Donor Approaches to Human Rights and Development: Lessons from NGO and Governmental Agencies

During 2005, ODI undertook a study for the OECD DAC Human Rights and Development Task Team reviewing and analysing the approaches of different donor agencies to human rights. This study is the most comprehensive and up-to-date of its kind and has contributed to a process that will lead to the DAC's first policy statement on human rights. Also during 2005, a UK NGO Inter-Agency Group on Rights-Based Approaches undertook an evaluation to test the assumption that implementing a rights-based approach increases the impact of their programmes on poverty. In this meeting, the lead authors of these complementary studies presented their findings and recommendations.

Following the high-level events of 2005, it is important for the development community to both sustain momentum and identify strategic priorities. This meeting contributed to this process by comparing government and NGO approaches and examining the evidence regarding the impact of rights-based approaches. It considered the opportunities for the further integration of human rights within aid policies and strategies, and asked whether governments can learn from NGO experiences.