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Human Rights and Poverty Reduction: A Conceptual Framework

Author: Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
Date: 2003
Size: 46 pages (382)

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Summary

What is a human rights approach to poverty reduction? This paper, by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, is part of the UN's efforts to integrate human rights into its work. It argues that attention to human rights helps to ensure that the concerns of poor people are central to the formulation of Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRSs).

Poverty can be defined either as the failure of basic freedoms (from a capability perspective) or the non-fulfilment of rights to those freedoms (from a human rights perspective). A human rights approach to poverty reduction includes empowerment and participation; recognition of the national and international human rights framework; accountability; non-discrimination and equality and progressive realisation.

Different dimensions of poverty can be addressed more effectively in PRSs by taking a human rights approach. Poverty reduction and human rights are two mutually reinforcing approaches to the same project. A human rights approach to poverty is fundamentally about empowering the poor. This includes: 

• Explicit recognition of the national and international human rights normative framework, including ratification of treaties by States and commitments at recent world conferences.
• Broadening the scope of accountability. It must be accessible (particularly to the poor), transparent and effective.
• Ensuring that vulnerable, marginal, disadvantaged and socially excluded individuals and groups are treated on a non-discriminatory and equal basis.
• Participation of the poor in the formulation, implementation and monitoring of PRSs.

While poverty may be defined as the absence of only some human rights, an effective anti-poverty strategy would have to address a wider range of human rights. For these rights to be realised, certain frameworks must be in place, ensuring that poverty reduction becomes a legal obligation and not charity or a moral obligation.

• In a context of scarce resources, there must be progressive realisation of certain rights. The human rights approach does however ensure that certain conditions are placed on this, so the pursuit of rights is not just rhetoric.
• The State must acknowledge that rapid progress can be made even within existing resource constraints. A time-bound plan of action must be formulated, with targets and indicators.
• Priorities must be set with participation of all stakeholders, and guided by the principles of indivisibility of human rights and non-retrogression (no right can suffer in order to progress another).
• PRSs must be based on a State's obligation to ensure fulfilment of basic rights (e.g. to life, food and health) immediately.
• Developed States and international organisations should adopt an international PRS to address poverty both domestically and internationally. This must include work towards an equitable multilateral trade, investment and financial system, as well as technical and financial assistance.
• Duties to respect, protect and fulfil, and obligations of conduct are important conceptual tools to integrate human rights into PRSs. 

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Source: Hunt, P., Nowak, M. and Osmani, S., 2003, ‘Human Rights and Poverty Reduction: A Conceptual Framework’, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva