The Dignity by Design Framework

• The Framework for Dignity in the Built Environment, guides decision-making throughout the built environment lifecycle in order to manage risks to human rights and to maximise social outcomes.

• Implementation of the framework involves active participation by local communities, respecting the rights of workers, expanding access to adequate housing and services for all, and ensuring that all decisions are free from corruption.

• The framework includes targeted questions for different stakeholders, clear references to existing standards, guidance documents and the Sustainable Development Goals, and real-life examples from around the world.

The Framework for Dignity in the Built Environment is a collaboration between four organisations with a global reach and with strong track records advancing human rights in multiple contexts, including among private sector actors: The Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB), the Melbourne School of Design, Rafto Foundation for Human Rights, and the Raoul Wallenberg Institute for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law.

The project aimed to develop a framework that outlined how existing human rights standards, conventions, guidance documents and global frameworks could affect a built environment initiative, and how they could guide action by all stakeholders.

The Framework aims to help:

• Communities shape decisions that impact their lives and neighbourhoods

• Governments establish the regulatory, planning and procurement context for just, thriving urban areas

• Investors manage social risks (the “S” in ESG), and channel investment into sustainable projects that meet locally-defined needs

• Architects and engineers respect dignity and human rights through their operations and supply chains.

IHRB is working with partners in the Coalition for Dignity in the Built Environment and others to implement the Framework both at the level of policy interventions, and in the context of specific “Building Dignity Pilot Projects”.

We will also be developing a further tier of granular detail for the Framework, with examples of procurement provisions and measurable outcome metrics.

Get in touch with examples of action, or any questions about the Framework.