PHA-Exch> Food for a futureless thought

[Claudio Schuftan]

Human Rights Reader 186



*INTERNATIONAL NGOs DEMAND MORE FUNDS FROM DONORS BUT, WITH THOSE FUNDS,
THEY OFTEN DO NOT ADDRESS CRUCIAL PROBLEMS SUCH AS THOSE RELATED TO
DEPLORABLE LOCAL HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATIONS.*



1. Because poverty is not only about income, but also about the lack of
services, a deteriorating and unhealthy environment, inadequate living
conditions, human rights violations and scant opportunities, development
cooperation --often implemented by international NGOs-- can no longer be
confined to helping provide basic social services.



2. Therefore, because income distribution has become so grossly unfair,
these NGOs must rise to the human rights (HR) challenges found in poor
countries' development policies that are primarily geared towards economic
growth.

[We know many-times-over that in countries with pronounced social divides
(including rich countries…), economic (jobless, ruthless, voiceless,
rootless, futureless) growth tends to boost the incomes of the better-off
much more than it does those of the poor. (R. Jolly)].



3. They say it is a 'chicken and egg' problem. What should come first
--social protection or economic growth?  But the question has been long
answered!  We have seen the growth; but where is the greater focus on
comprehensive social protection to be seen*? If we do not focus on the
latter, GDPs will grow with large sectors of society suffering from
*deteriorating
HR conditions. *

*: Social security, government cash transfers, legal protection, health
care, education, pensions, unemployment benefits, working conditions, labor
standards, social assistance for the marginalized must be all taken into
account. (The International Labor Organization (ILO) has calculated that
poor countries can afford such basic social services with costs amounting to
as little as about 2-3% of GDP).



4. It is no coincidence then that, together with pro-growth policies, all
high income countries rely on social protection packages
(understood-as-'welfare') for their populations to ensure that the lack of
equity does not lead to social unrest.



5. The bottom line is that international NGOs must understand the signs of
the time. The Human Rights Framework* is a tailor-made base to foster these
NGOs work together with local parliaments, with trade unions and *with other
local civil society organizations in a widening pro-HR network.*

*: Importantly, the HR discourse looks-at and addresses the dismal results
of the triple orthodoxy of liberalization, privatization and deregulation
fostered by most of current development cooperation. Furthermore, it
looks-at and addresses the political and historical drivers of aid
allocation which have included postcolonial relations, rich countries
commercial interests, the Cold War and, more recently, the war on terrorism.
So far, international NGOs (and donors) have had only marginal interest in
looking at what their inputs really achieve in terms of social
protection. (F+D,
44:2, June 2007)



6. This networking and concerted action is not only the right political move
for NGOs, but --because HR are the central United Nations thrust, as well as
increasingly becoming subject to rules under the jurisdiction of
international law-- it is also a smart, equitable and potentially powerful
move.



7. Ultimately, the question thus is whether these NGOs are ready to define
themselves as active 'climate-makers' and proactively lay the bases for
meaningful HR work.



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 D+C, 34:9, September 2007.
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