Transcript The Rights and Gender Perspective

The Rights and Gender
Perspective
Presentation at the International Seminar
on the Rights and Gender Perspective
Nairobi November 5-9 2012
The Rights and Gender
Perspective
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Starting point - prerequisites
Principles
Approaches
Methods
The Rights and Gender
Perspective
• Based on the international human
rights:
“ All human beings are born free and
equal in dignity and rights”
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 1
From needs to rights
Needs-based
Rights-based
Individuals are objects of
development
Individuals are empowered to
claim their rights, subjects
People are passive
beneficiaries
Needs can be
prioritised, e g basic
needs
Needs may generate
promises, no duty
Men and women are active
participants by right
Rights are indivisible, no
hierarchy of rights
Rights always imply
duties
The Rights and Gender
Perspective - principles
• Participation – mobilisation –
empowerment
• Accountability and
transparency
• Non-discrimination
Participation ….
• Community members are involved and
contribute to different stages of
development projects.
• Participation from problem identification
to monitoring and evaluation.
• Community members are social actors
with unique insights on their situation-
Participation ….cont.
• Levels/types of participation:
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informing
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consulting
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deciding together
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acting together
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supporting independent community
initiatives
Participation ….cont…
• Methods to engage communities:
 Mobilisation…
 Empowerment….
Close link between participation and
ownership
Accountability
• Refers to the relationship between
rights-holders and dutybearers.
• “All human beings are free and
equal in dignity and rights” – every
human being is a rights-holder.
Accountability…
RIGHTS HOLDER
claims the right from…
DUTY BEARER
fulfils responsibility to…
Accountability…..cont.
• Overall responsibility to assure
human rights lies with the state:
Parliament, ministries, local
authorities, judges etc.
Legal duty-bearers
Accountability…..cont.
• Moral duty-bearers:
Churhes, civil society organizations
are accountable to the
communities they work with.
…. and transparency
• Transparency is a prerequisite for
accountability.
• Transparent with finances, plans,
decisions, results, assessments……
• Systems for open communication
Non-discrimination
• A fundamental human rights
principle:
• Every individual is entitled to his or
her human rights without
discrimination on any grounds
• Equal access to processes and its
benefits
Non-discrimination…. Cont.
• Special attention to most
vulnerable groups…
• …..at the same time identify,
recognise and capitalise on
people’s strengths and assets
The Rights and Gender
Perspective
• Human rights are for all human
beings.
• Women are entitled to the same
human rights as men.
Reality check
The Rights and Gender
Perspective.. Cont.
• 2/3 of the illiterates in the world are
women and girls
• Women produce 60-80% of food in
developing countries, but own less than
2% of land needed for production
• Less than 20% of parliamentarians in
the world today are women.
Gender Equality
• Gender equality is not mainly about women.
• Gender equality is about the relationship
between men and women.
• It does not mean that women and men have
to become the same, but that their rights and
responsibilities will not depend on whether
they were born male or female.
The Rights and Gender
Perspective – challenges and
opportunities
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Identify and analyse root causes
Power analyses
Address obstacles to development
Address gender as part of power
analyses and active non-discrimination
The rights and gender
perspective….
Thank you for your
attention!