Human Rights-Based Approach to Programming - UNFPA - SESSION 8 Advocating for a HRBA: Challenges and Opportunities for UNFPA

Session Overview UNFPA’s advocacy role Advocacy strategies Obstacles and challenges Strategies for challenging contexts Importance of cultural sensitivity Conclusion

UN Country Team Role duty-bearersrights-holders CSO laws policies services data, monitoring remedies information, education participation organization monitoring access to remedies (administrative, judicial) fulfil duties claim rights UN-CT support laws and policies technical assistance service delivery advocacy Information, participation, organization, monitoring Capacity development Source: Action 2 CLP

UNFPA’s Advocacy Role What are the different ways in which UNFPA engages in advocacy? –with governments, other duty-bearers? –with individuals, civil society, other rights-holders? –within the UNCT? –at the international level? –others?

Strategies (1) Know where the government stands on various issues Know how advocacy and programme implementation might be most effectively carried out For example: –legislative reform may be required and legislative capacities may need to be strengthened –policy reforms may be needed to combat discrimination and ensure consistency between macroeconomic and social policies and more equitable public policies

Strategies (2) In order to devise and deliver effective advocacy, engage in environmental scanning Allows understanding of factors that create or constrain an enabling environment Analysis should consider overall legal, political and economic environment, and be sensitive to the critical role of local culture *Remember: An enabling environment entails building a human rights culture

Obstacles and Challenges (1) Challenging contexts include places where there is: Lack of political will to deal with issues seen as especially sensitive or controversial Overt resistance to the concepts and methods of human rights (including for ostensible cultural, religious or other reasons) Open political resistance to human rights

Obstacles and Challenges (2) Challenging contexts include places where there is: Lack of political commitment and/or weak capacity to develop and implement a HRBA Resistance to acknowledging certain populations, and therefore resistance to ensuring the human rights of those populations Cultural or religiously sanctioned subordination of women, and where negative attitudes towards women and stereotypes are deeply entrenched

Obstacles and Challenges (3) Challenging contexts include places where there is: Government that operates in a highly centralized manner, with limited public accountability Violent conflict, widespread poverty or extremely weak capacity, where basic survival or institution building is seen as a priority Generally weak governance or other significant structural and political barriers

Strategies for Advocating in Challenging Contexts Work with culture Emphasize that a HRBA is synonymous with national ownership Show that human rights are not a foreign concept Demonstrate that you know the value of a HRBA Emphasize capacity development Do the best you can in each specific situation Be patient, and work progressively towards change

Advancing ICPD Agenda and a HRBA Without Saying ‘Human Rights’ (1) Talk about the benefits of a HRBA, e.g.: –national ownership –sustainable programmes –capacity development –engenders the trust of the citizenry –improves long-term development outcomes –uncovers root causes of development challenges –use data to show disparities –the focus on process –3AQs

Refer to nationally entrenched rights in constitutions and domestic legal standards Reassure governments that you can help them meet their ‘international commitments’ Share UNFPA’s own efforts to ensure accountability, participation, etc. Change terminology: –‘reproductive health’ or ‘healthy families’ may be less controversial than ‘family planning’ or ‘reproductive rights’ Build development around the strengths and interests of the people involved Advancing ICPD Agenda and a HRBA Without Saying ‘Human Rights’(2)

Importance of Cultural Sensitivity Cultural or religious traditions and practices can be in opposition to UNFPA’s efforts Working to change behaviours and attitudes is extremely time-consuming with limited immediate obvious impact Incremental changes are possible and may be more enduring in the long run. This is the reason why UNFPA promotes a culturally sensitive HRBA Essential to design and implement programmes that work from within a culture

Conclusion Integrating human rights into development assistance is not simply a technical matter resolved by adequate training or better tools and procedures In addition to knowledge of what a HRBA means in practice, it requires negotiation with governments, consensus-building, and adapting to potentially difficult and unfriendly contexts