The Rights and Gender Perspective Presentation at the International Seminar on the Rights and Gender Perspective Nairobi November

The Rights and Gender Perspective 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-basedRights-based Individuals are objects of development Individuals are empowered to claim their rights, subjects People are passive beneficiaries Men and women are active participants by right Needs can be prioritised, e g basic needs Rights are indivisible, no hierarchy of rights Needs may generate promises, no duty 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:  informing  consulting  deciding together  acting together  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 duty- bearers. “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 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!