People should be at the heart of development cooperation policies

Today, the TUDCN chaired an event in the High Level meeting of the Global Partnership for Effective Cooperation on the Human Rights Based Approach to development (HRBA).

The event focused on human rights and how they should be at the center of development policies.

Emele Duituturaga, a co-chair of the CPDE, a civil society partnership, explained the HRBA:
The need for duty bearers to respect their international obligations, especially the right to development.
AND the need for right bearers to be able to claim their rights.

Mr Martin Bille Hermann, State Secretary of Development Policy, explained how the Danish government has moved away from a development policy based on the needs of poor people towards the rights of citizens.

Finland has also taken this move, as Mrs Anne Sipiläinen, Undersecretary of State for development cooperation and development policy explained. She strongly emphasised how HRBA is the best approach for a quality and effective development cooperation.

This approach is also supported by the European Union which has undertaken research on this approach and is developing a toolkit for the approach to become practice.

As Mr Jürgen Schwettmann, Head of Department of Partnerships and Field Support of the ILO recalled, economic growth without rights can not bring stability nor prosperity.