“Development effectiveness means translating rhetoric into practice, by empowering the poor and by taking actions to respect, protect and fulfil international human rights standards in development cooperation. These standards include economic, social and cultural rights and gender equality. Such objectives must guide all development actors in policy discussion and legislation, orient participation and underpin priorities in budgeting, planning, monitoring and evaluating aid.” BetterAid*
Rights-based approach in development means that all development processes and initiatives are rooted in the international Human Rights framework. The approach has been promoted by various CSOs, as well as the UN agencies, but so far has been missing from the major agreements on aid effectiveness. Even though the mention of RBA has finally found a place in the newly endorsed Busan Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation, much to the dissatisfaction of the promoters of the approach it is referred to as the role of uniquely civil society organisation. The Session held at the HLF4 was aimed at presenting the role of a rights-based approach in advancing aid effectiveness and development results as well as encouraging concrete political actions to better integrate rights- based approaches into development cooperation policy.
During the debate, Wellington Chibebe elaborated on how the internationally agreed commitments on human rights and their accountability mechanisms (such as the ILO standards and supervisory systems) offer a framework for mutual accountability between development stakeholders. He also contributed to the debate with practical examples of how the implementation of the rights-based approach can make a real difference in the lives of people. The other discussants included Maina Kiai (UN), Azra Sayeed (APFWLD), Juan Carlos Alurralde Tejada (Bolivia), Anthony Lake (UNICEF), Christian Friis Bach (Denmark) and Heidi Hautala (Finland).
Watch the video recording of the debate:
Read more:
* Development effectiveness in development cooperation: a rights-based perspective, BetterAid, October 2010
