Are rights-based approaches transformative, or merely a new development fashion? What are the implications for donors of adopting them? This discussion paper by the Institute of Development Studies analyses rights-based approaches in international Non-governmental organisationa, multilateral and bilateral donors.
There is a growing interest in adopting rights-based approaches in development. Enthusiasts regard this as re-politicising development, and a powerful force for change. Critics maintain that they are simply another development fashion. Rights-based-approaches (RBAs) are grounded in human rights legislation and bring an ethical and moral dimension to development in contrast to technical, needs-based approaches. They are inherently political because they call for equity, and assist the marginalised in asserting their rights. RBAs are also pragmatic because they provide a vehicle for increasing the accountability of government towards citizens. However, there is a lack of direct accountability in the relations between donors, recipient governments, NGOs, and target communities. This makes the claim that recipients are transformed from being passive beneficiaries to active rights-holders questionable.
Behind the common language of RBAs, multilateral, bilateral and non-government actors see RBAs in four different ways:
- As a set of normative principles that guide how development is done.
- As a set of instruments for developing assessments, checklists, and indicators against which indicators can be judged.
- As a component to be integrated into programming.
- As the underlying justification for institutional strengthening for either marginalised citizens groups or increased accountability, respect and responsibility in government.
RBAs transform the practice of development; from identifying and meeting needs to enabling people to recognise and claim their human rights. They give development agencies the opportunity to shift their approach from unreflective patronage to self-aware exercises of agency on behalf of the poor and marginalised. Key policy pointers are:
- The difficult job of transforming power relations between actors must be accepted and thought through.
- There is a need for direct accountability to the target communities. At present, this is non-existent. Formal institutions may not be representative, or behave fairly. People’s groups may help the marginalised claim rights, but have limited broader impact on society.
- Adopting normative principles should not be mere reference to good intentions while repackaging interventions.
- Care is needed in using the ‘checklist’ approach to avoid introducing another programme layer and then just paying lip-service to it.
- RBAs as an integrated component within programmes risk becoming ‘add-ons’, with no real impact.
- To effectively mainstream human rights in development it is necessary to incorporate all four of the above approaches.
