Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review (QCPR) and human rights

What is the QCPR?

The quadrennial comprehensive policy review of operational activities for development of the United Nations system (QCPR), is the main instrument to provide guidance to the United Nations development system (UNDS) on its operational activities for development in order to support countries in their efforts to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in a coherent and integrated manner and ensure effective delivery of support and services to programme countries in line with the mandates and entities of the UNDS.  The QCPR is key to shaping the enabling environment for human rights mainstreaming and for the UNDS’s country support to sustainable development based on full respect for human rights, and consequently the integration of human rights in the work of the UNDS entities. 

QCPR 2020 as a key to progress

The General Assembly in 2020, in resolution 75/233 on the QCPR, recognized the UN contribution to the promotion of all human rights for sustainable development and called upon all entities of the UNDS to assist States efforts to respect and fulfil their human rights obligations and commitments under international law, as a critical tool to operationalize the pledge to leave no one behind (para 28). 

The QCPR 2020 also ‘notes the importance of the contribution of the UNDS with the aim of supporting governments efforts to achieve the SDGs, leaving no one behind, based on full respect for human rights, including the right to development, and stresses in this regard that all human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated’ (para 18). 

In response, UNDS entities have continued to support governments and stakeholders to uphold their human rights obligations through their direct programming and support. In addition, UNDS entities have worked collectively through coordinated inter-agency processes such as the UN Interagency Network on Human Rights, LNOB and Sustainable Development and through the Secretary-General’s Call to Action for Human Rights, to provide targeted support, advice, tools and capacity building to UN Country Teams (UNCTs) to strengthen the integration and mainstreaming of human rights in UN programming and to assist countries to achieve the SDGs and the pledge to leave no one behind.