Human rights

Rights and sectors (part 2)

Public financial management and accountability

Legal entitlements need to be translated into government policy priorities, with appropriate resource allocations, if rights are to be realised. The following paper argues that combining a rights perspective with a sound understanding of the technical and political aspects of public expenditure management can help enhance pro-poor public policy.

Norton, A. and Elson, D. 2002, 'What's Behind the Budget? Politics, Rights and Accountability in the Budget Process', Overseas Development Institute, London.
This paper contributes to evolving a wider understanding of PEM and is part of a programme of work to progress the Department for International Development's (DFID) human rights strategy. It looks at the ways in which a rights-based approach can advance pro-poor and gender-equitable outcomes in the budget process and support citizen accountability; and identifies partners, tools and methods that may help achieve these goals.
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Gender budget analysis breaks down government budgets to see how they respond to the different needs of women, men, boys and girls. Gender-sensitive budgeting enables links to be made between human rights instruments, government spending and actual outcomes.

Budlender, D., 2004, 'Budgeting to Fulfill International Gender and Human Rights Commitments', UNIFEM Zimbabwe
How can national budgets be monitored to assess their contribution to fulfilling international gender and human rights commitments? As part of its ongoing work supporting the gender analysis of budgets in Southern Africa, the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) has designed a tool to support this process. It illustrates how various international instruments aimed at achieving gender equality can be used to evaluate gender responsive budgets (GRBs).
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Safety security and access to justice

The following paper explores the extent to which economic and social rights are protected through law, in an overview of the diverse experiences around the world.

Tomasevski, K., 2005, 'Strengthening Pro-poor Law: Legal Enforcement of Economic and Social Rights', Human Rights and Poverty Reduction Background Paper, ODI, London
How can human rights legislation expose and oppose violations of economic and social rights? This paper from the Overseas Development Institute looks at the key lessons that can be learnt from the relatively recent processes of human rights litigation worldwide. It explores the application of human rights legislation in case studies from all over the world. Importantly, the legal enforcement of human rights can support anti-poverty policies, since the poor are more victimised by violations of rights than the rich.
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The Overview in the GSDRC topic guide on Safety Security and Access to Justice provides further resources on human rights and the justice sector.

Piron, L-H., 2005, 'Donor Assistance to Justice Sector Reform in Africa: Living Up to the New Agenda?' Justice Initiative, Open Society
Is donor assistance to promote justice sector reform grounded in an adequate and appropriate understanding of African realities? Does it complement or conflict with the new poverty reduction agenda? This paper from the Overseas Development Institute outlines the history and current status of justice sector aid in sub-Saharan Africa. Justice sector aid could be a pro-poor, long term, developmental endeavour that contributes to the realisation of human rights, but only if key changes take place.
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Sexual & reproductive rights

The following short briefing outlines the links between human rights and reproductive health, and provides guidance on implementing a rights-based approach.

Kols, A, 2003, 'A Rights-Based Approach to Reproductive Health', UNFPA/Programme for Appropriate Technology in Health
Effectively addressing reproductive health problems calls for an integrated, rights-based approach that draws on the fields of health, ethics, law and human rights. This approach can provide analytical tools to identify root causes and inequities, shape humane and effective programmes and policies, and pressure governments into working proactively. This issue of Outlook, published by PATH, outlines the principles, benefits, obligations and implementation of such an approach.
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DFID's policies on sexual and reproductive health and rights are laid out in the following paper.

Department for International Development, 2004, 'Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights: A Position Paper', London
Sexual and reproductive health is a human right, essential to human development and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. This paper by the Department for International Development (DFID) reviews achievements since the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), sets out DFIDs position on sexual and reproductive health and rights, and its view of the future. Important progress has been made, but there remains much to be done to achieve universal access to reproductive health services by 2015.
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This book highlights what is often a stark gap between legally defined reproductive rights and reality, and looks at a wide range of innovative approaches to realise these rights in practice.

Cornwall, A., and Welbourn, A., 2002, Realizing Rights: Transforming Approaches to Sexual and Reproductive Well-Being, Zed Books, New York.
Rights to happy, healthy and safe sex are enshrined in international law, but reality is very different. What new methods can be used to realise these rights? How can the power relations that make so many people vulnerable to sexual and reproductive ill-being be transformed? This book is a collection of innovative examples from practitioners working to overcome these problems. It emphasises the centrality of people’s lived experiences to efforts to improve sexual and reproductive well-being, and of recognising people as social agents rather than passive beneficiaries.
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Social protection

This paper outlines how social protection relates to a broad range of human rights, and how rights-based approaches can contribute to social protection interventions.

Piron, L-H., 2004, 'Rights-Based Approaches to Social Protection', Overseas Development Institute, London.
What can rights based approaches (RBAs) offer to social protection agendas? This paper from the Overseas Development Institute is part of a project commissioned by DFID to assist the development of an institutional policy and approach to social protection programming. It explores the relationship between human rights standards, principles and programming and policies and interventions for social protection in countries worldwide. RBAs offer normative standards and principles, analytical tools and operational guidance and there is a strong congruence between RBAs and social protection.
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What other resources are available on the GSDRC?

The GSDRC's topic guide on justice contains information related to human rights, particularly on its access to justice and transitional justice pages.

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