human rights and human development

There are inmate relations between human rights and human development. In the Universal Declaration of human rights, human rights were proclaimed as the highest aspiration of common people and whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the while, while the ultimate goal of human development is to improve and enhance the quality of life of all people. Human rights and human development and development share the same purpose. The universal attainment is inseparable from the latter. The latter will be disoriented and meaningless if it does not aim to achieve the former. The human rights framework also introduces the important idea that certain actors have duties to facilitate and foster development. Human development analysis helps to inform the policy choices necessary for the realization of human rights in particular situations (. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Human Development Report 2000)

Human rights are rights originating from human dignity. As explicitly declared in Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” every human being is entitled to all rights and freedoms set forth in this declaration, without distinction of any kind ,such as race colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion national or social origin, property, birth or other status.(ibid). Some of the most important characteristics of human rights are that they: are universal, focus on the inherent dignity and equal worth of all human beings are equal, indivisible and interdependent, cannot be waived or taken away, impose obligations of action and omission, particularly on States and State actors, have been internationally guaranteed, are legally protected, protect individuals and, to some extent groups. (Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1958)

Human rights are also indivisible and interdependent. The principle of their indivisibility recognizes that no human right is inherently inferior to any other. Economic, social and cultural rights must be respected, protected and realized on an equal footing with civil and political rights. The principle of their interdependent recognizes the difficulty and, in many cases, the impossibility of realizing any one human right in isolation. For instance, it is futile to talk of the right to work without a certain minimal realization of the right to education. Similarly, the right to vote may seem of little importance to somebody with nothing to eat or in situations where people are victimized because of their skin colour, sex, language or religion. Taken together, the indivisibility and interdependence principles mean that efforts should be made to realize all human rights together, allowing for prioritization as necessary in accordance with human rights principles.( Millennium Development Goals”, Human Rights Quarterly, vol. 27, No. 3 (August 2005)

Human development is a holistic approach that looks at wellbeing of people. As people’s rights are recognised there is an enhancement in human development index. Human development is the process of enlarging people’s choices, choices being allowing them to lead a long and healthy life, to be educated, to enjoy a decent standard of living, as well as political freedom, other guaranteed human rights and various ingredients of self respect. Measures of human development include human poverty index (HDI) and the Gender empowerment measure. There are six basic pillars of human development and these are equity, sustainability, productivity, empowerment, cooperation and security. (UNDP, Human Development Report 2003)

Peace building is an intervention that is designed to prevent the start or resumption of violent conflict by creating a sustainable peace. Peace building activities address the root causes or potential causes of violence, create a societal expectation for peaceful conflict resolution and stabilize society politically and socioeconomically. Oliver, R., (2011)

Human development and human rights are close enough in motivation and concern to be compatible and congruous, and they are different enough in strategy and design to supplement each other fruitfully, according to the Human Development Report 2000.7 Human rights and human development both aim to promote well-being and freedom, based on the inherent dignity and equality of all people. The concern of human development is the realization by all of basic freedoms, such as having the choice to meet bodily requirements or to escape preventable disease. It also includes enabling opportunities, such as those given by schooling, equality guarantees and a functioning justice system. By realising these human development human rights would also been have realised which then leads to peace building.

Human rights and human development share a preoccupation with necessary outcomes for improving people’s lives, but also with better processes. Being people-centred, they reflect a fundamental concern with institutions, policies and processes as participatory and comprehensive in coverage as possible, respecting the agency of all individuals. For instance, in the human rights and human development frameworks, the development of new technologies for effective malaria prevention is a legitimate and even desirable outcome. But in rolling out these technologies development actors should clearly assess and explain the possible negative effects of the testing, as well as ensure that the technologies are accessible and affordable and that vulnerable groups are not excluded. Human rights contribute to human development by guaranteeing a protected space where the elite cannot monopolize development processes, policies and programmes and this eventually lead to peace building because every group in the community feel recognised. (World Bank, World Development Report 2003)

There are other rights which also need to be protected and promoted; these are civil and political rights. As civil and political rights on one hand, and economic, social and cultural rights on the other, offer different benefits to the state and its people, it is legitimate to consider them separately. One of the key advantages that civil and political rights offer is that they enable citizens to feel involved with the state and that their state, in some way, belongs to them. This is important in terms of nation-building and securing lasting peace, because if citizens have no connection to the state, then they also have no motivation to avoid conflict (. Alston, P. 1995.)

However it is impossible to discuss the role of civil and political rights in creating a sense of belonging to a nation without discussing electoral rights. The right to vote and to stand for election represents a direct method of participating in the building and rebuilding of the nation, and is a right that is essential if lasting peace is to be secured in all societies. Being able to vote is particularly important for creating a sense of belonging between citizens and state. According to the United Nations Office of the Special Advisor on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women, democratic elections have become a central element of peace-building in most societies. This emphasis on elections acknowledges that popularly supported, legitimate institutions can be a key to lasting solutions to conflicts. Only when institutions are democratic and representative of all groups in society, women as well as men, minorities as well as majorities, the dispossessed as well as the affluent are recognised stable peace and national prosperity is likely to be achieved. (http//www.un.org/womenwatch/osagi/wps/publication/Chapter1.htm)

The right to liberty and security of persons is also a major right which shows that human development have been attained within a state. This right, combined with the right to life and freedom from torture, is important for ensuring that people do not have to fear for their safety whilst going about their daily lives. It is a right included in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, article 3 as well as in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, article 9. (Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 3  International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article  19 ) hence it is widely recognised and applied this helps to build everlasting peace as well as development within a state because if citizens are able to feel safe and secure in their environment, conflict is less likely to arise. It is particularly important that this right is successfully introduced into post-conflict societies where persecution has previously been an issue. This is because there is likely to be suspicion among citizens and other peoples that the rebuilding of the nation will result in the reinstatement of persecution.

The right to a fair trial and equality before the law is also another right which shows that human development have been attained within a state. Since equity is among the six pillars of human development it is important to ensure that all people are treated fairly in legal proceedings within newly rebuilt or already existing societies, largely because faith needs to be restored and or should always be within citizens and the ability of the legal system to provide justice. As with the right to liberty and security of person, the implementation of the right to a fair trial and equality is necessary as citizens feel that the state is able to protect them, if they are unable to see this, then they are unlikely to be able to feel that they truly belong within the state and this is likely to bring instability within a state. The protection of these rights is also important to the state more generally a functioning and respected legal system is crucial in securing law and order, being essential if future civil unrest is to be avoided. It follows from this that protecting the right to a fair trial and equality before the law can be a vital ingredient for securing lasting peace. (http://www.un.org/womenwatch/osagi/wps/publication/Chapter1.htm)

In as much as the state may try to observe human rights and human development it is also important to consider the physical and mental wellbeing of the nation as it also contribute to peace building. The physical and mental wellbeing of the nation can be particularly important for maintaining peace and security in societies. A human rights framework that provides comprehensive protection for the human right to health is fundamental for achieving this. Although providing such protection is a difficult political issue even in the world’s wealthiest of nations the provision of real access to healthcare in all nations will help to prevent civil unrest. Such access should include emergency and routine medical treatment, as well as immunization programmes. This will help to maintain lasting peace because, if a society  or a less affluent proportion of that society is suffering from ill-health and disease, that society is much more likely to be rife with discontent. Additionally, creating a healthy nation is likely to benefit the state’s economy a sick nation is unable to work, and is therefore unable to generate wealth. (Alston. 1995)

Another right which is also vital is the right to education. The right to education is vital to improving the wealth of the nation as a whole. Education provides those within a state with opportunities to develop new skills. This, in turn, provides them with the opportunity to generate a higher income. As citizens are able to earn more, it is clear that the nation’s economy will improve as a whole and the likelihood of satisfaction and prevention of frustration can considerably contribute to building a connection with the state. This is also an indicator of one of the pillars of human development which is empowerment. If citizens had the right to education they become empowered and this help to bring peace to a state because educated people know how to solve issues in a peaceful manner. However, if investment is made in the education system, then the state’s economic outlook can improve in the long-term. Moreover, such investment will prevent unrest in the short to medium-term because if citizens can see progress being made and they are given the opportunity to improve their own standard and quality of life, they are far less likely to agitate and resort to conflict. (ibid).

The right to work should also be observed as help to bring peace to a state. One of the pillars of human development is productivity. If citizens are given room to work they become productive for the growth of their state’s economy. As with the other economic, social and cultural rights considered, it is evident that protection of the right to work carries with it the potential to improve the prosperity of the nation. This is because it is important to have an active workforce in order to grow the nation’s economy: if people are given the ability to work, then they are able to go out and earn more money, some of which can then be created as revenue. Nations should therefore aim to provide protection for this right, in order to provide their citizens with the best chance of improving their economic situations. Such protection will in turn reduce unrest and improve the economy thereby bringing peace to the state. (Alston et al, 2005)

For a state to achieve sustainable peace there is need to observe the protection of minorities’ right. Since security is one of the pillars of human development if minority groups in a state are protected they feel secured and this probably lead to peace building. Possibly the most important contribution human rights can make to securing lasting peace is the protection they bring to minorities. This is done both through enabling minorities to use their civil and political rights to influence public policy, and also through ensuring that even the most marginalised groups are able to access provisions needed to meet their basic needs, such as basic healthcare for example. (Gauri, V.)

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the relationship between human rights and human development is very vital as the two complement each other. For instance for a state to achieve all the six pillars of human development which are equity, sustainability, productivity, empowerment, cooperation and security human rights must be observed first. If human rights are observed and human development attained peace will eventually be achieved. Several issues exist within societies, and these need to be addressed in order to rebuild or build nations and secure lasting peace. It is clear that human rights can have an important role to play in this process. Civil and political rights are useful for creating a sense of belonging to the nation, whereas economic, social and cultural rights are valuable for creating opportunities both for individuals within societies, as a whole.

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Universal Declaration of Human Rights, retrevied 03.04.2014

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http://www.un.org/womenwatch/osagi/wps/publication/Chapter1.htm