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Asia-Pacific Lessons Learned Project Developing the Knowledge Base on t he Human Rights Based Approach to Development. “ The process of enhancing people’s capabilities - to expand choices and opportunities so that each person can lead a life of respect and value”.
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Asia-Pacific Lessons Learned Project Developing the Knowledge Base on the Human Rights Based Approach to Development
“The process of enhancing people’s capabilities - to expand choices and opportunities so that each person can lead a life of respect and value”.
What is the Lessons Learned Project (LLP)? • Developed by the Asia-Pacific Regional Office of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNOHCHR) in collaboration with UNDP, UNICEF, UNESCO, Sida and other agencies. Aims to : - write up lessons learned from practical application of HR-based approaches in the form of case studies; • create an internet-based user-friendly database of HR-based projects; and, • provide assistance via the medium of various activities to UN and other donor agencies to integrate HR into their development planning, programmes and projects.
Objectives Long-term objective: Build capacity, primarily of the UN country offices (and other partners) in the region to integrate the HR approach into all stages of development projects and programmes. Short-term objectives: • To create a pool of knowledge based on lessons learned from projects that have tried to adopt the HRBA; • To identify the capacity and knowledge gaps within the UN that are preventing the integration of HRBA into the UN’s development work in the Asia-Pacific;
Objectives (Cont’d) • To identify practical steps that can be taken by the UN to address these capacity and knowledge gaps; • By implementing these practical steps, create a critical, self-sustaining number of competent UN country office programme officers actually implementing HR based projects and increase their competency to support other partners (like the bilateral partners) in this area; and, • Increase understanding and capacity of UN senior management to take a lead on the integration of HR into developing programming.
Partners The main partners of the LLP in the first three phases were: • OHCHR • UNDP • HURIST (a joint OHCHR/UNDP programme) • Sida • UNESCO • UNICEF • Local country-level partners include the UN Country offices (primarily UNDP, UNESCO and UNICEF) and INGOs like OXFAM and Action Aid (and their local partners – local NGOs, CSOs, etc. - in the 9 countries where the case studies are being documented). • Advisory Board comprised of representatives from UNDP, UNESCO, WHO, UNICEF, OHCHR and Sida.
Outputs and Activities Phase One already completed as follows: • Practice of holding quarterly Practitioners’ Forum on Human Rights in Development established - bringing together about 40 practitioners from UN agencies, NGOs /CSOs and development cooperation agencies - to exchange practical experiences on integrating HR into development programmes. • Associated activities.
Outputs and Activities (Cont’d) In the Second Phase of the project, activities included: • Identifying potential HRBA projects for documentation; • Identifying a UNCT partner and a local partner in the identified countries to assist with the project implementation and institutionalization of the lessons learned; • Convening national Practitioners’ Forums on HR in Development in the 9 countries selected for the case studies; developing a network of practitioners for future HRBA work with UN agencies in the region; • Producing a LLP report synthesizing the lessons learned in the project through in depth write-ups; • Exploring opportunities for sharing the lessons learned with other regions in addition to encouraging the implementation of a similar project in other regions.
Outputs and Activities (Cont’d) In Phase Three: Convened a regional workshop in Bangkok (September 2005) to: • Share experiences/lessons learned and take stock of the current integration of HR in development programmes in the Asia-Pacific, • Review key areas of progress and analyze common challenges; and, • Identify entry points or “the way forward” through which to take the lessons learned forward.
Outputs and Activities (Cont’d) FORESEEN/RECOMMENDED ACTIVITIES FOR PHASE Four OF THE LLP INCLUDE: 1) Peer Review of the Volume of Case Studies (incl. a synthesis report); 2) Implementing practical steps as identified in the regional workshop as follows: * Undertaking 4-5 pilots on HRBA; * Setting up a community of practice on HRBA; * Developing knowledge tools (incl. developing a core cadre of trainers comprising selected UN staff established); * Other activities: responding to demand for capacity development on HRBA-related issues from UN Country Offices (and other agencies), drawing on the knowledge developed in Phase Two and tools developed in Phase Four based on the knowledge.
List of HRBA cases documented for the LLP Study under Phase 2 • Bangladesh – The Nijera Kori initiative: A marginalized People’s Movement to fight for land rights; and, Rights-based initiatives of Indigenous Peoples in the CHTs to protect their environmental rights; • Cambodia – UNCESCO Cambodia’s RBA programming in the Education Project for people of the former-Khmer regime; • Fiji – UNDP Fiji’s RBA Programming in the Access to Justice Program in building capacities of island communities to access justice; • India – The Right to Food Campaign; UNDP India’s RBA programming in building capacities of different stakeholders under the Right to Information Campaign; UNIFEM S Asia’s interventions in building pro-positive peoples capacities; and, 2 Right to Education case studies
List of HRBA cases documented for the under Phase 2 (cont’d) • Indonesia – OXFAM GB Indonesia’s partnership with CBOs in advocating for pro-poor farmers’ policies in Central Java; and, UNDP Indonesia’s RBA programming in the Access to Justice Program in post-conflict situations; • Laos – UNICEF Laos/Government’s RBA programming in the water and sanitation project in remote, interior villages; • Nepal – Action Aid Nepal’s REFLECT Programming (an RBA education & literacy initiative for marginalized people) • The Philippines – UNDP Philippines’ RBA programming in building capacities of media groups to campaign and lobby for people’s rights; Vietnam – The UN System’s experiences of undertaking a rights-based CCA in the Vietnam CCA process.
Lessons Learned Positive Lessons Learned: • Enforceable in courts – a shift that is positive, decisive and result-oriented; • Augmented capacities (as observed from levels of empowerment and lower dependency on service-delivery) of claim-holders to demand and claim entitlements/rights; • Leads to increased capacities of duty-bearers (public officials) to fulfill obligations – so that obligations fulfilled/interventions made are sustainable and viable; • Continuing low level of effectiveness of development aid is the result of ongoing dependency of the poor and the marginalized on short-term security measures – use of rights-based programming measures of meso-level duty-bearers are enhanced and made more sustainable by using rights-based approaches.
Lessons Learned Challenges: Lessons Learned • Claim-holders are often “rights-unaware” and are resistant to challenging the status-quo; • Duty-bearers do not have enough capacities (technical, financial, managerial {incl. human}) and often threatened; • Limited programming capacity of meso-level duty-bearers to undertake rights-based programming; also use of such strategies are time and resource intensive (as changes in society are gradual and qualitative).
Lessons Learned Operationalizing Rights-Based Approaches: Lessons Learned • Sophisticated civil society capital imperative; • Diverse approaches/strategies have been used depending on the local contexts – “one size does not fit all”; • Enabling regulatory frameworks (incl. policy & legal frameworks, effective and good governance, functioning NHRCs/Courts and so on) imperative; • Duty-bearers are willing to invest and learn and fulfill their obligations to achieve shared objectives in an atmosphere of mutual trust and collaboration; • Donors/meso-level duty-bearers support imperative – in this case, willing to invest in rights-based approaches and in “doing programming differently”.
