In the meantime, a vast majority of states has ratified most international human rights conventions. By doing so, they have committed to respect, protect and fulfil the rights enshrined therein. This holds true for civil and political as well as economic, social and cultural rights. Nonetheless, human rights still remain unfulfilled for many people in developing countries – as well as for some people in industrialized states.

Even though there are overlaps between development cooperation and human rights, the two topics are little intertwined in practice. Since the end of the 1990ies, the United Nations, in conjunction with an increasing number of donors and non-governmental organisations, orient their programmes and strategies more closely toward human rights. This political commitment reflects, amongst others, in the adoption of the OECD-DAC paper on „Human Rights and Development“ (2007).

The paper can be downloaded here:

www.danidadevforum.um.dk/.../DACAOPPen.pdf

What does the Human Rights-based Approach imply for development cooperation?

Development Cooperation puts human rights at the centre of its work: political dialogue as well as concrete development cooperation programmes shall be oriented across sectors towards human rights. The UN-treaty bodies elaborate more precisely what it means to realise the right to food, water or education. Goals and strategies of development cooperation programmes are defined together with partner organisations correspondingly. All development programmes shall contribute to diminish discrimination, to strengthen political participation of marginalized groups and promote transparency and accountability of state institutions. At the centre are sustainable improvements for disadvantaged groups,  i.e. women, the extremely poor, ethnic minorities or persons with disabilities.

When referring to human rights, development cooperation shifts perspectives: poverty is no longer a problem of individuals or groups „in need“ but rather a consequence of human rights violations that oblige partner countries and development cooepration to act. Persons in need become holders of legal entitlements, state partner organisations become duty bearers.

In practice, a human rights-based approach means to support state and non-state partner institutions in designing political and institutional frameworks in a way that enables people to realise their rights. In substance, a human rights-based approach focuses on shifting power relationships in favour of increased social and economic justice.