Human Rights and Human Development

Feb 20, 2011 Editorial

The Human Development Report 2000, for the first time explored the interconnections between the concepts of human development and human rights: “Human development and human rights are close enough in motivation and concern to be compatible and congruous, and they are different enough in strategy and design to supplement each other fruitfully.
A more integrated approach can thus bring significant rewards, and facilitate in practical ways the shared attempts to advance the dignity, well-being and freedom of individuals in general.”
For instance, one conceptual clarity and richness that the language of human rights can bring to the human development framework is the notion of “claim”. When we say that something is “alright”, we understand that behind that right is a claim of an individual agent on other people or institutions that should help in ensuring access to this freedom. Events in Egypt remind us that human claims cannot be denied forever.
Depending on the kind of rights, claims can take different forms, some in the form of protection from interference and others in the form of positive assistance. But that it is a claim is what is strongly embedded in the language of rights and this can bring about an additional perspective to the framework of human development.
Quite often, it is not enough to mention the goals of development; it is also important to enlist the specific obligations and responsibilities of individual and collective agents to realise these goals.
Conversely, the human development approach can bring in a variety of enrichment to the human rights approach. The human rights literature has thus far shown comparatively less interest in quantitative and qualitative research, while these have been the driving force behind the human development approach. Data collection, analysis, measurement and quantification of problems cannot be an immediate and overall solution to the many maladies of our societies, but it can be of a great help to make precise and relevant interventions. Furthermore, the human development approach can play a decisive role in underlining the importance of people’s social and economic rights.
While theoretically, human rights theorists have been careful to talk of the indivisibility of different human rights and national activism, international interventions have been more focussed on civil and political rights. Organisations that are willing to name and shame individuals and governments for the violation of political rights do not show similar enthusiasm when it comes to failures in the areas of economic rights such as the right to decent living standards and employment opportunities.
Intrinsic to the human development paradigm is the idea that people will not be able to make effective use of their rights if they do not possess the required capacities and at least a minimum of material resources and social conditions. So, the human development approach can make useful contributions to push forward the agenda of social and economic rights.
By 2015, the human development approach would have seen a quarter century of experience and history, coinciding with the target year of the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals. Among the human development theorists and practitioners, there is already a growing worry that the rhetoric of human development does not reflect the reality of human development indicators on the ground; the “policy” impact of the human development approach is much less in proportion to its huge “political” and “public” success.
For example, since 1995 the HDRs, by introducing the Gender-related Development Index (GDI) and the Gender Empowerment Measure (GEM), have tried to underscore, through facts and figures, the gender-biased character of poverty and deprivation, and how in many parts of the world girls and women are much more disadvantaged in terms of nutrition, education, health and self-respect than boys and men.
And yet over the last ten years very few countries can speak of any significant improvement of gender-related development indicators. Taking human development seriously means more investments in social sectors and public infrastructures, and in long-term goals that will enhance the health, educational, employment and social capabilities of people.

Latest News

Human Rights and Human Development

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show|| March, 17th, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

St. Lucia’s Elite Blazers takes aim at FIBA 3×3 World Tour in...

Petra/Milo U18 Football kicks off Round II action...

Track and Field clubs demand nullification of AAG...

Joint Statement from WIPA and CWI on Athlete...

RCNA launches Childhood Obesity Prevention...

FL Sport donates stumps to Meten-Meer-Zorg...

Features/Columnists

Following one’s conscience rather than the crowd

If Guyana’s President Ali is the “Zelensky of the Caribbean”, who is the Putin?

New beginning, or beginning of a nightmare?

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]

Human Rights and Human Development

Share this:

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show|| March, 17th, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Features/Columnists

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]