Needs based development versus Rights Based Development Rights Based Development Workshop Utrecht, July 09, 2009 EqualinRights www.equalinrights.com

1. Human rights-based
development

2. What makes a project rights-
based?
‘Needs-based’ and ‘rights-based’
Look at the differences
What are the elements of rights-based
development?
Can projects become rights-based?

3. Sustainable Livelihood Improvement
Programme, Mchinji, Malawi
• The Problem
• Causes of the problem
• Which rights are not being realised?
• Project Purpose
• Who are the duty bearers (DBs)
• Who are the rights holders (RHs)
• Are the RHs the most discriminated against?

4. Sustainable Livelihood Improvement
Programme, Mchinji, Malawi
• What activities are planned to ensure RHs' rights
are realised?
• What activities are planned to help DBs meet
their obligations?
• If the project delivers a service, what strategies
are in place to ensure its sustainability and
empowerment?
• What empowerment and participation tools are
used?
• Does the project proposal mention values,
approaches or methodologies for
implementation?

5. Elements common to rights-
based projects and programmes
• Action to understand the power
relationships that block or support reaching
goals.
• Partnerships, alliances and networks at any
or all levels, and even across borders.

6. Elements common to rights-
based projects and programmes
• Social exclusion tackled and the capacity
of poor and marginalised to voice and
claim their rights developed.
• Resources for mutually reinforcing and
reciprocal processes of accountability at
all levels of operation.

7. Elements common to rights-
based projects and programmes
• Focus on relationships between all
stakeholders so they can define and fulfil
appropriate roles and responsibilities.
• Participatory and context-specific monitoring
systems focused on significant change in
processes, outcomes and impacts.
Brocklesby, MA and Crawford, S (2005) Rights-based Development: A guide to Implementation
Centre for Development Studies, University of Swansea and CR2 Social Development,
Edinburgh

8. P-A-N-E-L
Guiding principles for rights-based
development:
Participation
Accountability
Non-discrimination and equality
Empowerment
Linked to human rights framework

9. CARE International’s point of view
RBA means that
• we support poor and marginalised people’s efforts to take control of their
own lives and fulfil their rights, responsibilities and aspirations.
• we stand in solidarity with poor and marginalised people whose rights
are denied, adding our voice to theirs and holding ourselves
accountable to them.
• we hold others accountable for fulfilling their responsibilities towards
poor and marginalised people.
• we oppose any discrimination based on sex/gender, race, nationality,
ethnicity, class, religion, age, physical ability, caste or sexual orientation.
• we examine and address the root causes of poverty and rights denial.
• we promote non-violence in the democratic and just resolution of
conflicts contributing to poverty and rights denial.
• we work in concert with others to promote the human rights of poor and
marginalised people.
Jones, A (2005) The case of CARE International in Rwanda in P Gready and J Ensor (Eds.)
Reinventing Development? Translating rights-based approaches from theory into practice
Zed Books

10. DCA’s right to food programme
policy
• Sustainable access to food and adequate nutrition
through production, entitlements and increased
purchasing power for men and women;
• Advocacy for increased and gender sensitive food
security at national and international levels;
• Empowerment of the poorest to influence resource
allocation and reduction of vulnerability to adverse
changes;
• Strengthened links between the right to food and:
– reduced vulnerability to HIV/AIDS;
– improved resilience to natural and man-made disasters;
– and efforts in relief and rehabilitation.

11. DCA’s right to food progamme
areas of focus:
Actions for increased accountability - advocacy; legal
enforcement and access to remedies; capacity building
of duty-bearers.
Actions for political and legal empowerment.
Actions for security and protection – this includes provision
of material inputs and services, training in, for example,
sustainable agriculture, food aid in cases of acute need;
and the construction of infrastructure where is serves a
strategic purpose for sustaining the impact of other
interventions to achieve the right to food and where the
service is not provided by the government or other
NGOs.

12. ActionAids’ 10 Point Action Plan for
The Right to Food
1. National laws to be put in place to enshrine every
body’s right to food.
2. All countries need to invest in a welfare system so
that no one goes hungry – actions such as making
sure that every child can have a free school meal are
important steps towards this.
3. Give women more status and rights to feed their
families. Investing in women’s education has been
identified as the single most powerful contribution to
reducing malnutrition over a 35-year period.
4. Increase local production of food for local use.
5. Support women farmers and producers. In developing
countries, women grow 60-80% of the food and yet
they only own 1% of the land.

13. ActionAids’ 10 Point Action Plan for
The Right to Food
6. Adapt to climate change. Poor farmers are on the frontline of
climate change and investment of $US 67 million is needed to
help them adapt.
7. Regulation of trans-national companies that produce or trade in
food and crops – in particular national laws need to be
strengthened to stop so-called ‘agribusinesses’ depriving poor
people of their access to land, water and seeds.
8. International trade laws need to be changed to protect poor
farmers – and developing countries must be allowed to increase
their tariffs to protect the local production of staple foods.
9. End targets and the production of bio-fuels.
10. Speculation in international commodities futures markets – which
includes wheat, maize, rice and sugar – has resulted in a huge
increase in the cost of food. Some way of protecting food prices
must be found so that poor people can still afford to eat.
www.hungerfreeplanet.org