Setting Higher Goals : Rights and Development

DURING THE PAST DECADE, A RIGHTS-BASED approach (RBA) to development has proliferated and blurred the distinction between human rights advocacy and development work. As Ellen Dorsey wrote in her October 2008 Monday Developments article, RBA is attractive because it shifts “the tenor of the discourse from charity to entitlement” and elevates development goals to “recognized standards and principles” with enhanced international legitimacy. More critical observers have cautioned that RBA may be just another rhetorical fad masking a history of failed development efforts. In this essay, we offer lessons regarding trade-offs and challenges associated with implementing RBA on the ground. These lessons are based on a recent evaluation of Plan International’s transition towards RBA in Guatemala, as well as interviews with more than 20 other development NGOs active in the country. We focus on how adopting an RBA framework has affected the effectiveness and sustainability of development interventions as well as the accountability of development NGOs.