human rights

The human rights approach to development currently being promoted moves on from the focus on civil and political rights prioritised earlier to an holistic view of human rights recognising the indivisibility of civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights.

Evolution of Rights-based Approach

In all regions and cultures there have always been struggles against oppression, injustice and discrimination and struggles for human dignity and freedom. At the international level advances in human rights and human development came after the Second World War. In 1948 the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted, for the first time in history acknowledging human rights as a global responsibility. However from the 1950s, although work on international human rights legislation continued, debates were polarized between:

Human rights promoted by political activists, lawyers and philosophers through political pressure, legal reform and ethical questioning. The rights perspective focused on deprivations because of discrimination and civil and political rights as integral parts of the development process. These arguments were particularly prominent in the Western critique of communism the West prioritising civil and political rights.

Human development promoted by economists, social scientists and policy-makers focusing on economic and social progress. This directed attention to the socio-economic context in which rights can be realized- or threatened. These arguments were particularly prominent in the communist critique of Western liberal democracy prioritising economic and social rights.

Finally, from about the mid-1980s and particularly following the ending of the Cold War, these two discourses became increasingly merged in both political and academic debate. An important factor were the many grassroots and international movements of the 1970s and 1980s, including the women's movement, the children's movement and the growing advocacy for rights internationally and nationally.

MAIN INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS

• 1945 Charter of the United Nations and Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948
• 1966 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
• 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
• 1979 The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women
• 1986 the Declaration on the Right to Development
• 1989 the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
• 1993 World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna followed by appointment of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
• 1998 International Criminal Court established in the Rome statute.

An increasing number of development agencies have also adopted a rights based approach, including DFID, SIDA,UNDP and ILO. Many elements of the approach are being increasingly adopted by multilateral agencies like World Bank and the International Development Banks.

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Sources: Hauserman 1998; DFID 2000

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INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH

The largest US-based human rights organization. Set up in 1978 as Helsinki Watch to monitor compliance of the Soviet bloc countries with the provision of the Helsinki Accords. In 1980s Americas Watch was set up to monitor human rights abuses in Central America. HRW now tracks human rights in more than 70 countries, including women's rights, children's rights and flow of arms to abusinve forces. Other projects include academic freedom, humen rights responsibilities of corporations, international justice, prisons, drugs and refugees.

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AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

Founded in 1961 in UK by Peter Benenson in response to abuses in Portgual. Amnesty I is 'independent of any government, political interest or religion...it is concerned solely with the impartial protection of human rights.' At the latest count there were more than 1.8 million members, supporters and subscribers in over 150 countries.

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A RIGHTS BASED APPROACH : KEY AREAS OF CONTENTION

• Individual versus collective rights?
• Rights or responsibilities?
• Relationship between rights, needs and poverty?
• Formal legal rights versus customary rights?
• Universal rights versus cultural diversity?
• Who defines rights in whose interests?