Many Roads to Justice: The Law Related Work of Ford ... - UNDP

A GU I D ETOTH I SVO L U M E 5interest of human rights and social justice. This introduction nowhighlights key goals of Foundation-supported law work, and illuminatessome significant aspects of Ford/grantee partnerships thatguide the work. Brief descriptions of chapter contents follow.G o a l sFe a t u res of Fo u n d a t i o n -S u p p orted Public Interest Law Wo r kAs the accounts in this volume make clear, law-based strategiesserve as an important tool of Ford grantees for advancinghuman rights, equitable and sustainable development, civic participation,and government accountability. The most fundamentalof these goals is the promotion and protection of human rights,often on behalf of disadvantaged groups. Law used in this wayhas challenged repressive governments, won systemic change forvulnerable populations, and protected individuals from humanrights violations. Grantees are increasingly employing legalstrategies to address social, cultural, and economic rights in additionto civil and political rights.Human rights–related law efforts are, at bottom, about concreteimprovements in people’s lives, improvements that, evenwhen incremental, can make a tremendous difference to that larg eslice of humanity that lives on the margins of economic and physicalsecurity. Advancing human rights and achieving concretebenefits for individuals and groups often include advocating formore equitable institutional processes and practices, so as not toleave the poor and vulnerable behind.Law can also promote the goal of equitable and sustainabledevelopment, which aims to secure overall economic progress fora society, as well as political, social, and economic changes thatbuild the capacities of disadvantaged populations, eliminate barriersto their participation in community and government decisionmaking,and improve their material and social circumstances.Such phenomena cannot be measured in strict economic terms.They reflect a broader, more holistic conception of developmentthat extends beyond economic growth to embrace a healthy envi-