2) Provide advice to national and local governments, rights-holders and other
actors, to promote a human rights-based approach to implementation and
measurement of the Agenda, including by assessing the impact of laws,
policies, programmes, national development plans, administrative practices
and budgets on the realization of all human rights for all.
(3) Develop and strengthen partnerships for implementation by promoting
transparent and inclusive processes for participation and consultation with
rights-holders and civil society at all stages of the implementation of the
Agenda, such as the development of national and sub-national strategies to
achieve the SDGs, including reaching out to those who are furthest behind.
(4) Engage with duty-bearers, rights-holders and other key actors, including
government agencies, parliaments, the judiciary, local authorities, national
statistical offices, civil society, major groups, marginalised groups,
mainstream and social media, the UN and other international and regional
institutions, to raise awareness and build trust and promote dialogue and
concerted efforts for a human rights-based approach to implementation and
monitoring of the Agenda, and safeguarding space for engagement of rights-
holders and civil society.
(5) Assist in the shaping of global national indicators and sound data collection
systems to ensure the protection and promotion of human rights in the
measurement of the Agenda, including through seeking collaboration with
national statistical offices, where appropriate, and other relevant national
institutions, and by building on existing international and regional human
rights mechanisms.
(6) Monitor progress in the implementation of the Agenda at the local, national,
regional and international levels, to disclose inequality and discrimination in
this regard, including through innovative approaches to data-collection and
partnerships with rights-holders, vulnerable and marginalized groups for
participatory and inclusive monitoring, and by identifying obstacles as well as
actions for accelerated progress.
(7) Engage with, and hold governments to account for poor or uneven progress
in the implementation of the Agenda, including by taking implementation
progress and obstacles into consideration when reporting to parliaments, the
general public and national, regional and international mechanisms, such as
the Human Rights Council and its mechanisms, including the Universal
Periodic Review, the Special Procedures, treaty bodies, as well as the
International Labour Organization´s supervisory bodies, UN regional
commissions and the High-level Political Forum.
(8) Respond to, conduct inquiries into, and investigate allegations of rights
violations in the context of development and SDG implementation, including
in relation to discrimination and inequality that can erode the trust between
the State and the people.
(9) Facilitate access to justice, redress and remedy for those who experience
abuse and violation of their rights in the process of development, including by
receiving and processing complaints, where NHRIs have such functions.
The Conference also agreed that the ICC should:
(10) Continue advocacy for the independent participation of Paris Principles
compliant NHRIs, and their international and regional coordinating bodies, in
relevant UN mechanisms and processes, including in the Follow-up and
Review Processes of the Agenda, such as the High-Level Political Forum, as
also called for by the UN Secretary-General3.
(11) Support capacity-building, sharing of experiences and good practices, as
well as knowledge management with and among NHRIs in relation to the
Agenda, and mobilise resources to that effect. Build on the UNDP-OHCHR-
ICC Tripartite Strategic Partnership to provide support to NHRIs, regional
networks and the ICC in this regard.
Adopted in Mérida, Yucatàn, on 10 October 2015
3 See A/70/347