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A rights based approach to realising the economic and social rights of poor and marginalized women
Aanchal Kapur & Nata Duvvury, International Center for Resarch on Women
2009

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Introduction

Discussions among international donors and development agencies about how to reduce global poverty and increase overall well-being increasingly are focused on realizing human rights - a rightsbased approach to development. Such an approach, in the words of the United Nations, "integrates the norms, standards and principles of the international human rights system into the plans, policies and processes of development."1 In this way, international development moves beyond a donor-client relationship of "givers" and "receivers" to one that is more balanced and embodies partnership. Development assistance programs that use this approach embrace goals of accountability, participation, transparency, empowerment and nondiscrimination.

A rights-based development approach is fairly new in the international development field. It is slowly gaining traction, but few program designers and implementers understand what comprises such an approach and how to use it.

To improve the international development community's understanding of the value of a rightsbased development approach, the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), with funding from Ford Foundation (India), provided technical support to six projects in India from 2003-2005 to help identify both the process of and challenges involved in implementing this approach. Of the six projects, four included development interventions on realizing different human rights, including the right to education, food, livelihood and housing. The other two projects built on existing rights-based community interventions by providing analysis and documentation related to the rights-based development approach. Each project generated a report on their experience in implementing a rights-based approach.

The following report presents a conceptual and operational framework on the rights-based approach to development, with a particular emphasis on realizing the economic and social rights of poor and marginalized women and girls. This report is neither a static framework nor a blueprint. Rather, it provides guidelines and ideas that can be adapted and changed depending on the specific context of development projects and the capacities of people involved.

This report is organized into four sections. Section 1 presents the conceptual framework of a rights-based approach to development, with a focus on definitions. Section 2 outlines an operational framework, including the principles and strategies involved in implementation of a rights-based approach to development. Based on findings and observations from the six ICRW-supported projects (see box on p. 6), the researchers have distilled essential steps to realizing a human-rights approach. This section also discusses strategies for community involvement and multistakeholder participation.

Section 3 highlights the advantages of a rightsbased approach to development and how to sustain its impact. Finally, Section 4 considers the challenges encountered during the course of project implementation, and looks ahead at how innovative development strategies can foster the realization of the rights of poor and marginalized people and communities.

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