Institute researcher is most read in International Journal of Human Rights
PhD and senior researcher at the Danish Institute for Human Rights, Hans-Otto Sano, is now one of the most-read authors in the International Journal of Human Rights. His 2017 article, Strengths and Weaknesses in a Human Rights-Based Approach to International Development written with professor Morten Broberg, from the University of Copenhagen, now boasts more than 100.000 views, making it the most-read piece in the journal's publication history. Hans-Otto Sano believes the increasing interest in human rights-based approaches – and significant interest in the article – may, in part, come from the overlap between human rights and the Sustainable Development Goals:
"When you talk about human rights-based approaches, you are also addressing how to implement human rights in practice and how they overlap with the sustainable development goals. I think some of the current interest in human rights-based approaches comes from the insight that human rights implementation forms an integral part of the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals" says Hans-Otto Sano.
This overlap, Hans-Otto Sano says, was not always present in international development. Looking back at the Millennium Development Goals, he says that “there was no formulation on discrimination or inclusiveness of vulnerable groups”, and that “compared to the Millennium Development Goals, the sustainable development goals are much more human-rights friendly.”
Increasing interest in human rights-based approaches
Worldwide, there is an increasing realization that human rights cannot be ignored in the processes of international development work. A human rights-based approach shifts the core mission of development from charity to empowerment – making the people who receive aid key actors in the development processes. But how is it put into practice, and what are its strengths?
Looking to answer that question, Hans-Otto Sano and Morten Broberg present the pros and cons of a human rights-based approach and how it is implemented. Putting human rights into practice has been a key interest in Hans-Otto Sano's work over the years. He argues that “learning from the practice of human rights implementation will also lead us to understand where human rights gain strength, and where they may fail to become the agenda of the day. "
"It's important to understand what human rights can do in the world, and how human rights can remedy some of the problems we have. The more we can understand the potential of human rights, in a global context, the more we can integrate human rights thinking into the Sustainable Development Goals and their implementation."
The article can be accessed free of charge on Taylor & Francis Online.
The human rights-based approach (HRBA) is a framework for development, based on international human rights norms and standards. A human rights-based approach
- is oriented towards the promotion and protection of human rights
- recognizes human beings as rights holders and defines duties for duty bearers
- focuses on marginalized groups and those discriminated against
- aims for the progressive realization of all human rights, taking human rights principles and standards into account
- gives equal importance to both results and processes