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On 3 May 2023, UNESCO and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) held a joint Seminar to explore the idea of a Human Rights Economy. The seminar was hosted under the umbrella of the UNESCO Chairs Seminar series, which mobilizes the Organization’s international network of university research centres, and the OHCHR Hernán Santa Cruz dialogue series, which focuses on the UN human rights framework.

In his introduction, Mr. Konstantinos Tararas, Programme Specialist, Section for Inclusion, Rights and Intercultural Dialogue at UNESCO, emphasized how human rights underpin the work of UNESCO, across its mandate on education, culture, communication and the sciences. Mr. Todd Howland, Chief of the Development and Economic, Social Issues Branch at OHCHR, underscored the need to revisit and prioritize the spirit and letter of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in recalibrating global economies and countering current growing inequalities, especially in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The Seminar featured three expert panel members whose presentations explored the concept of the human rights economy, highlighting the role of higher education and research in achieving global human rights economies. First, Prof. Nomthandazo Ntlama-Makhanya, UNESCO ‘Oliver Tambo' Chair of Human Rights at the Nelson R Mandela School of Law, South Africa, spoke on the universality of human rights on economic inequalities in Africa, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Noting that many governments had failed to meet their legal obligations to meet the Sustainable Development Goals - especially as regards to socio-economic rights - she emphasized the role of National Human Rights Institutions and advocated for more significant investment in a human rights economy.

Using the Mission Economy framework, Dr. Savitri Bisnath, Senior Economist, SURGE Initiative at OHCHR, focused on economies that place people, human rights, and the planet at their centre. She argued that “mission-oriented economic policies that are informed by human rights principles and obligations will intentionally address and redress root causes and structural barriers to equality, justice and sustainability.” She stressed the role of diverse stakeholders in operationalizing the concept and highlighted four attributes of a human rights economy:

• prioritizing the most marginalized;
• recognizing the indivisibility of rights;
• promoting social dialogue and participation;
• facilitating sustainable consumption and production that ensures an adequate standard of living for all.

Referencing the , Volker Türk, made on 20 April 2023 in New York, that the human rights economy upholds dignity by guaranteeing all human rights as initially conceptualized in the UDHR, Dr. Grieve Chelwa argued that the dire debt crisis in many countries of the Global South poses a threat to human dignity and the realization of social and economic rights. He concluded that the global financial architecture, as currently constructed, needs to be revised to meet the financing needs of many countries in the Global South.

Critical challenges in achieving human rights economies were discussed during an active and participatory question and answer session moderated by Mr. Pradeep Wagle, OHCHR Chief of the Economic, Social & Cultural Rights Section. These included resource allocation for rights implementation and the integration of human rights into government and business policies. The role of financial institutions from the Global South, which are less inclined to impose structural adjustment conditions, was seen as a promising counterforce to the existing global financial system.

During an interactive open floor discussion, Professor Ntlama-Makhanya responded to the question of using human rights to address structural barriers to socioeconomic inequality and promote justice and sustainable development. Dr. Bisnath further elaborated on the policy changes required for a human rights economy, including increased economic and social rights investments, progressive tax policies, transparency, participation, and accountability. Finally, Dr. Chelwa discussed the challenges governments face in debt crises and the need to engage and advocate for changes in international financial institutions' norms and policies.

In conclusion, Dr. Chitralekha Massey, OHCHR Coordinator of the Countering Inequalities Unit, highlighted the need to prioritize human rights principles and address global inequalities through a human rights-centred approach to economics.