Human Rights-based approach for development

RIC-NET joined the other members of CSO’s in Uganda and east Africa to participate in the training on Human Rights based approach to development. The training took place from the 15^th-20^th April 2013 at the MS training center for development and cooperation [locally known as Danish center] in Arusha Tanzania. The training content include; understanding human rights based approach and how this can influence work in Africa, human rights frame works, constructions of interventions, translating interventions into objectives and monitoring human rights work.  

team from Uganda

               

Human rights-based approach is an approach for protection and realization of human rights. It uses the established human rights standards as the common framework for assessing and guiding sustainable development initiative. Human rights can be the means, the ends, the mechanism of evaluation, and the central focus of sustainable human development.

Examples of human rights that have been violated include; right to life, right to liberty and security of the person, freedom of movement, the right to privacy, equality before the law, freedom of expression, the right to vote and be elected, the right to work from trade  and unions and to have safe and healthy working conditions, the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, the right to education, the right to an adequate standard of living including adequate food, housing and clothing and the right to take part in the cultural life.

Participants realized that human rights approach are new approach to development because; they are a norm for gender equality, changes the situation of the beneficiary from passive aid recipient to right holders, make the people accountable to themselves and other, there is high level of participation and ownership especially among the marginalized, it focus on how to monitor the outcomes for social and economic rights, it provides a unifying set of standard and a common language thus presenting a potential for greater co-ordination and consistency as well as encouraging a more comprehensive policy response to the structural cause of poverty among the humans.

members brainstorming

Charles presenting the role of alliances

Team at the Africa human right court

It was thus realized that human rights approaches can be used greatly in programming by first analyzing the issues from a holistic human rights perspective [standards and obligations],it can be used for national gender initiatives as the best framework for analysis of gender based problems thus helping in prioritize resources, this approach can too help to bring the CSO’s and other stakeholders in one boat to focus on how alliance with other international institutions can form the struggle for human right defenders.

 In a nut shell, human rights-based approach laid a ground for formation of alliances of right holders, government institutions, right bearers, power actors, mapping for developing strategies of collective voice as well as understanding the different ways of power [power of self esteem, motivation, persuading and humility. It’s a collective responsibility that we can fight child trafficking, sex abuse, women battering, poverty, freedom of expression, ownership of property, freedom of association and the right to choose the best way to leave an individual life. An alliance with all actors can help us change the course of political and social actions in our communities that have hindered human rights.