Inclusive sustainable development: a human rights perspective

•Human rights (HR) norms inspired the SDGs' focus on inclusive development (ID).•HR/ID norms can be used to address persistent inequalities and development deficits.•Agenda 2030 tries, but fails, to integrate the three dimensions of development fully.•Current HR approaches to climate change may help integrate these dimensions more.

This article explores the contributions of human rights ideas and norms to the rise and content of the notion of inclusive development, with special emphasis on experiences with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and with human rights-based approaches (HRBAs) to development and to environmental issues. On the latter aspect in particular, it is striking that, even though human rights instruments still take up environmental issues only scarcely, human rights-based approaches to global challenges such as climate change have gained momentum.