What is a human rights based approach to development?
The human rights based approach to development (HRBA) is a methodology, a process and a goal in development work. It prioritises agency for those living in poverty to drive the development process and integrates human rights within the heart of decision-making for transformative change. The HRBA shifts development initiatives from a focus on the needs of people living in poverty to recognition of their equal rights to access resources necessary for their well-being and social inclusion. It also tackles the unequal power relations underlying poverty and social injustice. It redresses the principle causes of exclusion and empowers those living in poverty to renegotiate their relationship with the State and other groups, to effect meaningful changes in their own lives and to influence their future.
The human rights-based approach is a recent model that continues to develop through a process of learning and sharing experiences. However, there is now evolving global consensus on the essential elements of a HRBA. The elements: are
- Linking development work with human rights;
- Empowerment;
- Participation;
- Accountability; and
- Non-discrimination and attention to vulnerable groups
The presence and combination of these elements distinguish the HRBA from other approaches, including rights approaches. More traditional rights approaches, for example, focus solely on the State’s obligations and responsibilities, leaving little space for active citizenship or community driven alternatives essential for long-term, sustainable transformation. The HRBA differs by empowering those living in poverty to negotiate their roles and entitlements with the authorities, “so that the State continues to recognise its responsibilities but changes the manner of realising these obligations” (Mitlin and Patel, Re-interpreting the Rights Based Approach – a grassroots perspective on rights and development, http://www.sed.manchester.ac.uk/idpm/research/events/february2005/rights-papers.htm).
