Human rights

Human rights - overview

Page contents

Where is a good place to start?

The 2000 Human Development Report is perhaps the best starting point on rights and development. It provides a sustained argument that human rights and human development are mutually reinforcing, referring to specific human rights treaties.

UNDP, 2000, 'Human Development Report: Human Rights and Human Development', United Nations Development Programme, New York
How is the international community to achieve universal realisation of human rights? This report by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) suggests that bold approaches are needed. These should be adapted to the realities of the new era of globalisation, to its new global actors and rules. Every country needs to strengthen its social arrangements for securing human freedoms. Legislation alone is not enough.
Access full text: available online

The following DFID-commissioned review is one of the most thorough studies of a donor's progress in integrating human rights into its work.

Piron, L. and Watkins, F., 2004, 'DFID Human Rights Review: A Review of How DFID has Integrated Human Rights into its Work', ODI, London
What lessons can be learned from the UK Department for International Development (DFID)’s human rights work in a range of sectors and initiatives, particularly at the country level? How can human rights make a contribution to poverty reduction? This paper from DFID’s Reaching the Very Poorest Team in the Policy Division documents DFID’s human rights activities in a number of domains. It is designed to serve as a reference document, and contains a number of practical recommendations.
Access full text: available online

Rights, poverty and development

This section provides a brief introduction to some of the theoretical basis for addressing human rights in development assistance. This includes material exploring the linkages between economic, social and cultural rights on the one hand, and civil and political rights on the other. It considers fundamental freedoms, which form part of international human rights law. It also provides information on the status of the 'right to development'.

The following discussion paper provides a useful introduction to the relationships between human rights and poverty, and explores the implications of a human rights-based approach to poverty reduction strategies.

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
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).
Access full text: available online

Although the international human rights framework is based on the principle that all rights are interrelated, interdependent and of equal importance, some argue that some rights are more important than others. A popular argument is that civil and political rights (CP) rights should be prioritised over economic, social and cultural rights (ESC) rights. The following article considers liberal perspectives on rights, which often argue that economic and social rights are less fundamental than CP rights, or are not legitimate or viable obligations for governments. This chapter examines the issues.

Shue, H., 2003, 'Global Accountability: Transnational Duties Towards Economic Rights', in Jean-Marc Coicaud et al. (eds), 2003, The Globalization of Human Rights, United Nations University Press, Tokyo, pp. 160-177
Do transnational duties towards human rights exist? If it is agreed that a child has a right to food, whose duty is it to fulfil that right? This chapter from The Globalisation of Human Rights argues that the wealthy do have a responsibility to the poor. Indeed, they bear more transnational duties toward economic rights than is currently understood. There are chains of responsibility towards the fulfilment of economic rights, and we all have a role in this chain.
Full document: available via document delivery. Please see document summary.

Amartya Sen's ground-breaking conceptual work on freedoms and capabilities can shed light on the moral and political reasoning behind rights. Chapter one of the 2000 Human Development Report, written by Amartya Sen, explores the relationships, compatibilities and differences between the concepts of human rights, human development, capabilities and freedoms.

Sen, A., 2000, 'Human Rights and Human Development', Chapter One in the Human Development Report 2000, UNDP
Are the concepts of human rights and human development similar enough to be complementary? Are they diverse enough to enrich each other? Amartya Sen answers these questions, arguing that human rights and development are indeed mutually compatible. He shows that the promotion of human development and the fulfilment of human rights share a common motivation: enriching the lives and freedoms of ordinary people. The combination of the two perspectives gives us something that neither can provide alone.
Access full text: available online

The following article takes this discussion forward, and attempts to counter claims that cultural difference means that human rights can never be truly universal.

Sen, A., 2005, 'Human Rights and Capabilities', Journal of Human Development, vol. 6, no. 2
Can human rights be understood as entitlements to capabilities? Should an overarching list of capabilities be compiled? How can we ascertain the content of human rights and capabilities when values diverge so much across borders and communities? This article from the Journal of Human Development discusses the relationship between human rights and capabilities and seeks to answer these questions. It argues that neither of these two concepts should be subsumed within the other.
Full document: available via document delivery. Please see document summary.

The 'right to development' forms part of international United Nations policy documents adopted with a majority vote from member states. But it is contested. It is opposed by certain governments, and it does not form part of international law. It has generally received little attention in the policy and practice of governments and development agencies.

OHCHR - Right to Development webpage
The OHCHR website provides information on the 'right to development'.

Harvard School of Public Health - 'The Right to Development Project'
This programme examines how to realize the right to development in practice beginning with the rights to food, primary education, and health.

UK Government human rights policy commitments

The UK Government's external human rights policies are based on the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. This is the most widely accepted definition of human rights, encompassing civil and political as well as economic, social and cultural rights, all sharing the principles of universality and indivisibility. Its principles have subsequently been further developed in a range of international human rights instruments, some of which have been accepted by most states, others not.

 A new guidance note has been produced on the Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA) and what it means for work in DFID. The HRA applies inside the territory of the UK. The "extra-territorial application" of the HRA is currently unsettled, but the document also includes guidance on work in country programmes.

DFID's policy on human rights involves empowering people to make decisions about their own lives in order to achieve poverty reduction and the Millennium Development Goals. Human rights are promoted through the following principles: promoting participation in decision-making processes, building socially inclusive societies, and strengthening institutions and policies to ensure that states and other duty-bearers fulfil their obligations to protect and promote the realisation of rights.

This DFID policy is laid out in the human rights Target Strategy Paper, published in 2000.

Department for International Development, 2000, 'Realising Human Rights for Poor People', Target Strategy Paper, DFID, London
What is a rights-based approach to development? This paper, part of a set compiled by the UK Department for International Development, is concerned with the practical realisation of the human rights of poor people in developing countries. International Development Targets can only be achieved with the engagement of poor people in the decisions and processes which affect their lives. Central to the realisation of human rights, and these targets, are participation, inclusion and fulfilling obligation.
Access full text: available online

The role of human rights conditionality in development assistance is a difficult issue, including the question of how to deal with human rights violations by partner governments. This paper sets out the UK Government's new conditionality policy. Guidelines for DFID staff on how to implement the new policy are forthcoming.

UK Government, 2005, 'Partnerships for Poverty Reduction: Rethinking Conditionality. A UK Policy Paper', DFID, FCO and HM Treasury, UK Government, London
In recent years the UK has been moving away from traditional approaches to conditionality. This paper sets out the current UK government's position on effective aid partnerships. Produced jointly by the Department for International Development (DFID), HM Treasury and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, it is based on a broad range of international experience and evidence. While good policy matters for development, it has proven ineffective for donors to impose policies on developing country governments. Donors should support countries to decide what policies should be included in poverty reduction plans.
Access full text: available online

Two key areas where the UK Government is taking an explicit rights approach are labour standards and HIV and AIDS.

Department for International Development, 2004, 'Labour Standards and Poverty Reduction', Issues Paper, DFID, London
Access full text: available online (document summary available shortly)

Department for International Development, 2004, 'Taking Action: The UK's Strategy for Tackling HIV and AIDS in the Developing World', DFID, London
HIV and AIDS pose a serious threat to eradicating poverty and meeting the Millennium Development Goals. On World AIDS Day in 2003, the UK Prime Minister called for stronger international action to tackle the epidemic and to meet global targets. This document sets out in detail the British government’s strategy for tackling HIV and AIDS around the world.
Access full text: available online 

DFID's focus on human rights as set out in the two International Development White Papers demonstrate how DFID's rights policies relate to their broader mission:

UK Government, 2000, 'Eliminating World Poverty: Making Globalisation Work for the Poor', White Paper on International Development, UK Government, London
Access full text: available online

UK Government, 1997, 'Eliminating World Poverty: A Challenge for the 21st Century', White Paper on International Development, UK Government, London 
Access full text: available online

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has made sustainable development underpinned by human rights one of its international policy priorities. The FCO's Human Rights, Democracy and Governance Group (HRDGG) has produced a strategy to outline the priorities and goals for the FCO in this area between 2005 to 2008.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 2005, The Role of Human Rights, Democracy, and Good Governance in Promoting Sustainable Development and Reducing Poverty, Strategic Priority 7, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, London
How do human rights, good governance and democracy relate to the UK Government’s strategic international policy priorities? This paper, by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), states that sustainable development, underpinned by democracy, good governance and human rights, is vital to promoting an international system based on the rule of law and in turn better able to prevent and resolve conflict. 
Access full text: available online

Additional Information Resources

UK Government Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The FCO has developed a set of pages on human rights, as one of its international policy priorities. These pages provide an online introduction to human rights, including thematic issues, key multilateral organisations and instruments, and UK Government policy.

UK Government Department for Constitutional Affairs
The Human Rights Unit of the Department for Constitutional Affairs has a website laying out UK government position on human rights, including information on the Human Rights Act of 1998.

New additions