Is a rights-based approach to development work gaining credence on the international NGO agenda? How do NGOs incorporate rights into their everyday work? Pilot research from the University of London examines how rights- based approaches are interpreted and implemented within Latin American NGOs. Donors have stressed the need, over the last decade, to integrate democratic principles into development work, a position supported by most NGOs since it backs up their own emphasis on rights work. NGO efforts are, however, perhaps being hampered by donor policies that prioritise short-term project funding rather than long-term institutional funding.