Budgeting for Human Rights
Budgeting for Human Rights entails the inclusion of perspectives on and costs of realizing human rights in the budget cycle, namely, in strategy development, planning and budget allocation, and spending and auditing.
Economic, social and cultural rights and the related obligations of states as the primary duty-holder have already been well defined. Now, the step required is to address issues of cost: How much would it cost to fulfil the right to food in Tanzania for instance? A government’s determination to fulfil its human rights obligations should be reflected in its national budget. But, while most national budgets include allocations for health-care and education, budgets are yet to be conceived as part of the fulfilment of governments’ obligations regarding citizens’ human rights. Human rights advocates, therefore, need to develop tools to increase pressure for the provision of a core allocation of resources to guarantee that (at least) core human rights obligations are met. Human rights activists, development workers and economists should work together on this interface. They must lobby for policies and budgets that are planned in accordance with human rights obligations. This practical advocacy approach must be directed towards budgeting authorities at all levels as well as other institutions that have influence at local, national and international level (e.g. UN-organisations, World Bank and IMF).
The Budgeting for Human Rights Initiative was conceptualised by the APRODEV Rights and Development Group in early 2006. In January 2009, Equalinrights - with the support of the APRODEV agencies - institutionalised the project to explore further the feasibility and potential of budgeting human rights in general and the costing and frontloading of human rights, in particular.
The Budgeting for Human Rights Initiative 2006-2008- Phase 1
Phase 1 of the Initiative began with the organisation of an international workshop ‘Budgeting the Rights’ by the Aprodev Rights and Development Group in Geneva in April 2006, exploring whether or not the realisation of human rights - economic, social and cultural rights as well as civil and political rights - could be ‘costed’ and budgeted, and whether methodological hurdles could be overcome. The workshop resulted in:
- The formulation of an introductory guideline - Budgeting Human Rights Guide, January 2007 - by the Aprodev Rights and Development Group
- An awareness-raising event at the World Social Forum 2007 in Nairobi, and
- A workshop in Simla, India in May 2008 to test the idea of a pilot process.
Click HERE for background information on Phase 1.
The Budgeting for Human Rights Initiative 2009-2010- Phase 2
Following on from the workshop organised by the APRODEV Rights and Development Group in April 2006 and with the support of the APRODEV agencies, Equalinrights has since institutionalised Phase 2 of the Budgeting for Human Rights Initiative and is in the process of initiating a 2-year pilot process (2009-2010) with the focus on costing and frontloading human rights in national budgets.
For detailed information regarding Phase 2, click HERE.
What others are doing?
A number of organisations have been working in the area of budgets, policies and/or human rights at the national and international level. Organisations such as International Budget Partnership (IBP) and Fundar are actively involved in developing and exchanging methods, strategies and tools, and working to push this issue forward.
For information on the different ways in which people are making a link between budgets and human rights, sharing practices and engaging in advocacy on this basis, click here.
Meet the APRODEV Rights & Development Group
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