In 2015, world governments adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a universal agenda on sustainable development aimed to be achieved by 2030. The SDGs build on the 1987 Brundtland Commission, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the 1992 and 2012 Rio Conferences on Sustainable Development, as well as existing commitments to human rights, gender equality, and peace. They aim to address the three dimensions of sustainable development in a balanced manner and conceptualise development through a framework that prioritises human security and environmental well-being. This guide is meant to help you as an activist carry on with that work for human security, by working with governments and others in civil society to ensure that structural barriers, including gendered inequalities, are addressed for every person everywhere, including in conflict areas.
'This revised guide begins by demystifying the concept of rights in order to understand why approaches to human rights have often failed to further women’s rights or address gender inequality. This guide clarifies concepts, introduces analytical tools, and identifies the implications of these concepts and tools for development practice, as well as providing relevant examples. The first version of this Resource Guide was launched in 2009, and the revised edition was published in 2013.'