Economic decisions are human rights decisions, says Assistant Secretary-General Claudia Fuentes Julio

Mr. Chair, 
Distinguished delegates,

At a time when progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals remains uneven, and when many countries face the combined pressures of debt, fiscal constraints, conflict, climate shocks and growing inequalities, a fundamental question confronts the international community: how can economic governance better serve people and accelerate progress towards sustainable development?

The report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights before the Council addresses this question through the lens of economic, social and cultural rights, and outlines efforts by our Office to support Member States in this regard.

Its central message is simple: economic decisions are human rights decisions. Choices on taxation, public expenditure, debt, social protection and development determine whether people can enjoy their rights: The human rights to health, education, work, social security, an adequate standard of living, and their right to development.

This is particularly relevant to the work of this Council. Across discussions on financing for development, debt sustainability and implementation of the 2030 Agenda, Member States are grappling with a common challenge: how to translate international commitments into tangible improvements in people’s lives.

The report argues that a human rights economy can help address this challenge by ensuring that economic policies are assessed not only by their contribution to growth, but also by their impact on inequality, inclusion and the enjoyment of human rights.

Importantly, the report is about the implementation.

During the reporting period, OHCHR expanded support to governments, parliaments, national human rights institutions and other stakeholders seeking to integrate human rights into economic governance. This work includes practical assistance on human rights-based budgeting, taxation, fiscal policy analysis, expenditure tracking, parliamentary oversight, debt governance and climate finance.

The report highlights practical examples from different regions.

In Bangladesh, OHCHR supported work on progressive taxation and budget-tagging for social protection.

In the Republic of Congo, we worked with government institutions to integrate economic, social and cultural rights standards into planning, budgeting, evaluation and audit processes.

In The Gambia, Ghana and Somalia, our support focused on strengthening parliamentary oversight of public finance.

In Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, our assistance reinforced budget monitoring, transparency and accountability.

In Kenya and Senegal, OHCHR supported rights-based approaches to budgeting and debt governance.

In the United Kingdom, OHCHR supported efforts in Scotland to integrate economic, social and cultural rights into law, policy and budgeting.

The report also highlights the ESCR Knowledge Hub launched by the Office in October 2025. The Hub brings together practical tools, methodologies and promising practices on human rights indicators, budget analysis, fiscal assessments and monitoring.

Together with technical cooperation and peer learning, it can support Member States move from political commitment to concrete implementation.

Mr. Chair,

These examples demonstrate that advancing economic, social and cultural rights is not only about policies.

Rather, it is about strengthening institutions and their capacities to deliver, improving accountability and ensuring that public resources reach those most at risk of being left behind.

At the same time, the High Commissioner identifies persistent challenges, including limited fiscal space, rising debt burdens, climate pressures, conflict, insufficient data and capacity constraints. These realities make it even more important to integrate human rights standards in economic policy making and public finance decisions.

As ECOSOC works to accelerate implementation of the SDGs in the final years to 2030, the report offers a practical contribution to the Council’s efforts. It demonstrates how greater coherence between human rights, development and economic policy can help translate commitments into results.

OHCHR stands ready to support Member States in these efforts.

Together, we can ensure that economic policies contribute not only to growth, but also to greater equality, inclusion and the realization of economic, social and cultural rights for all.

Thank you.