MDGs and Human Rights: Four Perspectives In Search of An Audience --A Whirlwind Review

In this review, a number of truisms about the MDGs are elevated to the category of ‘mini-iron-laws’. A strong case is made that failing to address human rights shortcomings is compromising progress on all the MDGs. It is contended that the MDGs are too little too late. While all MDGs may seem plausible in their own right, the priorities were arbitrarily set. And, at that, they were often prescribed from outside. At best, what the MDGs have done is to infuse neoliberal priorities into development policies using only the ‘language’ of human rights. For all the reasons here given, the MDGs approach is said to badly need rethinking; even greater is the need for a post-MDGs architecture (or one earlier than ‘post-‘, in an attempt to minimize harm and disenchantment come 2015). Even if the MDGs get achieved by 2015, what will have been achieved is nothing more than isolated islands of progress in a sea of grievances and of persisting human rights violations. In short, the MDGs can simply not be achieved without respect for HR.

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