PLANNING & FINANCE
Planning is a critical starting point to embed human rights. So too is how a project is financed.
Investors and their expected returns will have a significant impact on whether a project or business prioritises positive social outcomes, including when governments are attracting private finance.
Click the overarching and stage-specific principles below to review the guiding questions across this stage. These questions will help you to identify the main human rights risks and opportunities and develop a tailored action plan.
All neighbourhoods have access to adequate infrastructure
Guiding questions
Have the improvements in infrastructure and services required for the project been planned so that local people and residents are able to access essential services equitably, including considerations of affordability? Does the financing structure ensure this remains the case in the long-term?
Have risks of harm to human rights and the environment been assessed and managed, in the context of infrastructure siting, construction, and operation?
Has the project team worked with relevant stakeholder groups and policy makers to develop and apply clear criteria for "sustainable, accessible, affordable and resilient quality infrastructure" in line with SDG 9.1?
Are state-investor contracts for infrastructure development publicly disclosed and do they avoid "stabilisation" clauses which exempt the project from future social and environmental regulations, whenever possible?
Stories and illustrative examples
International standards and tools
UN General Comment no. 15, the Right to Water
G20: Quality Infrastructure Investment standards
"The Other Infrastructure Gap", OHCHR
LSE Toolbox on State-Investor contracts
Sustainable Development Goals:
- Target 9.1: "Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, including regional and trans-border infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being, with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all."
- Target 9.4: By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes, with all countries taking action in accordance with their respective capabilities.
- Goal 6: "Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all."
- Goal 7: "Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all."