Donors’ understandings of and approaches to human rights vary, although they often have core themes and principles in common. Policies range from rights-based approaches emphasising power and participation, to approaches that use rights implicitly. Some donors focus on a wide spectrum of rights, while others emphasise particular types (such as political or legal rights) or particular groups (such as women and girls).
World Bank & OECD. (2013). Integrating human rights into development: Donor approaches, experiences, and challenges (2nd edition). Washington, DC: World Bank.
What lessons can be learned from recent donor experience of integrating human rights into development? This document review draws on numerous case studies of policies, tools, country programmes and specific projects. It considers five basic approaches to human rights in development programming: a human rights–based approach (HRBA); mainstreaming; dialogue and conditionality; projects and global initiatives; and implicit human rights work. Key challenges relate to institutionalisation, partnerships between donors and partner countries, international reference points such as the MDGs, aid allocations and modalities, policy coherence, and budgets.
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UK Government human rights policy commitments
The UK Government’s human rights policies are based on the international human rights framework outlined in the previous section.
The UK Government policy on ‘promoting human rights internationally’ informs the work of the Department for International Development, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and other Government Departments. The policy sets out what the UK Government does and the key organisations it works with, and includes links to case studies. Promoting the rights of girls and women is currently a key policy area for DFID.
DFID. (2014). Policy on improving the lives of girls and women in the world’s poorest countries. London: DFID.
The role of human rights conditionality in development assistance is a difficult issue. In 2014, DFID issued a Guidance Note describing how it intends to implement UK policy on conditionality, building on lessons learned from experience.
DFID. (2014). DFID Guidance Note: The Partnership Principles. London: DFID.
Multilateral Institutions
OECD: Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development
Survey of experience with integrating human rights into development, published jointly with the World Bank, and already summarised above:
World Bank, & OECD. (2013). Integrating human rights into development: Donor approaches, experiences, and challenges (2nd edition). Washington, DC: World Bank.
The OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises are a non-binding code of conduct intended to promote responsible business practice. They stipulate that firms should respect human rights, and environmental and labour standards, in every country in which they operate. They have been updated five times since they were first adopted in 1976, most recently in 2011.
United Nations
A human rights based approach is one of five core principles that must be applied in country programming under the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) – the other four being gender equality, environmental sustainability, results based management, and capacity development.
United Nations Development Group. (2010). Guidance note: Application of the programming principles to the UNDAF.
The UN has a Common Learning Package on the Human Rights Based Approach (HRBA), originally developed in 2006 and updated in 2011. It is based on the 2003 UN Common Understanding on HRBA.
The UN Practitioners’ Portal on Human Rights-Based Approaches to Programming features a broad collection of practical resources designed to support UN staff. The Portal is also the home of HuriTALK, the UN Human Rights Policy Network.
OHCHR: Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
The HCHR is the principal human rights official of the United Nations. OHCHR has 13 country offices and 13 regional offices worldwide, and deploys human rights officers integrated into peace missions, and advisers based in UN country teams.
Website on Making Human Rights a reality on the ground
OHCHR. (2013). Realizing the right to development: Essays in commemoration of 25 years of the United Nations Declaration on the Right to Development. New York and Geneva: OHCHR.
OHCHR. (2007). Good governance practices for the protection of human rights. New York and Geneva: OHCHR.
How can governance reforms contribute to the protection of human rights? How are governance and human rights linked in the areas of democratic institutions, state service delivery, the rule of law and anti-corruption measures? This publication uses 21 case studies from around the world to show how governance interventions by a range of social and institutional actors can implement human rights principles. Good governance and human rights are mutually reinforcing.
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UNDP: United Nations Development Programme
UNDP. (2011). Fast Facts: Human rights and UNDP.
UNDP. (2000). Human development report: Human rights and human development. New York: UNDP.
The 2000 Human Development Report is perhaps the best starting point on rights and development. It provides a sustained argument that human rights and human development are mutually reinforcing, referring to specific human rights treaties.
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All Human Development Reports can be accessed here.
UNDP-OHCHR. (2010). Toolkit for collaboration with national human rights institutions. New York: UNDP.
National human rights institutions (NHRIs) are institutions with a legal mandate to protect and promote human rights. They are new and unusual institutions: part of the state, but not part of the executive, legislative or judicial branches. Their importance has been highlighted by the UN secretary general. This toolkit is intended primarily to support United Nations Country Team (UNCT) staff who have little or no working experience with NHRIs, as well as partners in the development community. The toolkit’s goal is to provide readers with a good understanding of what NHRIs are, and with tested and useful tools for developing and assessing their work with NHRIs.
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UNICEF: United Nations Fund for Children
UNICEF uses human rights, particularly the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), as a basis for programming.
UNICEF. (2012). 2012 Global: Global evaluation of the application of a human rights based approach to UNICEF programming (HRBAP). New York: UNICEF.
UNICEF. (2007). Implementation handbook for the Convention on the Rights of the Child (Revised Third Edition). New York: UNICEF.
UNICEF. (2007). Implementation guidelines for the Convention on the Rights of the Child. New York: UNICEF.
World Bank
The World Bank’s engagement with human rights has been subject to a degree of controversy due to its policy of non-political engagement with recipient countries. Historically this has meant that it has avoided expanding its activities into what is seen as human rights territory. In the last decade the World Bank has however made inroads into what has traditionally been considered the ‘political’ side of international development due to an explicit embracing of the ‘good governance’ agenda.
The Nordic Trust Fund is a $20 million multi-year and multi donor internal knowledge and learning programme for World Bank staff on human rights. It was established in 2009 and has core funding from Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Finland and Sweden. It funds capacity-building for Bank staff, operational projects, and research.
Nordic Trust Fund / World Bank. (2013). Human rights impact assessments: A review of the literature, differences with other forms of assessments, and relevance for development.
European Commission
The EC’s 2011 Agenda for Change prioritises human rights along with inclusive growth.
European Commission. (2011). Increasing the impact of EU development policy: An agenda for change.
Web page on democracy and human rights.
Bilateral donors
Australia: DFAT (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade)
Human rights are not mentioned in DFAT’s revised (2014) development policy.
Web page on human rights
China
China’s 2014 Foreign Aid White Paper emphasises that ‘imposing no political conditions’ is one of the key features of China’s foreign aid.
Government of China. (2014). China’s foreign aid (White paper).
Canada: DFATD (Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development)
Canada emphasises Human Rights under the Foreign Policy rather than the Development arm of DFATD. Human rights are a central theme of Canada’s foreign policy.
Web page on human rights
Web page on development policy priorities and themes include advancing democracy, promoting gender equality, and strengthening governance.
Denmark: Danida (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Danida places considerable emphasis on human rights– their tagline is ‘fighting poverty, promoting human rights’. Human rights are highlighted in the first phase of Danida’s strategy for development cooperation, and are one of the four focus areas of their work.
Web page on human rights and democracy
Danida. (2012). The right to a better life: Strategy for Denmark’s development cooperation.
Finland: Formin (Ministry for Foreign Affairs)
Web page and resources on human rights
Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland. (2013). Human rights strategy of the Foreign Service of Finland.
France: AFD (French Agency for Development)
AFD has no formal policy on human rights, but funds several rights-related civil society organisations
Human rights are ‘a priority for France’s foreign policy‘.
Germany: BMZ (Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development)
BMZ says that it ‘views development policy as a form of practical human rights policy’. Web page on human rights
BMZ. (2011). Human rights in German development policy: Strategy.BMZ Strategy Paper 4/2011e. Berlin: Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
BMZ. (2010). Human rights in practice: Fact sheets on a human rights-based approaches in development cooperation. Berlin: Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
Japan: JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency)
JICA policy does not explicitly mention human rights. Priorities are addressing globalisation, reducing poverty through equitable growth, improving governance, and achieving human security.
Netherlands: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Promoting and protecting human rights worldwide is a priority in the foreign policy of the Netherlands. Dutch development cooperation policy focuses on four themes, including sexual and reproductive health and rights.
The Netherlands also promotes human rights through its Human Rights Fund.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (2013). Human rights policy – Justice and respect for all.
New Zealand
The New Zealand government recognises human rights as a cross-cutting issue that has significant impact on development outcomes.
New Zealand Aid Programme. (2011). International development policy statement. Wellington: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. (2012). New Zealand Aid Programme. Sector Priorities 2012-15.
Norway: NORAD (Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation)
Norad co-funds the World Bank’s Nordic Trust Fund on human rights and development. However, human rights are not specified as a key priority of Norwegian development cooperation, although they are implied in some thematic areas such as the right to education.
NORAD. (2011). Evaluation of Norwegian development cooperation to promote human rights.
Sweden: SIDA (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency)
Human rights is one of the two ‘fundamental values in Swedish aid’. The first of SIDA’s 6 strategic objectives is ‘strengthened democracy and gender equality, greater respect for human rights and freedom from repression’.
SIDA. (2013). Aid Policy Framework – the direction of Swedish Aid. Government Communication 2013/14: 131. Stockholm: Government Offices of Sweden.
Web page on democracy and human rights
Switzerland: SDC (Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation)
Web page and resources on human rights
SDC. (2006). SDC’s human rights policy: Towards a life of dignity – Realising rights for poor people. Bern: Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation/Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.
Switzerland’s human rights policy commitment
United States: USAID (United States Agency for International Development)
Web page on democracy, human rights and governance
USAID. (2013). Strategy on democracy, human rights and governance.
International NGOs
This section presents links to selected international development NGOs that emphasise human rights or rights-based approaches in their development programmes, as well as to human rights INGOs that emphasise links with development.
ActionAid
ActionAid strongly emphasises a rights-based approach: ‘We help people fight for the rights that they are denied’. Specific themes include food and land rights, and women’s rights.
Amnesty International
Amnesty has been active in calling for greater emphasis on human rights in the post-2015 development agenda.
Amnesty International. (2014). Delivering a just future for all: Why human rights matter to sustainable development . Policy briefing post-2015 framework.
Amnesty International. (2014). Human rights for human dignity: A primer on economic, social and cultural rights (2nd edition).
Human Rights Watch
HRW is active in a range of areas relevant to human rights and development, including children’s rights, and disability rights. It also critiques the human rights records of international development organisations such as the World Bank.
Human Rights Watch. (2014). World Bank: Human rights status report and action plan.
Oxfam
‘All Oxfam’s work is underpinned by a rights-based approach’.
Oxfam. (2014). Quick guide to rights-based approaches to development.
This two-pager briefly summarises what Oxfam means by a rights-based approach to development, emphasising the centrality of power analysis, and the principles of participation, accountability and non-discrimination.
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Plan International
‘Plan’s vision is of a world in which all children realise their full potential in societies that respect people’s rights and dignity.’
Save the Children
‘Securing children’s rights underpins all of Save the Children’s work. By ensuring that governments fulfil children’s rights, we achieve positive outcomes for children’.
Child Rights Information Network
The Child Rights Information Network (CRIN) website also provides a wide range of documents on human rights and rights-based approaches to development in practice, drawn from various NGOs.