BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//CERN//INDICO//EN BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Impact Exchange 2025: Reducing inequality through the progressive realisation of economic\, social\, and cultural rights ‘leaving no one b ehind\, and the human rights economy DTSTART:20251211T140000Z DTEND:20251211T170000Z DTSTAMP:20260814T011700Z UID:indico-event-1021238@indico.un.org CONTACT:chafik.benrouin@un.org\;igor.gryshko1@un.org\;thandar.tun@un.org\; sheena.neogi@un.org DESCRIPTION:Organised by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rig hts (OHCHR) and the Universal Rights Group (URG)\, and with support from t he Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF)\, the Impact Exchange is new platfor m on human rights (intended to be annual)\, aiming to provide a ‘safe sp ace’ and constructive forum wherein:\nStates can report on progress with implementation of the UN human rights mechanisms‘ recommendations and i mpact in pre-selected thematic areas (e.g.\, women’s and girls’ rights \, freedom from torture\, the right to clean and safe drinking water and s anitation)\, share experiences and achievements with implementation\, reca ll challenges and how they were overcome\, present data (e.g.\, from natio nal statistics agencies) showing the impact on the level of enjoyment of h uman rights and sustainable development\, and describe future plans and po licies.\nOther States can recognise or acknowledge success\, and in turn a lso share experiences and good practices of their own on how challenges an d obstacles in their countries were overcome\, and where progress has been achieved (and lessons learnt).\nUN agencies and programmes (as well as bi lateral development partners\, the World Bank\, and other development inst itutions) can share information and good practices on how they have suppor ted human rights recommendations’ implementation\, helped measure impact \, and leveraged State engagement with the UN human rights mechanisms to p romote a ‘human rights powered approach to sustainable development.’\n Bilateral development partners (from the global North and South) can share information on South-South\, North-South\, South-North\, and triangular c ooperation to support human rights progress and sustainable development.\n National human rights institutions (NHRIs) can present good practices rega rding how they have supported State implementation measures and promoted f urther progress by gathering data on impact and compliance.\nCivil society organisations and academia can present studies on human rights implementa tion and impact\, and its effects on sustainable development.\nThe Impact Exchange is an annual half-day meeting (with a reception afterwards)\, ope n to all Permanent Missions in Geneva (as well as\, in future years\, offi cials from relevant line ministries and state agencies\, as well as select ed parliamentarians)\, representatives of UN agencies and programmes / UN Country Teams (e.g.\, Resident Coordinators)\, NHRIs\, and selected civil society organisations. Each Impact Exchange will be organised around the t ime of Human Rights Day.\nThe Impact Exchange is an annual half-day meetin g (with a reception afterwards)\, open to all Permanent Missions in Geneva (as well as\, in future years\, officials from relevant line ministries a nd state agencies\, as well as selected parliamentarians)\, representative s of UN agencies and programmes / UN Country Teams (e.g.\, Resident Coordi nators)\, NHRIs\, and selected civil society organisations. Each Impact Ex change will be organised around the time of Human Rights Day.\nThe Impact Exchange will consist of an interactive panel discussion (Davos style) dur ing which:\n1. Five States (from each UN region) will present national cas e studies\, explaining achievements\, shortfalls\, challenges and how they were overcome\, lessons learnt\, how they were assisted by OHCHR and othe r UN agencies and programmes\, how the implementation of UN human rights r ecommendations was taken forward through new or amended laws\, policies\, and practices\, how impact was measured through statistical indicators\, a nd how information on progress\, as well as new policy ideas to further st rengthen the enjoyment of human rights\, were fed back into the UN human r ights mechanisms through periodic reporting.\n2. UN entities\, NGOs\, and NHRIs would present information on how they have successfully leveraged St ates’ engagement with the UN human rights mechanisms to secure positive human rights change\, including by supporting the implementation of recomm endations: how they have fed information into UN periodic reports to secur e change\, and then pressed and worked with the concerned government to im plement resulting recommendations.\n3. All participants will have the oppo rtunity to engage in an interactive dialogue with the speakers and briefly share their own national stories relevant to the chosen theme.\nImpact Ex change 2025\nThe first Impact Exchange event will reflect on national stor ies of implementation and impact in reducing inequality through the progre ssive realisation of economic\, social\, and cultural rights ‘leaving no one behind\,’ and the human rights economy.\nMany of the barriers peopl e face in accessing services\, resources\, and opportunities\, and thus in fully enjoying their economic and social rights\, are not simply accident s of fate or a result of insufficient resources\, but are rather the resul t of deliberate government choices\, policies\, and law-making that create or perpetuate inequalities\, or of social practices and norms (that gover nments either fail to confront or actively encourage) that leave particula r groups of people further and further behind.\nOne approach to addresses such inequalities is to build a human rights economy focused on securing m ore equitable\, just\, and sustainable development. The principal goal of a human rights economy is protecting human rights and the health of the pl anet. It centres people and the environment in economic\, social\, and env ironmental decision-making ensuring that development\, macroeconomic\, ind ustrial and trade laws\, policies\, programs and plans as well as investme nt decisions\, consumer choices\, business models and business operations are firmly guided by human rights.\nIn practice the human rights economy m eans using States’ human rights obligations to navigate trade-offs in ec onomic policies – whether on budgets\, revenue generation\, trade and in dustrial polices\, private sector engagement\, and other aspects of econom ic policy making.\nBy aligning fiscal and economic policy with their human rights obligations\, States can expand fiscal space\, strengthen social p rotection systems\, and direct public investment toward the progressive re alization of rights. Measures such as progressive taxation\, combating ill icit financial flows\, and ensuring participatory\, transparent budget pro cesses are central to building economies that reduce inequalities and deli ver tangible outcomes for people and the planet.\n\nhttps://indico.un.org/ event/1021238/ LOCATION: Kazakh room – Room XIV (Palais des Nations) URL:https://indico.un.org/event/1021238/ END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR