UNSLCD
2011-2012
Sub Theme A
Achieving the MDGs in a Multicultural Society
Mission:
Students will become more familiar with the reality of living in a multicultural world and the
opportunity it brings for people from different cultural backgrounds to work together to make the
world a better place. Understanding and supporting the importance of developmental issues from
a culturally diverse perspective will help broaden a students global perspective on the real world
around them. In developing a Plan of Action for a multicultural society, students should not just
be telling others what needs to be done, but look for ways to actively involve themselves in the
process.
Background Information
Human Rights and the MDGs
Human rights are the rights possessed by all persons, by virtue of their common humanity, to live
a life of freedom and dignity. Human rights are universal – they are the same for everyone,
everywhere. They are inalienable – they can neither be taken away, nor given up. And they are
indivisible – there is no hierarchy among rights, and no right can be suppressed in order to
promote another right.
Human rights and the MDGs have much in common. They share guiding principles such as
participation, empowerment, national ownership; they serve as tools for reporting processes that
can hold governments accountable; and, most fundamentally, they share the ultimate objective of
promoting human well-being and honoring the inherent dignity of all people. Human rights and
MDGs are also two interdependent and mutually reinforcing frameworks. The MDGs can help
galvanize efforts toward the achievement of certain human rights – particularly the often
neglected social and economic rights. [1]
Governments that pursue development hand-in-hand with human rights stand a better chance of
reaching the Millennium Development Goals. In Bangladesh, for example, the National Water
Policy of 1998 and the National Sanitation Strategy of 2005 recognized water and sanitation as
human rights, and set targets for universal access to safe drinking water and sanitation to be
achieved by 2011 and 2013 respectively. [2]
The Bangladesh example is one of many you will find that show human rights and key human
rights principles of non-discrimination, participation and accountability that are complimentary,
and indispensable indeed, in the pursuit of development and achieving the MDGs.
[1] Human Rights and the MDGs: A Primer
UN Development Program, Oslo Governance Center
[2] UN Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights
August 2010
Achieving the MDGs in a Multicultural Society
P. 2
“Cultural rights are an integral part of human rights, which are universal, indivisible and
interdependent. The flourishing of creative diversity requires the full implementation of cultural rights as
defined in Article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in Articles 13 and 15 of the
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. All persons have therefore the right to
express themselves and to create and disseminate their work in the language of their choice, and
particularly in their mother tongue; all persons are entitled to quality education and training that fully
respect their cultural identity; and all persons have the right to participate in the cultural life of their
choice and conduct their own cultural practices, subject to respect for human rights and fundamental
freedoms."
Article 5 of the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity (2001)
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)
Article One
Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the
arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.
Culture is more than the arts and literature. In its widest sense, culture embraces everything from
your choice of what to wear each day to the traditions, beliefs and values of your family and
community. Of course, this includes all forms of artistic expression and creativity. Culture is also
the language you speak, your place of worship, the things that move you emotionally, the sources
of meaning in your life. Culture is all of these elements and the way they connect to make up
your way of life. According to the I982 Mexico City Declaration on Cultural Policies, culture is "the
whole complex of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features that
characterize a society or social group."
Cultural diversity has become a common thread to life in the 21st Century. It has much to offer
towards the achievement of the MDGs as well as for social cohesion and peace. It’s real world
effect on development is huge, not just from an economic perspective but also as a means of
leading a more fulfilling intellectual, emotional, moral and spiritual life. Cultural diversity – the
"common humanity heritage" according to the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural
Diversity, 2001
Culture and Development
“Placing culture at the heart of development policy constitutes an essential investment in the
world's future and a pre-condition to successful globalization processes that take into account
the principles of cultural diversity.”
UNESCO Culture & Development Report 2011
The major challenge is to convince political decision-makers and local, national and international
social actors to integrating the principles of cultural diversity and the values of cultural pluralism
into all public policies, mechanisms and practices, particularly through public/private partnerships.
Achieving the MDGs in a Multicultural Society
P.3
Continued from P. 2
This strategy will aim, on the one hand, at incorporating culture into all development policies, be
they related to education, science, communication, health, environment or cultural tourism and,
on the other hand, at supporting the development of the cultural sector through creative
industries. By contributing in this way to poverty alleviation, culture offers important benefits in
terms of social cohesion.
…………
The following background note from the UN Department of Public Information is from 1995, but
says a lot about the challenge facing us today. Here is a portion of it:
United Nations Background Note
The Challenge of Human Rights and Cultural Diversity
by Diana Ayton-Shenker
The end of the cold war has created a series of tentative attempts to define "a new world order".
So far, the only certainty is that the international community has entered a period of tremendous
global transition that, at least for the time being, has created more social problems than solutions.
The end of super-power rivalry, and the growing North/South disparity in wealth and access to
resources, coincide with an alarming increase in violence, poverty and unemployment,
homelessness, displaced persons and the erosion of environmental stability. The world has also
witnessed one of the most severe global economic recessions since the Great Depression of the
1930s.
At the same time, previously isolated peoples are being brought together voluntarily and
involuntarily by the increasing integration of markets, the emergence of new regional political
alliances, and remarkable advances in telecommunications, biotechnology and transportation that
have prompted unprecedented demographic shifts.
The resulting confluence of peoples and cultures is an increasingly global, multicultural world
brimming with tension, confusion and conflict in the process of its adjustment to pluralism. There
is an understandable urge to return to old conventions, traditional cultures, fundamental values,
and the familiar, seemingly secure, sense of one's identity. Without a secure sense of identity
amidst the turmoil of transition, people may resort to isolationism, ethnocentrisms and
intolerance.
This climate of change and acute vulnerability raises new challenges to our ongoing pursuit of
universal human rights. How can human rights be reconciled with the clash of cultures that has
come to characterize our time? Cultural background is one of the primary sources of identity. It is
the source for a great deal of self-definition, expression, and sense of group belonging. As
cultures interact and intermix, cultural identities change. This process can be enriching, but
disorienting. The current insecurity of cultural identity reflects fundamental changes in how we
define and express who we are today.
Published by the United Nations Department of Public Information DPI/1627/HR--March 1995
Achieving the MDGs in a Multicultural Society
P.4
The Millennium Human Rights Goals
- To respect and fully uphold the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and strive for the full
protection and promotion in all countries of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights
for all;
- To strengthen the capacity of all our countries to implement the principles and practices of
democracy and human rights, including minority rights;
- To combat all forms of violence against women and to implement the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women;
- To take measures to ensure respect for and the protection of the human rights of migrants,
migrant workers and their families, to eliminate the increasing acts of racism and xenophobia
in many societies, and to promote greater harmony and tolerance in all societies;
- To work collectively for more inclusive political processes, allowing genuine participation by
all citizens in all our countries;
- To ensure the freedom of the media to perform their essential role and the right of the public
to have access to information.
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Selected Resource links:
http://hurilink.org/Primer-HR-MDGs.pdf
http://www.mdgfund.org/
http://www.un.org/en/events/culturaldiversityday/resources.shtml
http://hurilink.org/tools/MDGSandESCsJointStatement.pdf
Key Terms to Know
A.
B.
C.
D.
Millennium Development Goals
Cultural Diversity
Ethnocentrism
Globalization
E. Xenophobia
F. Islamophobia
G. International Covenants
H. UNESCO
Guide Questions
1. Can the idea of cultural rights be compatible with the concept of human rights, which are
universal and ‘inherent’ to all human beings?
2. Does yourdeveloping plan of action support the Millennium Human Rights Goals?
3. As you complete your work, are you satisfied with the work being done in and outside of
the UN to achieve the MDGs in our multicultural society?
4. How would you approach a government over human rights in the MDGs regarding its
sovereign right to govern its own people?