NEW YORK, USA– The Reality of Aid (RoA) Network and CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness organised a forum entitled, “Human Rights-based Approaches in South-South Development Cooperation: Good Practices, Gaps and Challenges” on the sides of the UN Development Cooperation Forum (DCF) High-Level Meeting in New York last 21-22 May, 2018.
The activity brought representatives from Southern governments, international organisations, academia, and civil society to discuss and share experiences on human rights-based approach (HRBA) in South-South Development Cooperation (SSDC) and the extent to which it is operationalised.
“Applying human rights in SSDC would help to shift the framework of development away from a narrow focus on economic growth towards a more holistic appreciation of the multiple (political, social, cultural, etc.) and interrelated dimensions of human development – where development is understood as the process whereby people are able to fulfil their full potential through realizing their human rights,” Amy Padilla of IBON International said in a session.
For years, HRBA is used to clarify the roles and responsibilities of individuals and groups as rights holders on the one hand, and governments and other relevant development actors as duty-bearers on the other.
“Perhaps most importantly, the human rights-based approach to development requires participation from rights-holders in the decision-making processes of the duty-bearer. Conversely, duty-bearers are accountable to rights-holders for human rights obligations under international law and codified in national legislation. This affirms the agency of the poor and marginalized people to chart their own destiny by empowering all people to claim their rights rather than treat them as passive recipients of aid and charity,” Padilla added.
The Policy Research on Operationalising People-Oriented South-South Development Cooperation produced by CPDE and RoA was also launched during the forum. The study, comprised of 10 contributions from various regional and sectoral organisations examined the extent to which SSDC initiatives contribute to the realisation of human rights. The research was intended to help inform policy recommendations on how to further deepen the adoption and implementation of a human rights-based approach in SSDC.
For inquiries, contact Jett San Juan, Reality of Aid at rsanjuan@realityofaid.org
