Human rights

About this guide

This topic guide provides an introduction to the interactions and linkages between human rights and international development. Human rights are increasingly visible in international development language, policies and programmes. Human rights, and the principles they are based on, are argued to improve the effectiveness of development programmes. But beyond that, a human rights framework is seen as essential for poverty reduction because it seeks to address the multiple rights denials that cause and shape poverty.

Human rights approaches combine international, regional and national legal frameworks with a focus on individuals and context-specific struggles for rights. Human rights can also be defined collectively, most commonly by indigenous peoples. Approaches to promoting human rights can therefore involve both 'bottom up' empowerment and 'top down' strengthening of accountability institutions. They also necessitate efforts to tackle structural inequalities caused by exclusion, discrimination and unequal power relations.

This guide introduces the international human rights framework, 'rights-based approaches to development', and the policies of various donors and NGOs. It explores how human rights can enhance policy and practice in various development sectors, and examines the relationship between rights, social exclusion and discrimination. The guide uses parallel vocabulary. For the legal aspects of human rights, it employs the controlled vocabulary used in international law. For rights-based approaches and development policy, it uses the language of development agencies.

This topic guide was prepared by Jo Crichton. It was updated in October 2008 and April and September 2009. The GSDRC appreciates the contributions of Rosalind Eyben at the Institute of Development Studies, Katarina Tomasevski at Lund University, John Spall at the International Development Department, University of Birmingham, and a number of people at the Department for International Development. Comments, questions or documents for consideration should be sent to Huma Haider.

Latest additions

The following document summaries were added in September 2009:

• Gibb, H., Foster, J. and Weston, A., 2008, ‘Human Rights and Private Sector Development: A Discussion Paper’, North-South Institute, Ottawa
• Grugel, J. and Piper, N., 2009, ‘Do Rights Promote Development?’, Global Social Policy, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 79-98
• Landman, T. and Larizza, M., 2009, ‘Inequality and Human Rights: Who Controls What, When, and How’, International Studies Quarterly, vol. 53, no. 3, pp. 715-736
• UNESCAP, 2009, ‘Harmful Traditional Practices in Three Countries of South Asia: Culture, Human Rights and Violence against Women’, Gender and Development Discussion Paper, no. 21, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok

The following document summaries were added in April 2009:

• UNFPA, 2008, ‘Negotiating Culture: Building Support for Human Rights’, chapter 2 in The State of World Population 2008: Reaching Common Ground: Culture, Gender and Human Rights, United Nations Population Fund.
• Earle, L., 2008, ‘Social Movements and Citizenship: Some Challenges for INGOs’, International Training and Research Centre (INTRAC), Oxford.
• Boudreaux, K. and Dragos Aligica, P., 2007, ‘Paths to Property: Approaches to Institutional Change in International Development’, Institute of Economic Affairs’, London.
• Crichton, J., Nyamu Musembi, C. and Ngugi, A., 2008, ‘Painful Tradeoffs: Intimate-partner Violence and Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights in Kenya’, IDS Working Paper no 312, Institute of Development Studies, Brighton.
• Stewart, F. and Brown, G., 2009, ‘Fragile States’, CRISE Working Paper no. 51, Centre for Research on Inequality, Security and Ethnicity, Queen Elizabeth House, University of Oxford.

The following document summaries were added in October 2008:

• OHCHR, 2007, ‘Good Governance Practices for the Protection of Human Rights’, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, New York and Geneva
• UNDP, 2007, 'Human Rights and the Millennium Development Goals: Making the Link', Primer, United Nations Development Programme, Oslo
• Foresti, M., Booth, D. and O'Neill, T., 2006, 'Aid Effectiveness and Human Rights: strengthening the implementation of the Paris Declaration', Overseas Development Institute, London
• Manzella, L. and Lusiani, N., 2008, ‘Collective Report on Business and Human Rights: Submission to the 8th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council’, International Network for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR-net), Corporate Accountability Working Group, New York
• Raworth, K., 2008, ‘Climate Wrongs and Human Rights: Putting People at the Heart of Climate-Change Policy’, Oxfam Briefing Paper 117, Oxfam International, Oxford
• International Council on Human Rights Policy, 2008, ‘Climate Change and Human Rights: A Rough Guide’, Versoix, Geneva
• Hunt, P., 2007, 'Neglected Diseases: A Human Rights Analysis', Social, Economic and Behavioural Research Special Topics, no. 6, World Health Organization, Geneva
• Daruwala, M. and Nayak, V. (eds), 2007, ‘Our Rights, Our Information: Empowering People to Demand Rights through Knowledge’, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative
• Goetz, A-M., 2007, 'Gender Justice, Citizenship and Entitlements - Core Concepts, Central Debates and New Directions for Research', in Gender Justice, Citizenship and Development, eds. M. Mukhopadhyay and N. Singh, International Development Research Centre, Ottawa, pp. 15-57
• Srinivasan, S., 2006, 'Minority Rights, Early Warning and Conflict Prevention: Lessons from Darfur', Minority Rights Group International, London 
   
  

New additions