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can contribute to redressing human rights abuses relating to contemporary forms of
slavery. As will be outlined in the thematic report by the Special Rapporteur to the
Human Rights Council at its thirty-sixth session, access to justice and remedy for
victims of contemporary forms of slavery is an essential component of efforts to
eradicate the phenomena. Effective access to justice and remedy helps the process
of rehabilitation and reintegration of victims, prevents revict imization and can
create disincentives to future violations among those who may seek to ruthlessly
exploit vulnerable individuals. Furthermore, the inclusion of Goals , such as Goal 1
(end poverty), Goal 5 (achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls),
Goal 8 (promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and
productive employment and decent work for all) and Goal 10 (reduce inequality
within and among countries) has the potential to address the socioeconomic drivers
of the contemporary forms of slavery discussed above.
47. This is not to say that the Sustainable Development Goals are perfect, neither
in relation to human rights nor to contemporary forms of slavery. In relation to the
latter, while the inclusion of the catch-all term “modern slavery” in target 8.7 allows
for a broad interpretation of what is expected of States and other actors, the
inclusion of the target under Goal 8, on decent work and economic growth creates
the risk that traditional forms of slavery will be secondary to labour market
violations in implementation efforts. In addition, the vulnerability of persons of
slave descent was not recognized in the sustainable development framework in the
same way as that of other minority groups.
48. There are weaknesses and gaps in relation to the broader ability of the Goals to
tackle the causes and consequences of contemporary slavery through imp roved
adherence to human rights norms and principles. For example, human rights
language is not integrated into the Goals. In addition, the vulnerability of minorities
is not explicitly addressed in the same way as that of other groups. Also, how to
ensure policy coherence and indivisibility, as well as protection against the risk that
the implementation of Goals will have adverse secondary effects on human rights, is
not effectively articulated. Nevertheless, the specific inclusion of a target on slavery
and broader improvements in relation to human rights in the 2030 Agenda are a
cause for celebration and provide a historic opportunity for Member States, the
international community, businesses and other stakeholders to further efforts to fully
eradicate contemporary forms of slavery.
D.
Implementation of the 2030 Agenda
49. The 2030 Agenda is ambitious and far-reaching. It raises serious questions,
however, about the availability of capacity and resources to implement its Goals and
targets. Estimates have suggested that an amount of between $3 trillion and
$5 trillion needs to be mobilized to effectively finance the implementation of the
2030 Agenda. 40 It is vital that the resources be allocated in full so that the Goals and
targets are all implemented successfully as interdependent, mutually reinforcing and
interlinked development outcomes, as none can be achieved in a vacuum from the
others. States and other stakeholders must avoid cherry -picking those that are the
easiest and most politically expedient for them to implement, as a group of special
procedures experts warned in a press release published in July 2016. 41 It is essential
that States and other actors align the financing for the 2030 Agenda with their
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40
41
17-11988
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, “UNCTAD: investing in Sustainable
Development Goals: part 1 — action plan for private investments in SDGs” (Geneva, 2015).
See www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=20262#sthash.
NJFbdQo3.dpuf.
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