RBA Setting Higher Goals: ing services, but it does not necessarily address underlying power inequalities and structural barriers that often inhibit Rights and rights claims of marginalized populations. The challenge for NGOs adopting RBA is to translate an analysis of why those services were not provided in the first place into a strategy that gradually decreases government reliance on external Development aid. This entails looking beyond technical support and adopt- ing advocacy efforts designed to challenge political and social factors affecting the accountability of the public authorities to local communities. Patterns of exclusion and discrimination can also chal- Trade-offs and challenges in implementing lenge the implementation of RBA at the community level. a rights-based approach to development. NGOs adopting RBA are asked to pay particular attention to the most vulnerable and disadvantaged community mem- BY UWE GNEITING, TOSCA BRUNO-VAN VIJFEIJKEN AND HANS bers, but they or their local partners may find it difficult PETER SCHMITZ OF THE TRANSNATIONAL NGO INITIATIVE, to overcome deeply rooted patterns of social and economic MOYNIHAN INSTITUTE OF GLOBAL AFFAIRS, SYRACUSE inequality. Addressing these difficulties of reaching the poor- UNIVERSITY, AND RICARDO GOMEZ, COUNTRY DIRECTOR, PLAN est members of a community and supporting their meaning- GUATEMALA ful participation in political processes requires influencing long-established community dynamics and structures. To do D URING THE PAST DECADE, A RIGHTS-BASED so effectively, NGOs should develop an analysis of existing approach (RBA) to development has proliferated and patterns of discrimination at the community level and pre- blurred the distinction between human rights advo- pare their staffs for engaging community leadership about cacy and development work. As Ellen Dorsey wrote this issue. NGOs (and donors) adopting RBA should be aware in her October 2008 Monday Developments article, RBA is that reaching the poorest and most vulnerable requires sig- attractive because it shifts “the tenor of the discourse from nificant research and dialogue. charity to entitlement” and elevates development goals to “recognized standards and principles” with enhanced inter- Sustainability national legitimacy. More critical observers have cautioned RBA promises to overcome the shortcomings of unsustain- that RBA may be just another rhetorical fad masking a his- able project-based interventions and to reduce the depen- tory of failed development efforts. In this essay, we offer les- dency on external aid. Sustainability is accomplished when sons regarding trade-offs and challenges associated with local communities can independently obligate government implementing RBA on the ground. These lessons are based on a recent evaluation of Plan International’s transition towards RBA in Guatemala, as well as interviews with more than 20 other development NGOs active in the country. We focus on how adopting an RBA framework has affected the Visualization of Plan International’s Stategic effectiveness and sustainability of development interventions Approach Visualization of Plan tostrategic International‘s RBA inapproach Guatemala to RBA in Guatemala as well as the accountability of development NGOs. Effectiveness and impact A shift towards RBA means viewing poverty as a human rights issue, which implies addressing the causes of exclu- Graphic: Plan Guatemala, based on work by UK Interagency Group sion and discrimination. In practice, some NGOs have trans- LACK OF lated this shift into expanded and sometimes contentious LACK OF FULFILLMENT OF CITIZEN advocacy aimed at strengthening local civil society groups. PARTICIPATION Others have emphasized a more cooperative and technical OBLIGATION HUMAN approach designed to strengthen the capacity of duty bear- RIGHTS ers in addition to empowering rights holders. In contrast to conventional human rights advocacy, a cooperative approach seeks to improve government capacity through financial and technical support, and presumes that a government is unable (rather than unwilling) to fulfil its obligations. Organizations emphasizing cooperation with the govern- ment aim to reduce the dependency of local communities EXCLUSION AND on NGO aid by ensuring the delivery of those services now DISCRIMINATION provided by public authorities as the appropriate duty bear- ers. Supporting the government with technical expertise and financial means has the advantage of securing and extend- MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS December 2009 19  RBA agencies to deliver services and can also effectively monitor an unstable and resource-poor context. Seeing direct service the quality of those services. In order to support this form delivery as a means to achieve sustainable development out- of long-term change, development NGOs are likely to look comes, and not an end in itself, is only a small, first step in beyond the local level and adopt advocacy strategies and the right direction. partnerships with national-level civil society and networks of like-minded groups, including human rights groups and Accountability social movements. Advocacy and collaboration amplify the RBA offers the opportunity to redefine the relationship voice of civil society and are essential in shaping national- between NGOs and the communities they are working to level legislation and long-term policies securing government support. While the core accountability relationship fostered support of local communities. by RBA is between citizens and government authorities, Challenges to the sustainability of RBA are manifold, yet NGOs are challenged to clearly define their own responsibili- they differ from sustainability challenges faced in previous ties based on the extent of their presence and influence. development efforts. While assistance-focused delivery of While NGO accountability has lately become a buzzword, services frequently failed to foster long-term independence, several challenges emerge when using RBA to strengthen RBA can create new forms of dependency as local commu- “downward” accountability. First, the idea of universal nities rely on NGOs for organizing their representation and human rights can undermine the motivation underlying maintaining political spaces and access to local and national consultations with participants when those principles are government authorities. The challenge is to gradually trans- viewed as nonnegotiable and as a sufficient basis to legiti- fer these capabilities to the local level and create not just the mize development interventions. Accountability mecha- individual, but collective capacity of rights holders. nisms under RBA may as a result shift toward project A second sustainability challenge concerns the local gov- monitoring and increased participation in project execution, ernment as a duty bearer. Here, a lack of resources and weak which are critical functions but do not sufficiently address administrative capacities can undercut the sustainability of NGOs’ responsibilities towards local participants. Second, any advocacy efforts, in particular when a high turnover attention can shift entirely away from NGOs and towards in elected offices weakens political leadership. Strengthen- the accountability relationship between government and its ing municipal staff and local consultative bodies plays an people. Third, result-driven donor requirements may make important role in overcoming long-term challenges due to it more difficult for an NGO to give significant voice to local communities. It is important for NGOs to address these challenges by defining the role of human rights principles in their mis- February 4, 2010 Register and more info at sion and strategies, by developing policies to resolve poten- www.innovationpartners.com Washington, DC tial conflict between different stakeholders, and by making Early bird Rate = $350 explicit their own responsibilities that come with the power they possess. By acting as a duty bearer, NGOs gain legiti- LEAD from Your Strengths: macy, lead by example and encourage the practice of rights A one day workshop for leaders at claims. While human rights are universal, local communities all levels who wish to rediscover and have to actively define the meaning of those rights for them- reconnect with their strengths and selves and understand that duties are spread across a range help their team members do the same. of actors in the public and private arena. Transitioning toward RBA offers development NGOs a pow- erful framework to improve their practices. However, along with many promises, rights-based approaches bring with LEAD is a 4-step planning tool them significant challenges. They require an international NGO to systematically transform its organizational culture, that draws on the best of: governance, staff attitudes, incentives, skills and program- ming practices. In practice, many organizations tend to resist - Appreciative Inquiry such transformation, not necessarily because of a lack of - Appreciative Intelligence and commitment, but because of organizational constraints such - Positive Psychology as lack of staff capacity and countervailing demands from various stakeholders, in particular donors. Strong and com- to create rapid positive change mitted leadership on every level of an international NGO is and inspired action. essential to overcome any tendency to “water down” the orga- nizational implications of RBA. Only then can RBA generate the benefits to the development field that many are hoping Created and facilitated by Ada Jo Mann, and waiting for. MD Partner in Innovation Partners International, AI pioneer and former Director of the For more information, please contact Uwe Gneiting (ugnei- ground breaking GEM initiative. tin@maxwell.syr.edu) or Hans Peter Schmitz (hpschmit@max- well.syr.edu). 20 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS December 2009