Reinventing Development? Translating Rights-Based Approaches from Theory into Practice

Summary: This book aims to identify what difference a rights-based approach makes in practice, and to contribute to a greater common understanding of what the rights-based approach means. These are urgent tasks given the amount of funding for and organisational investment in human rights. Addressing the range of areas influenced by this approach, the volume spans humanitarian relief, development and conflict resolution. It concludes that not only is human rights reinventing development, but development is also reinventing human rights.

The recognition that the persistence of poverty is closely linked to the denial of human rights has propelled rights-based approaches into the policy and practice of many development NGOs, UN bodies and aid agencies. This book presents the practical experiences of development practitioners who have tried to apply a rights-based approach in their work. Its aim is to increase understanding of the approach by drawing on bottom-up insights, and to identify what difference a rights-based approach makes in practice. What is the 'value added' of a rights-based approach? What difficulties and tensions arise? The case-studies span development, humanitarian relief and conflict resolution. The book concludes that there is potential not only for human rights to reinvent development but for development to reinvent human rights.