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Dignity Counts. A Guide to using Budget Analysis to Advance Human Rights
The guide was prepared by Fundar, the International Budget Project, and the International Human Rights Internship Program.
When we first created this page five years ago, the idea of combining budget analysis and human rights work was still a new one. We could now describe the combined work as being in its early adolescence—still young, fairly early on in the growth process, with all the bumps and difficulties that entails, but, nonetheless, on its way to maturity.
This page was first created following a meeting co-sponsored by Fundar–Centro de Análisis e Investigación and the Mexico office of the Ford Foundation that was held in Cuernavaca, Mexico in January 2002. That meeting recommended that a space be created where developments in the combined field could be shared with interested parties. The report of that meeting, Promises to Keep, has since become one of the foundational pieces for the combined work.
This space intends to explore, document and encourage the interaction between applied budget work and human rights work. The combined work can encompass a broad range of topics, including the right to information and people’s right to participate in their own government—topics which are addressed more fully in two other theme pages, transparency and participatory budgeting. The focus of this human rights and budget page is the interaction between budgets and other rights, such as the right to health, housing, education or a fair trial.
Our aim is for this page to speak to those already involved in the combined work, and to those not yet involved but interested in applying budget work to their human rights work or approaching their budget work through a human rights lens.
Introduction to Human Rights and Budget Work
Introduction to Human Rights and Budget Work
There is considerable potential for collaboration between groups that do applied budget work and those that work in human rights. They typically share common goals and aspirations, as they both seek to guarantee that the rights of the most vulnerable in society are being protected both in the law and in the budget.On the most basic level, each of these two groups can benefit from learning the other's "language." Many policy proposals and especially the budget are loaded with inaccessible terminology. The ability to understand and phrase policy proposals and critiques in a way that shows an awareness of the underlying budget issues involved is often an effective way to speak to those in power. Similarly, human rights groups are skilled at expressing the values that should be reflected in a budget if it is to fulfil society's obligations to the poor.
This section includes two background papers describing applied budget work and human rights work. It highlights some ways in which the work of each field can enrich each other. APPLIED BUDGET WORK
by Warren KrafchikBudget analysis can help to lay bare the choices confronting a country – The central assumption in budget work is that there are insufficient resources available to meet all existing needs. Budget work forces one to concentrate on what should be the priorities for allocating a nation’s resources, and human rights work can help identify those priorities.
Assessing the adequacy, quality and congruency of budgets and expenditures relative to international or local rights commitments – Governments fulfill their rights commitments in part through allocating and spending money. Budget analysis can help determine if the government is allocating its resources and spending them in line with its promises.
Analyzing the impact of budgetary choices on citizens – The causes of a poor human rights situation can be multiple. Budget work can help identify if budgetary choices are one of the causes.
Costing out the implications of policy choices – A human rights analysis can point to certain choices, and budget work can provide information about the financial cost of those choices.
Identifying sources of (new and reprioritized) policy funding – If a group advocates different spending priorities to better guarantee human rights, budget work can identify where the government may be able to get the necessary funding.
Analyzing the economic efficiency and quality of spending – Human rights need are guaranteed in part by the expenditure of limited government resources. If spending is wasteful, individuals’ rights may remain unfulfilled.
The advocacy efforts of both groups can be strengthened by increased interaction – Budget groups often develop expertise in understanding the budget process and the most effective opportunities for intervention; they may also have contacts and networks with key policymakers specifically involved with budgetary policy decisions. However, budget groups are often relatively new to advocacy and the experience of others, particularly those in the rights movement, may contribute to the effectiveness of a budget group's work.
HUMAN RIGHTS WORK
by Ann BlybergKeeping the human being as the focus - Human rights are about putting the welfare of people first. Asking what the human rights implications are of different budget decisions or options is a powerful way of helping ensure that individual human beings don't get lost in the technical process of budget analysis.
Moral suasion – While applied budget work focuses on the poor, budget analysis as a skill or tool is value-neutral. Human rights are about what is "right" to do. Human rights can thus provide a compelling vision and a moral suasion to arguments made by applied budget groups.
A recognized legal framework – Human rights have been embodied in national, regional and international laws. As such, they are an accepted basis, and in many cases a legal obligation, for government action. Choices made among options using this framework are not perceived as being the subjective wishes of one group, but as priorities agreed upon by a society as a whole.
A way of choosing among different options – Some human rights standards have been developed in great detail; others are currently more broadly stated, but are becoming more elaborated year by year. As standards become more elaborated, they can provide key guidance to policy makers and legislators who need to decide among competing demands on limited resources.
Transparency, accountability and participation are rights-based concepts – Greater transparency, government accountability and participation of affected groups help ensure that budget-making and expenditures are more accurate and effective. Transparency, accountability and participation are, at the same time, basic political rights. As a result, a rights-based approach can add weight to calls by applied budget groups for this transparency, accountability and participation.
"Human rights is a value choice that can help direct your budget choices."
John Samuel, National Centre for Advocacy Studies, India
"I don't think that you can seriously monitor progress on social and economic human rights without monitoring and working on the budget."
Larry Cox, Ford Foundation, USA
