Frequently Asked Questions on Human Rights-Based Approach

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FOREWORDAt the dawn of the new millennium, human rights anddevelopment are at a crossroads. On the one hand, thecongruence between human rights and development theoryhas never been more striking. Poverty and inequitiesbetween and within countries are now the gravest humanrights concerns that we face. As the Secretary-General underscoredin his 2005 reform report “In larger freedom”,the challenges of human rights, development and securityare so closely entwined that none can be tackled effectivelyin isolation.United Nations agencies have gone a considerable waytowards reflecting these realities in practice, includingthrough defining a common understanding of a humanrights-based approach to development cooperation, embodiedwithin the United Nations common programmingguidelines. And at the World Summit in September 2005,United Nations Member States gave an unprecedented politicalimprimatur and impetus to the Organization’s effortsto bring human rights to the front and centre of all its work,a shared commitment that through my 2005 “Plan of action”I am determined to support.Yet there remains a chasm between theory and practice,ensuring that the objectives, policies and processes ofdevelopment are channelled more directly and effectivelytowards human rights goals. There are, of course, manyreasons why this is so, including continuing gaps in knowledgeand skills, and difficulties in translating human rightsnorms into concrete programming guidance applicable indiverse policy contexts and national circumstances. Thisis the principal gap that this publication aims to fill, withUnited Nations development practitioners as the primaryaudience.A collective and multifaceted effort is required of humanrights and development practitioners, now more so thanever. Filling gaps in knowledge, skills and capacities will bemeaningless without renewed leadership, commitment andattention to our own internal accountability systems andincentive structures. The valuable contributions brought tothis publication from our United Nations development partnersare testimony to the kind of collaboration that shouldbe further encouraged.While a modest contribution on its own, I hope that thispublication will succeed in advancing our shared understandingabout how the goals of human rights and developmentcan be achieved through more effective developmentcooperation, within wider strategies and coalitionsfor change.Louise ArbourUnited NationsHigh Commissionerfor Human RightsIII
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSEarlier drafts of this publication were shaped greatly from inputs from partner agencies in the United Nations system.The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) wishes to express particular thanks tothe following, although final responsibility rests of course with OHCHR: Carmen Artigas (Chief, Human Rights Unit, EconomicCommission for Latin America and the Caribbean), Marc Derveeuw (United Nations Population Fund Country SupportTeam, Harare), Emilie Filmer-Wilson (Oslo Governance Centre, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)), SaschaGraumann (Deputy Chief, UNDP SURF Bratislava), Nadia Hijab (consultant to joint OHCHR/UNDP HURIST programme,New York), Zanofer Ismalebbe (Human Rights Focal Point and HURIST programme officer, UNDP Geneva), Marcia Kran(Democratic Governance Practice Manager, UNDP SURF Bratislava), Carole Landon (Department of Country Focus, WorldHealth Organization (WHO) Geneva), Else Leona McClimans (Oslo Governance Centre, UNDP), Helena Nygren-Krugh (Healthand Human Rights Adviser, WHO Geneva), Thord Palmlund (consultant to joint OHCHR/UNDP HURIST programme, New York),Barbara Pesce-Monteiro (Director, UNDP Guatemala), Patrick van Weerelt (Human Rights Adviser, UNDP New York), LeeWaldorf (Human Rights Adviser, United Nations Development Fund for Women) and Richard Young (United Nations Children’sFund (UNICEF) Representative, Kyrgyzstan).The drafting suggestions and sustained contributions from Urban Jonsson (UNICEF), Detlef Palm (Chair, Global QSA Group forCCA/UNDAF, UNICEF New York), Fabio Sabatini (Regional Programme Officer, UNICEF Geneva), Christian Salazar-Volkmann(UNICEF Representative, Islamic Republic of Iran) and Joachim Theis (Youth and Partnerships Officer, UNICEF RegionalOffice, Bangkok) deserve special mention.IV
Page 1: OFFICE OF THE UNITED NATIONSHIGH CO
Page 6 and 7: CONTENTSForeword ..................
Page 8 and 9: IHUMAN RIGHTS1 What are human right
Page 10 and 11: housing, food and so forth, the Sta
Page 12 and 13: existence and self-determination, t
Page 14 and 15: IIHUMAN RIGHTS AND DEVELOPMENT8 Wha
Page 16 and 17: 10 What is the relationship between
Page 18 and 19: 13 Does the realization of humanrig
Page 20 and 21: Increasing transparency and social
Page 22 and 23: IIIA HUMAN RIGHTS-BASED APPROACH- D
Page 24 and 25: 4. Participatory process. Accountab
Page 26 and 27: systems, a human rights-based appro
Page 28: “Political” challenges in devel
Page 31 and 32: the grounds of race, colour, sex, e
Page 33 and 34: Ensure that programming processes a
Page 35 and 36: Development agencies may need to mo
Page 37 and 38: oosting empowerment, building socia
Page 40 and 41: ANNEX ITHE SEVEN “CORE” UNITED
Page 42 and 43: ANNEX IITHE HUMAN RIGHTS-BASED APPR
Page 44: 3. Programmes of development cooper
Page 47: 15. OHCHR, “Draft guidelines: a h

Frequently Asked Questions on Human Rights-Based Approach

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