PHA-Exch> Food for a thought beyond just a nodding assent

[Claudio Schuftan]

Human Rights Reader 184





*IN HUMAN RIGHTS WORK, WE CANNOT WAIT FOR POLITICAL WILL --WE NEED TO
GENERATE IT!* (P. Engberg)



Human Rights in the development discourse have reached a stage-of-no-return
with the climate for the adoption and application of human rights principles
and obligations slowly, but steadily increasing. (W.Barth-Eide)



1. If you agree with the above, the challenge we face is to make people's
rights a more political issue; ergo, we can no longer stay away from
engaging in daily political debates on the human rights (HR) framework.
Importantly, this will have to come to mean
giving-people-a-voice-rather-than-a-message when it comes to HR. (FAO)  This,
since citizenship is claimed and human rights are realized (respected,
protected and fulfilled) primarily through the actual actions of the
affected people themselves.



2. It is frustrating to see so many of our colleagues giving a nodding
assent to the HR framework, but failing to actually apply it. Because of
this, many of them still need to go through a process of more active
politicization.



3. We all do refuse to accept what is unacceptable in HR terms. But we now
must stop tolerating intolerable HR violations. (A. Muller)



4. It does not matter where our activists are or will be coming-from.
Improving health, nutrition or education is as much an issue of economics as
one of welfare, of social protection *and* of HR. (WB, 2006!) Regrettably,
in the current research agenda in these areas, the focus is still
predominantly on descriptive research (what, where and who?) with not enough
emphasis on a) the analytical whys?, and b) on how to translate already
existing and sanctioned research findings into practice…the ultimate way to
change the deplorable HR situation.



5. Ultimately, strong commitment alone is not enough to realize our vision;
we need to be strategic and tactical, as well as realistic (i.e., with
regard to what is not possible to achieve) --and that will be part of our
political apprenticeship.



6. The application of the HR framework has to make sure it always remains
connected to the realities experienced at the household level of the
marginalized and the discriminated…and that is not possible unless we
incorporate the claim holders of these households in the struggle.



7. Capacity development of our cadres is thus not only to get involved in
training to improve knowledge and skills in HR; it also requires that the
concerned claim holders they will interact with a) accept responsibility, b)
have or seek the authority to speak out, and c) have or seek access-to and
control-over the resources necessary to carry out the needed tasks. (D.
Sanders)



Claudio Schuftan, Ho Chi Minh City

cschuftan at phmovement.org

[All Readers can be found in www.humaninfo.org/aviva  under
No.69<http://www.humaninfo.org/aviva%20%20under%20No.69>
]

Adapted from SCN News No.34, mid-2007
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