ABSTRACT
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) arrive at an interesting time in disabilities law. The SDGs do understand their mission in terms of a broader human rights agenda. Indeed, the only express references to mental disabilities in the goals and targets are a non-specific target to ‘promote mental health and well-being’ and, as addictions are within the scope of mental disorders, to strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse. The SDGs are primarily designed to implement economic and social rights. Linking either document with the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms is more complex. The SDGs overtly locate themselves in the context of human rights. The preamble to the SDGs states that they 'seek to realize the human rights of all'. The chapter discusses overall models of human rights, and the tensions—perhaps irresolvablein relation to the approach to human rights.
