1. Written by: Guido Schmidt-Traub
Published online: 22 Jan 2009.
Reviewed by
Shree Prasad Devkota
Second semester,Development Studies
School of Education,Kathmandu
University
3/24/2014 1
An Article Review on “The Millennium
Development Goals and human rights-based
approaches: moving towards a shared
approach”

2. Outline of the Presentation
• Introduction
• Off-track to achieve the MDGs
• Way to achieve the MDGs
• Criticism of the MDGs
• Complementarity of human rights and the
MDGs
• HRBAs in support of the MDGs and
reflection
3/24/2014 2

3. Introduction
• The Millennium Declaration – MDGs on
September 2000
• The Goals as a shared framework-
(UN system, governments, private corporations, civil society
organizations)
• Mid-point to achieve MDGs-2015
• Tremendous progress in Asian countries
• Sub-Saharan African countries are out of track
• Links between human rights and development
communities
3/24/2014 3

4. Off-track to achieve the MDGs
3/24/2014 4
Off-track to
achieve the
MDGs

5. 3/24/2014 5
Way to
achieve
the MDGs
Strong political
commitment
Improve access
to international
trade for long
term economic
development
Increased public
investment and
environmental
management
infrastructure
Way to achieve the MDGs

6. 3/24/2014 6
Criticism of
the MDGs
MDGs are
incomplete
goals with no
reference(socia
l, economic
rights, reprodu
ctive health)
Accused of
lacking ambition
to halve poverty
by 2015
Focusing on
aggregate
quantitative
objectives
Sometimes
considered as
“technocratic” and
“top-down”
Criticism of the MDGs

7. • Relationship between explicit MDGs and
norms(economic, social and cultural rights)
• Integrated goals map for development needs
• Operational, financial and legal issues can be
addressed
• Effective tool, focuses on need of poor
• MDGs and human rights focuses on
principles, standards and obligations
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Complementarity of human rights and
the MDGs

8. HRBAs in support of the MDGs
• Overt recognition and relevance of human rights
obligations
• Ensuring an appropriate legal framework
• Encouraging community participation in realistic
and targeted way
• Promoting MDG accountability mechanisms
• Providing goods and services privately/publicly
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9. Steps to meet MDGs
• Interventions to address goods and services for human
rights obligations
• Governments define and concretise targets as per
country's needs
- Interventions and coverage targets as per the
need(gender, ethnicity)
• Government need to quantify human
resources, infrastructure and financing
• Governments prioritize and sequence interventions
• Preparing MDGs based national development
strategies
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10. Reflection
• Needs of MDGs(only presented table) and
table is not clear
• Not provide the reason of progress
• Forget Sen
• MDGs and HRBS cover diversity ?what after
2015?
• Shared approach, not analyzed in article
• Critical reflection and conclusion
3/24/2014 10

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