1 / 20

What are Human Rights Based Approaches?

What are Human Rights Based Approaches?. A human rights-based approach is a process which applies certain core principles aimed at ensuring the full enjoyment of human rights by all. HRBA to what?. Development (social, economic, human, MDGs) Humanitarian aid Peace-keeping

teness
Download Presentation

What are Human Rights Based Approaches?

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. What are Human Rights • Based Approaches?

  2. A human rights-based approach is a process which applies certain core principles aimed at ensuring the full enjoyment of human rights by all

  3. HRBA to what? • Development (social, economic, human, MDGs) • Humanitarian aid • Peace-keeping • Trade/investment/privatisation • etc

  4. Development-security-human rights … the human family will not enjoy development without security, it will not enjoy security without development, and it will not enjoy either without respect for human rights – Kofi Annan 2005

  5. HRBA milestones……not new • 1940s UN Charter • 1997 SG Programme for Reform -HR to be fully integrated into all areas of work • 1994 Rwanda genocide • 2000 UN Human Development Report: decent standard of living, adequate nutrition, healthcare, education, decent work, protection against calamities, are not just development goals…they are also human rights • 2003 Stamford ‘Common Understanding’

  6. Expressly apply the int’l legal framework Empowerment Participation Non-discrimination & vulnerable groups Accountability 5 CORE LEGAL PRINCIPLES of HRBA

  7. 1. Expressly apply the int’l legal framework • The nature of the treaty obligations – respect, protect, fulfil • Universality, inalienability; indivisibility, interdependence, inter-relatedness • Immediate obligations (ensure core minimum, take steps, non-discrimination) - progressive realisation to maximum of available resources • Standards made by states & evolving

  8. 2. Empowerment • Empowerment a precondition for meaningful participation • Treaty obligation to actively inform the public regarding the content of the HR treaties, Treaty bodies, availability of remedies etc • Requires education, information, expectation not charity

  9. 3. Participation • The right to ‘active, free & meaningful’ participation • A means and an end in itself • A composite right - expression, assembly, association, right to vote, stand for election, participate in one’s development… • Who participates? How, on what issues?, at what stages?, with access to what information? to what degree of influence? • Who decides the answers to these questions? – and how?

  10. 4. Non-Discrimination & Vulnerable Groups • Equality and non-discrimination • Disaggregation of data by race, religion etc • Vulnerability to human rights violations – varies with time, context, type of human right

  11. 5. Accountability: legal & political • Due process rights (equality before the law, access to justice) • Right to effective remedies: judicial, administrative…. • Right to participate e.g in M&E of development plans, Access to information • Clarity regarding duties and duty-holders • Justiciability of ESC rights

  12. What is specific to HRBA ? • People holders of rights - not merely beneficiaries • Programming framed by int’l HR law, informed at all stages by international/regional HR mechanisms • Legitimacy: states’ mutual accountability under treaties – same framework applies to development partners domestically • Universal accountability standards, primary role of the state & approaches that are adapted to the context

  13. Specific to HRBA: reinforces ‘good programming’ Needs assessment identifies root causes for non-realisation of HR (indivisibility & interdependence of CPR-ESCR) Programmes build capacities of rights holders & duty bearers as such Process as important as outcome: empowerment through locally owned development + participation as a HR, both as a means and goal

  14. Specific to HRBA: reinforces ‘good programming’ Strengthens empowerment, sustainability & accountability: through access to information, transparency & participation. Obligation to monitor compliance, evaluate both outcomes and processes based on HR standards & principles, with effective mechanisms for redress.

  15. Sample initiatives • UN - HURIST; Practitioners’ Forum on Human Rights in Development; UNDP Governance Centre Oslo indicators for HRBA • Bi-Lateral donors: Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, Germany….Ireland? • NGOs (CARE Int’l, Oxfam, COHRE….) & research bodies (ODI ‘Rights in Action’) • EC “Mainstreaming” Review 2008

  16. Review • of the • White Paper on Irish Aid • ?

  17. Ongoing Challenges… • Ideological opposition (ESC rights in Ireland?) + need to mobilise wide public awareness • Inadequate authority & responsibility = fog created around terminology’/concepts • Inadequate human and financial capacity applied (skills, resources, knowledge, time) • Inadequate unity of effort

  18. New efforts are needed to overcome polarised debate, to mobilise support from a wide public constituency, and to encourage [Irish aid] to fully integrate all human rights in their work • adapted from Report of the UN Secretary-General on the Right to Development 2011

  19. It is the way we do business that has to change. This is not a matter simply of the introduction of new human rights projects or … the infusion of human rights language or the addition of human rights components. • UN Human Rights Strengthening Programme, Review 2001

More Related