ABSTRACT
The Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) established a new round of development targets for the world, following on from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which were in place from 2000 to 2015. In assessing the impact of the goals, what is clear is that democratic governance, peace, and security, and the rule of law, which encompasses the protection of human rights for all groups, are essential to sustainable development. National Human Rights Institutions are essential to hold governments accountable to their human rights obligations, strengthen national protection legislation and mechanisms for marginalized groups, support cross-cutting collaboration with civil society and other development partners, and ensure that policies fit the needs and aspirations of populations that they are intended for. At variance with the responsibility to ensure transparency, accountability, and representative decision-making, some authoritarian governments have taken steps to limit public access to information as it relates to the pandemic.
