A/77/290 rights. 113 This grass-roots campaign ultimately succeeded, with the property developer withdrawing from the site in August 2021 – a rare victory for the protection of minority cultures in the face of large-scale economic development. 93. Development for the purposes of urban regeneration is not sustainable or rightsrespecting when it gentrifies lower-income and/ or minority neighbourhoods. This is the case even for seemingly positive environmental improvements or amenities (e.g. parks, trees and trails) that raise property values – a phenomenon one could described as “green” or “environmental” gentrification. 114 As city planners and developers increasingly seek to improve urban green spaces to mitigate the effects of climate change, precautionary measures must be taken to protect against gentrification and its accompanying cultural impoverishment. VII. Conclusions and recommendations 94. Cultural rights are at the core of sustainable development processes and should be recognized in that capacity. They are about the “how”, the manner in which we live our lives, how we see our world and how we transmit our values. Accordingly, cultural diversity is crucial for the human ecosystem and for the sustainability and resilience of the wider ecosystems, together with biodiversity, to which it is interlinked. Cultural diversity opens avenues towards implementation that recognizes the value of both traditional and modern knowledge and encourages their synergies. 95. Recalling that the Sustainable Development Goals are a voluntary process enshrined in human rights that remain obligations under international law, the Special Rapporteur underlines that no violation of human rights, including cultural rights, may be justified in the name of development or sustainable development. 96. There is a need to adopt a human-rights-based approach that includes cultural rights throughout the implementation and monitoring of Goals. The indivisibility, universality and interdependence of all human rights ensure coherence and provide clear red lines to guarantee sustainability and prevent harm; the realization of one human right cannot be isolated from its impacts on other rights, either in planning, implementation or impact assessment and evaluation. 97. In many cases, “development” policies and strategies reflecting dominant cultural viewpoints or those of the most powerful sectors of society, with historic ties to colonialism and domination, are designed and implemented to the detriment of the most vulnerable in a manner that impedes the future sustainable development and survival of these persons and communities and probably, in the longer term, of humanity. The need to accept and consider frameworks that sit outside mainstream approaches has become urgent. Cultural diversity is as key to our future as biodiversity is; they are interrelated. 98. People and peoples must be the primary beneficiaries of sustainable development processes. The Special Rapporteur recommends, in particular, that States, international organizations and other stakeholders ensure that sustainable development processes: (a) Are culturally sensitive and appropriate, contextualised to specific cultural environments and seek to fully align themselves with the aspirations, __________________ 113 114 22-12659 See joint allegation letters JAL GBR 3/2017 and GBR 1/2019. See also https://savelatinvillage.org. uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Haringey-Council-15-Mar-2019.pdf. Colin Luoma in expert consultation. 23/24