Human rights approach to poverty reduction strategies: draft guidelines

The paper outlines a set of guidelines produced by the United Nations in collaboration with several organisations for the implementation of a human rights-based approach to poverty reduction strategies The document was compiled by three experts commissioned by the UN, professors Paul Hunt, Manfred Nowak and Siddiq Osmani. The text draws upon both the experience of the international human rights system over the last 50 years, and more recent scholarship by social scientists. It also tries to clarify what a rights-based approach to development means in practice. The document is based on the premise that national and international strategies addressing poverty reduction need to take into account the rights dimension of poverty and its remedies.The draft guidelines are intended to assist countries, international agencies and development practitioners to translate human rights norms, standards and principles into pro-poor policies and strategies. It is meant to become a practical tool to implement human rights approaches to poverty reduction at the country level.These guidelines present key issues involved in implementing poverty reduction initiatives and strategies with an empowering element, such as: <B>Identifying the poor and their needs: </B>from a human rights perspective, poverty consists in the non- fulfilment of a person’s human rights to a range of basic capabilities - to do and be the things he or she has reasons to value. Capability failure is thus the defining attribute of poverty. Some ‘capability failures’ might be deemed more basic than others according to each society’s set of values and priorities, but these guidelines deal with the ones that appear to be common across different societies.<B>National and international human rights frameworks: </B>while the documents spelling out poverty reduction strategies are not legal instruments, they must be consistent with, and informed by, the State's national and international human rights commitments, because this will enhance the strategy’s effectiveness, and because otherwise some features of the strategy may be unlawful. This has significant implications for States as well as for those responsible for policies and programmes that impact on States. <B>Equality and non-discrimination: </B> depending on the particular circumstances of each society, poverty may affect primarily members of certain socially disadvantaged classes, or of certain ethnic or religious groups, women, elderly people or indigenous persons, but in most cases poverty is aggravated by some sort of discrimination. Governments must take special measures to afford effective protection to their most vulnerable, discriminated and socially excluded groups, including the poor, against discrimination by governmental authorities as well as by private actors. <B>Progressive realisation of human rights - indicators and benchmarks: </B> the idea of progressive realization allows for a time dimension in the strategy for human rights fulfilment by recognising that full realization of human rights may have to occur in a progressive manner over a period of time. However, this recognition of a time dimension must be accompanied by certain conditions aimed at ensuring that the State does not take it as a licence either to defer or to relax the efforts needed to realize human rights.<B> Participation and Empowerment: </B> active and informed participation by the poor is not only consistent with, but also demanded by, the rights-based approach because the international human rights normative framework affirms the right to take part in the conduct of public affairs. Participatory approaches normally contain four key stages: preference revelation; policy choice; implementation; and monitoring, assessment and accountability.At a national level, the guidelines are drawn around a certain set of basic rights which empirical data has shown to be relevant to most societies: Right to adequate food Right to health Right to education Right to decent work Right to adequate housing Right to personal security Right to appear in public without shame Right of equal access to justice Political rights and freedoms The paper then offers more detail into approaches to implementing human rights at the International level, with emphasis on the Right to assistance and co-operation. The final chapters give more attention to monitoring and evaluation issues, emphasising the accountability of States and global actors, and the requirements of a human rights approach.