The Impact of Rights-based Approaches to Development: Evaluation/Learning Process Bangladesh, Malawi and Peru

In integrating human rights, various actors have uncovered numerous questions about the conceptual and practical application of rights based approaches. Donors have questioned the value of rights based approaches as there is no hard evidence of the actual impact and value of rights based approaches.

To address these concerns, the UK Interagency Group (IAG) on rights-based approaches initiated a two-year Evaluation/Learning Process to examine the impact of rights based and non-rights based approaches to development on the multidimensional experience of poverty and the realisation of the Millenium Development Goals.

The broad objectives of the rights based approach Learning Process were to:

- Generate substansive and meaningful comparison, between selected non-rights based approaches and rights based approaches to development;

- Assess the relative impact of the approaches determine why difference in impact exists;

- Assess factors which have led to successes or challenges and which can inform development of future projects.

Three countries were focused upon, namely Bangladesh, Malawi and Peru. In total fourteen case studies were developed of which seven covered rights based approaches projects whereas the other seven covered non-rights based approaches.

Results of this evaluation shows that even though both rights based approaches and non-rights based approaches demonstrate positive impact, the  rights based approaches projects are having considerable more success than non-rights based approaches projects in attaining impact that will lead to sustained positive change.

Geographic Coverage

Bangladesh
Malawi
Peru

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