En policyanalys av Sidas styrdokument angående deras integrering av FN:s ramverk Human Rights Based Approach

Abstract

Human rights became an important part of the development aid sector in 2003, due to the UN framework Human Rights Based Approach, HRBA. It is used across the sector, including within the Swedish state aid agency, Sida. However, some research claims that it lacks clear guidelines on how to integrate the framework and depending on how aid development actors understand human rights as agreements based on politics, ethics, laws or something else, they understand the HRBA-framework differently as well. That creates unclear understandings on the aid development actors actual meaning of their HRBA-integration. The aim of this study is therefore to critically analyze how Sida, has integrated HRBA in their policy documents. The theoretical framework for this study is a post-structural perspective, with a focus on governance, power and reflexivity and the used policy analysis is called “What’s the problem represented to be?”, WPR. The results of the analysis establish that Sida consider the framework HRBA as a foundation on international law, which connects to a sovereign governance. Their HRBA-integration show that both rights-holders (individuals) and duty-bearers (states) have, and should have the power to counteract human rights violations, however, duty-bearers should have the biggest responsibility. Non-discrimination and participation are further important power aspects of Sida´s HRBA-integration, especially for target groups like girls, women, people living in poverty or in another marginalised situation. However, no attention has been given in the policy documents on how to help non-citizens or how to deal with conflicting human rights. Sida claim that environmental and climate change issues should be addressed consistently, yet the subject is relatively unproblematized in their human rights based development aid policies.