Integrating Human Rights in EU Development Cooperation Policy: Achievements and Challenges

Abstract

Human rights and democratic governance have gained a central position on the EU’s development cooperation agenda. The paper clarifies how the notion of integrating human rights in development cooperation has been operationalized in EU policy, with emphasis on recent initiatives. New policy efforts and innovations are described as part of three broader strategies for integrating human rights. A first strategy concerns the role of human rights in aid allocation, whereby partner governments lose or gain access to EU development funding depending on their adherence to human rights and democratic governance. Recent policy innovations seek to refine this strategy and adapt it to specific country contexts. Second, the EU provides support for projects and programmes involving actors and processes dedicated to human rights and democratic governance. Recent developments signal a continuing commitment to scale up this ‘direct support’ through increased funding and establishing new mechanisms. A third strategic approach relates to integrating human rights ‘horizontally’ into all aspect of development planning. The concept of ‘mainstreaming human rights’ and a ‘human rights-based approach’ aim to embed human rights in areas such as education, health care or agricultural development. This approach is a relatively new and evolving dimension of EU development policy. Each of these policy strategies face a number of challenges in terms of implementation and effectiveness. The paper briefly presents key concerns and discusses the feasibility of realising a human rights-based development cooperation policy.