Foreword: Human rights, sustainable development goals and resource mobilisation: better understanding and more coordination is needed Mr Juan Pablo Bohoslasky, UN Independent Expert on the effects of foreign debt © UN/Jean-Marc Ferré. Why do we need to focus on resource mobilisation in the context of human rights and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? Several reasons come to mind: because there is an obligation to mobilise resources towards that end; because we know that, without sustainable finance, rights and goals will fall short; because it is unclear how the achievment of the SDGs and, more importantly, the realisation of human rights will be financed, that is: by whom, how, how much and for what purposes; and, from a special procedures perspective, because it is a cross-cutting issue for all mandates. Clearly, the SDGs did not frame development issues consistently in a rights-based framework or language. Yet, there are some references to human rights in the SDGs and some of their targets without using a systematic human rights approach. The SDGs now include a Goal 16, covering rule of law, ensuring equal access to justice for all and protection of fundamental freedoms. Human rights language has been included, for example, in SDG 6: ‘Ensure access to water and sanitation for all’ and in SDG 2 on ending hunger. This raises some questions. Can we, for example, call for further development of clean energy without paying close attention to principles preventing the displacement of indigenous peoples and forced evictions of millions of urban dwellers? Of course, one could not say that SDG wording could be interpreted against human rights law, but much more than this should be expected. Another weakness of the SDG framework may be seen in the limited accountability mechanism that has been set up to monitor the implementation of the SDGs at the global level, which are largely voluntary pledges of states. Nonetheless, it is worth engaging strategically with the SDGs while emphasising the existence and binding nature of human rights obligations that underpin several of the SDGs. Not participating, not criticising and not taking advantage of what is actually useful for our agendas may give the impression that we perceive development as non-relevant from a human rights perspective. This approach would 4 The Obligation to Mobilise Resources: Bridging Human Rights, Sustainable Development Goals, and Economic and Fiscal Policies   December 2017