Integrating Human Rights and Development Best Practices

In response to social exclusion and capacity failures at the municipal level, the Rights-based Municipal Development Programme (RMAP) of UNDP Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has partnered with the BiH Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees in order to integrate human rights principals and approaches into development planning at the municipal level. RMAP began its first phase as an assessment, and has since developed into a second phase in which it coaches municipalities on the assesment, planning and implementation of local development plans.

RMAP assists municipalities with a highly participatory and multi-sectoral approach to municipal development, in some instances involving up to 150 people over approximately 6 months. The programme consists of assessment, planning and implementation phases, all supported by a ‘learning-by-doing approach to capacity building’ that links training exercises to ongoing activities such as project cycle management or strategic planning. Human rights principles and approaches are integrated throughout the programme’s phases and the programme team is interdisciplinary. When municipalities have drafted development strategies through a participatory and non-discriminatory process, RMAP facilitates their implementation through further capacity building initiatives, participatory-based selection of projects, and the provision of seed funds for priority projects.

RMAP has evolved dramatically since its inception in 2002, and is now clearly a local leader in rights based approaches to municipal development. RMAP has participated in a regional Community of Practice on the topic, and produced a number of resources and learning tools of interest to other country offices. Though the programme does not explicitly address MDGs, the programme’s long experience is likely to be useful to practitioners working to link human rights and the MDGs in programming.

 

Lessons Learned Integrating Human Rights: Human rights expertise should be integrated into programme teams, rather than outsourced to specialized partners or consultants. Tools for integrating human rights must clear and accessible to local partners, if they are ever to be used as intended. The integration of principled programming with pragmatic programming is only possible if implemented through learning cycles, continually reviewing and refining programmes in light of both principles and practice. Interaction with Stakeholders and Governments: Engage strategic actors vertically (across levels of government) and horizontally (across different sectors). Select partners through a system that encourages competition. Distinguish between inability and unwillingness in capacity assessments. Build ownership through learning-by-doing capacity development.

Tools Developed Phase I tools for assessment and analysis include: Checklists for human rights, and legal frameworks Tools to identify and incorporate vulnerable groups, CSOs, and gender issues Tools to identify causal relationships, guide analysis and ensure the quality of human rights based reporting. Phase II tools for guiding assessment, planning and implementation are gathered in two documents: Primer for Community Leaders on Inclusive Local Development: contains tools for data collection and analysis, incuding human rights and vulnerability assesments (forthcoming, summer 2007). Implementation Manual for Municipalities: outlines project selection, proposal drafting, administrative, financial and monitoring mechanisms.