Time for Development Financiers to #Standup4HumanRights

Global groups call for action to protect human rights in development

December 8, 2016 – Ahead of Human Rights Day, on December 10th, Protection International joined over 45 civil society groups around the world to call on financial institutions, governments, and businesses to stand up for human rights in development processes.

While respect for human rights is essential for development, too often investments in the name of development do not meet the needs or respect the human rights of poor or marginalized communities. Globally, the space for civil society participation in development processes is shrinking and communities are being left out of critical development decisions. Human rights defenders who speak out about development proposals find themselves threatened or subjected to violent attacks.

The month of December marks both the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on the Right to Development and Human Rights Day, the 68th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In honor of this occasion, communities and civil society groups around the world are urging development financiers to take 3 Steps to stand up for human rights:

1) Promote Rights-Respecting Development. Adopt a policy commitment to respect human rights and implement due diligence to prevent human rights violations.

2) Protect Civil Society Participation. Ensure meaningful participation in development processes and promote an enabling environment for civil society.

3) Defend the Defenders. Adopt a zero-tolerance policy on attacks against human rights defenders and enact protocols to prevent and respond to such attacks.

You can read the full “3 Steps to Stand up for Human Rights in Development” statement here.

You can find stories from human rights defenders and more policy recommendations at www.rightsindevelopment.org/hrd.