Frequently Asked Questions on Human Rights-Based Approach

Taking the right to health as an example, life expectancyat birth may be a useful outcome indicator for the stateof realization of this right in a given context. The processindicators that reflect progress in areas that may have apositive impact on life expectancy would relate to children’simmunization, the population’s access to drinking water orsanitation, adequate food and participation. Among thestructural indicators would be whether the country hasratified the International Covenant on Economic, Socialand Cultural Rights and reflects it in its law.sults of universal primary school enrolment and completion.Results-based management is the programme managementvehicle, and the programme meant to achieve the selectedresults should be planned and implemented by observinghuman rights-based approach principles.Further reading:Report of the Expert Group Meeting on Housing Rights Monitoring(2003): http://www.unchs.org/programmes/housingrights/documents/EGMHousingRightsMonitoring-FINAL-REPORT.pdf.Interim report of the Special Rapporteur on the right to health(A/58/427): http://www.ohchr.org/english/issues/health/right/annual.htm.30 Is there any contradiction betweena human rights-based approach toprogramming and results-basedmanagement?No. With results-based management, the expected resultsare identified from the outset. A human rights-based approachis also meant to achieve results, although its participatoryprogramming may lead to changes in plannedresults during the programming process.The human rights-based approach’s concern for participatoryprocesses is sometimes perceived to put it in tensionwith results-based management principles. If a developmentprogramme is truly participatory and locally owned,this will likely necessitate changes in planned results duringthe programming process. But this does not mean thatthere is any basic contradiction between the two, becausewithout participatory processes it is unlikely that resultscan be sustained.Results-based management is intended to focus an organizationon planning for and achieving results. It is amanagement approach by which an organization ensuresthat its processes, products and services contribute to theachievement of the desired results—outputs, outcomes andimpacts. 29 Results-based management rests on clearly definedaccountability for results, and requires monitoring andself-assessment of progress towards results and reportingon performance. Human rights also correlate to results; forexample, the right to education translates into the goal or re-29For definitions of these terms, see OECD/DAC Glossary of Key Terms in Evaluationand Results Based Management 2002, http://www.undg.org/documents/2485-Results-Based_Management_Terminology_-_Final_version.doc.31