BUDGETS: Budgeting Human Rights

Budgeting Human Rights means to include perspectives and costs of realising human rights in the national budget cycle. This inclides: in strategy development; planning and budget allocation; and spending and auditing. Human rights also need to be included in national policy development.

Economic, social and cultural rights and the related obligations of states as the primary duty-holder have already been well defined. Now, the step required is to address issues of cost: How much would it cost to fulfil the right to food in Tanzania? A government’s determination to fulfil its human rights obligations should be reflected in its national budget . But, while most national budgets include allocations for health-care and education, budgets are yet to be conceived as part of the fulfilment of governments’ obligations regarding citizens’ human rights. Human rights advocates therefore need to develop tools to increase pressure for the provision of a core allocation of resources to guarantee that (at least) core human rights obligations are met. Human rights activists, development workers and economists should work together on this interface. They must lobby for policies and budgets that are planned in accordance with human rights obligations. This practical advocacy approach must be directed towards budgeting authorities at all levels as well as other institutions that have influence at local, national and international level (e.g. UN-organisations, World Bank and IMF).

A number of organisations are currently developing and exchanging methods, strategies and tools, and working to push this issue forward. Find out more here.

Equalinrights invites you to look more deeply into the challenging issues of budgeting economic, social and cultural human rights, and at the attendant challenges and opportunities. Join them to explore how to cost and budget human rights.

If you are interested, please contact: [email protected].

Further information

 

pdf: http://www.crin.org/docs/Budgeting_hr.pdf

Countries

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