The Millennium Development Goals and the human rights based approach: reflecting on structural chasms with the United Nations system

Abstract

Security, development and human rights are identified as the three pillars of the UN. However, it seems that in practice there is no political will to ensure the complementarity of these three elements. The purpose of this paper is to shed light on the impact that the structure of the organisation has had on the separate development of the two discourses, namely that of development and human rights. This is arguably reflected at all levels of the organisation, and is most clearly visible in the recent attempt towards reforming the United Nations on the occasion of its 60th anniversary.