Sustainable development and social inclusion: why a changed approach is central to combating vulnerability

The United Declaration of Human Rights established the fundamental basis of international human rights law. Unfortunately, the overt emphasis on civil and political rights within this agenda restricted greater engagement with questions concerning development. The focus on individual rights and antagonistic relations between states has led to a human rights practice that fails to achieve social inclusion for many and allows vulnerable groups to fall by the wayside. Equally unfortunately, the practice has too often focused on international level actors such as states and other entities, thus failing to take notice of national level policies and initiatives that do help bridge the gap between human rights aspirations and the actual protection of the weak and vulnerable. This article reviews some of the fundamental failings of “business as usual” in human rights practice and hypothesizes where those failings, if left unchecked, will lead in the post-2015 world. Finally, it identifies pathways away from the current model and towards sustainable development, highlighting policies from diverse jurisdictions that have been effective in protecting the vulnerable and that may be worthy of emulation at a global level.