Benefits of using a human rights based approach

There are four main rationales for a human rights approach to development:

1. Legal Argument: states are obliged by the international legal instruments they have adopted to respect, protect and fulfil (ensure the progressive realisation of) human rights for everyone. This is the primary strength of a human rights approach as governments have already voluntarily signed up to these obligations, providing a firm foundation for advocacy and policy formulation.

2. Moral Argument: there is an overarching moral imperative binding every individual and organisation to respect the human rights of others. Empowering people to enjoy their human rights is the correct thing to do.

3. Effectiveness and Sustainability: there is increasing evidence that the human rights approach leads to better and more sustainable human development outcomes. Educated, healthy and empowered people are able to lift themselves and their families out of poverty and contribute to the wider community and economy.

4. Need for Joined up Policy and Action: human rights and human development are two sides of the same coin. An holistic approach is critical to the success of both agendas.

There is overwhelming evidence from around the world that securing enjoyment of human rights leads to human and economic development. In particular, experience indicates the development benefits of:

  • ensuring girls enjoy their right to education
  • strengthening enjoyment of the right to clean water and sanitation
  • strengthening the land rights and security of tenure of poor people
  • prioritising the right to health of children and women
  • ensuring women’s equality particularly in the context of access to land and credit
  • strengthening civil and political rights as a basis for good governance.
Some Lessons Learnt by Rights and Humanity in Applying a Human Rights Approach

  • The achievement of human development requires individuals to enjoy the full ambit of their human rights, personal freedoms, opportunities and choices. This in turn requires a supportive national environment based on the rule of law and good governance, as well as the laws, policies, institutions, infrastructure and services necessary to support human development
  • The necessity to work simultaneously top down on policy advocacy and law reform and bottom up on community empowerment
  • the importance of ownership of the human rights agenda rooted in the values, faiths and cultures of a given society in order to ensure that human rights are not perceived as being imported values or as part of a dominance by western concepts over traditional values
  • the necessity for a participatory, inclusive approach – one which respects diversity and encourages partnerships based on mutual respect
  • the fact that the agenda for the realisation of human rights is an agenda for reform which requires the support and involvement of many sectors of public service and society at large.
  • the benefit of illustrating that respect for human rights is an effective policy across the various sectors of government
  • the importance of identifying appropriate entry points, linking a government’s own development priorities with the promotion and realisation of human rights

Source: Comprehensive Programme to Implement, Measure and Evaluate a Human Rights Approach to Development, 2002-2006, Rights and Humanity, 2001.