Post-2015 Development Issues: Conclusions

This series has argued that human rights and good governance are critical aspects of global development, as both an end in themselves and as a means to an end. The examination of potential human rights and governance goals, targets, and indicators for the emerging post-2015 global development framework reveals three main insights.

It is technically feasible, politically possible, and normatively imperative to include governance and human rights in the post-2015 global development agenda. This series offers practical illustrative examples of goals, targets, and indicators that are technically sound and meet important criteria for choosing goals and selecting targets and indicators.

Second, targets and indicators for global goals can be national, regional, or global, and can be used within stand-alone goals or mainstreamed goals. Targets and indicators for discrimination/inequality should be mainstreamed in ALL the post-2015 development goals; other governance and human rights goals can and should stand alone.

Third, the selection of targets and indicators should adopt a demand-led approach to data, selecting the technically best indicators and then supporting the development of statistical capacity to collect and supply this data. Choices of indicators should not be constrained or predetermined by the limitations of existing data sources—if it is technically preferable to collect new data, data capacity-building should be supported.

Previous posts in the series: Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI, Part VII, and Part VIII.