PUBLIC BUDGET AND HUMAN RIGHTS Monitoring budget from a HR perspective: an experience from Brazil Institute for Socioeconomic Studies

INESC - BACKGROUND INFORMATION  It was founded in We are a NGO with a political perspective to influence the decision makers to promote human rights and social justice  Since 1991 Inesc has developed strategies related to budget process. We use budget tools as the basis for strengthening and fostering citizenship rights.  We participate on national and international human rights networks and have developed budget monitoring projects in Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Central America and Netherlands.

HUMAN RIGHTS REALIZATION International TreatiesFerderal ConstitutionLawPublic PolicyBudget ABSTRACT CONCRET

BUDGET AND RIGHTS A budget analysis method from the perspective of human rights.

METHODOLOGY OF PUBLIC BUDGET ANALYSIS FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF HUMAN RIGHTS. GOAL To establish concrete relations between public budget, guarantee of rights and confrontation of social inequalities QUESTIONS -To what degree are government programs and actions actually implementing rights and combating inequalities? -How public policies are financed? -How transparent is the budget for the public and how is the level of participation?

PUBLIC BUDGET AND HUMAN RIGHTS  Apply the maximum of its available resources to promote human rights (ICESCR obligation – art. 2);  Promote the progressive implementation of human rights – civil, political, economic, social, cultural, environmental, sexual and reproductive rights (ICESCR obligation – art. 2);  Guarantee the ESCR without discrimination of any kind as race, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, birth or other status;  Ensure its financing with social justice, (including the fair distribution of revenues that came from the exploitation of natural resources). The State should:

MAXIMUM OF ITS AVAILABLE RESOURCES: PUBLIC DEBT SERVICES % of the Brazilian Federal Budget is expended in interests, charges and amortization of the public debt. - Brazil has maintained the highest interest rate of any large economy. - In the period, the federal budget spent US$ billion on debt service. - Huge impact on available resources for social policies.

BRAZILIAN PUBLIC BUDGET IS FINANCED BY THE POOR PEOPLE AND APPROPRIATED BY THE WEALTHY DUE TO A REGRESSIVE TAXATION OVER CONSUMPTION

Strategies 1. To produce qualified technical and political information about tax justice and the impact in the fulfillment of human rights

Mobilizing organizations and citizens: Protest in São Paulo against conservative Tax Reform

Public Hearings in the Parliament

PROGRESSIVE REALIZATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS: STEPS Some methodological guidelines to analyze government programs and actions in a progressive realization perspective: 1) Define the rights and inequality dimensions that will be analyzed, starting with an analysis of the conjuncture and political context, based on dialogue and networking with SCOs and social movements (Interaction HR groups ) 2) Choose certain programs and actions which express government initiatives to implement rights and also the inequality dimensions selected. (definition of the policy to be analyzed) 3) Verify disaggregated human rights indicators (National HR Indicator System) – Huge inequalities around different groups

PROGRESSIVE REALIZATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS: STEPS 4) Analysis of the framework and the nature of the program (Reference :National HR Plan) · What is the nature of the program and its actions? · What is the scope (benefits granted versus potential universe)? · What is the legal status of the program? · Is program designed from the perspective of rights and no-discrimination? · Is it articulated with other policies? · Is there a federative articulation (decentralization)? 5)Budget: allocation, expenditure and evaluation (Data must be available) Verify the existence of short-, middle-, and long-term goals for government actions? What is the size of the expenditure (amount of funds destined)? What extend the budget allocated is sufficient to achieve the goals? Verify under expenditures.

LABOUR INCOME: Poverty, redistribution and income inequality

Brazil – Homicide Rate – disaggregated by sex and race (black and white male population) Branca Negra

Expenditures Federal Budget – Brazil – 2010/ 2011 (R$)

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ALTERNATIVE BUDGET In the middle term, we also expect that this methodology will enable INESC to develop an alternative budget, based on the perspective of human rights, and propose how much the government should spend on determined areas and programs to enforce rights enshrined in international treaties and the Brazilian legislation. Exemplo:  20 millions brazilians (over 60 years).  21,4% (4,3 millions – no social security covered).  65% black women – informal labour market.  Ensure Social Security Cover for all 4,3 milllions means an allocation of US$12,4 billions.

Working with Human Rights and Budget in Public Schools Working with Human Rights and Budget in Public Schools INESC Institute for Socioeconomic Studies INESC Institute for Socioeconomic Studies

human rights and public budget Since 2007, INESC has conduced a project to educate youths in human rights and public budget. It is called ONDA (WAVE). The project has organized workshops based on the principles of popular and art education, in which participation is vital to developing new knowledge for social transformation. ONDA (WAVE) ADOLESCENTES FIGHTING FOR THEIR RIGHTS

At least 500 teenagers from ten public schools in the Federal District have participated in this project. ONDA (WAVE) ADOLESCENTES FIGHTING FOR THEIR RIGHTS

The heart of the educational process are the workshops in the schools. It is a 5 days workshop that brings the follow content:  Human Rights;  Democratic Participation and State obligations;  Public Budget;  Communication and Advocacy Strategies. ONDA (WAVE) ADOLESCENTES FIGHTING FOR THEIR RIGHTS

The ONDA project have been presented amendments to the Budget Bill in the local parliament in order to renovate schools of Federal District. In 2009, this advocacy process lead by the teenagers managed to approve a budget suggestion of US$1 million to improve the conditions of schools (to build sports courts and auditoriums and to renovate toilets). ONDA (WAVE) ADOLESCENTES FIGHTING FOR THEIR RIGHTS

The teenagers also produced a magazine that deals with human rights issues related to budget. Due to its success, this project was awarded a Social Technology Prize by the Bank of Brazil Foundation. ONDA (WAVE) ADOLESCENTES FIGHTING FOR THEIR RIGHTS Thank you! Alexandre Ciconello INESC´s Policy Adviser