What is new about a rights-based approach to development? A rights-based approach to development builds on the experiences and expertise of two significant branches of the women’s movement: development and human rights. This primer describes the approach, presents its benefits to the development community, and suggests some ways that it can be used.
According to the primer, a rights-based approach is the protection and realisation of human rights, and therefore both a vision and a set of tools. The author explains that human rights can be the means, the ends, the mechanism of evaluation, and the central focus of sustainable human development. Some of the benefits of a rights-based approach listed are that the situation of the beneficiary or beneficiary group changes from passive aid recipient to rights-holders, and that accountability is central. Further, higher levels of participation and ownership are required.
The primer goes on to demonstrate what this approach can look like in practice. For example, development agencies can apply the rights-based approach in their programming by first analysing the situation or problem from a holistic human rights perspective. Rights-based projects could involve community mobilisation, legislative and administrative measures, policy planning and implementation, law enforcement, resource allocation, and education. This primer argues that while the primary responsibility for realising human rights and women’s rights rests on governments, their capacity to do so is affected by the policies of other actors. Donors, civil society groups, and government ministries can forge alliances in an attempt to integrate the human rights framework into international financial institutions, and trade and investment bodies.