Human rights, democracy and governance concerns are prominent elements in the development cooperation policy of the European Community. The relations between the European Community (EC) and 71 developing countries in Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) have proved to be a laboratory for developing ideas on these matters, for translating them into binding treaty norms, and for applying them in practice. The experiences gained in the ACP-EC relationship carry special value because they are the product of dialogue and joint decision-making between groups of developed and developing states. Therefore, 25 years of ACP-EC cooperation under the Lomé Convention provide a rich learning ground for anybody involved or interested in (the debate on) linking development cooperation to human rights and to human rights related concerns. This book explores the international law aspects of the subject. It first investigates the general international legal basis for linking development cooperation to human rights, democracy and good governance. Both the negative and positive ways of making such a linking (by punitive and supportive measures) are addressed. The book then delves into the evolution of Lomé treaty norms on the subject, and into the concrete human rights practices that took shape under them. It explores the contributions to and influence of both the EC and ACP states on those treaty provisions and practices. A comprehensive overview is provided of the support measures and sanctions resorted to in response to the human rights situation in ACP countries. The book assesses the overall experiences gained and presents a synthesis of factors that proved to be constraints or conducive to the efforts to integrate human rights fully into ACP-EC development cooperation. The insights gained could well inform similar efforts undertaken by others.

Human rights, democracy and governance concerns are prominent elements in the development cooperation policy of the European Community. The relations between the European Community (EC) and 71 developing countries in Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) have proved to be a laboratory for developing ideas on these matters, for translating them into binding treaty norms, and for applying them in practice. The experiences gained in the ACP-EC relationship carry special value because they are the product of dialogue and joint decision-making between groups of developed and developing states. Therefore, 25 years of ACP-EC cooperation under the Lomé Convention provide a rich learning ground for anybody involved or interested in (the debate on) linking development cooperation to human rights and to human rights related concerns. This book explores the international law aspects of the subject. It first investigates the general international legal basis for linking development cooperation to human rights, democracy and good governance. Both the negative and positive ways of making such a linking (by punitive and supportive measures) are addressed. The book then delves into the evolution of Lomé treaty norms on the subject, and into the concrete human rights practices that took shape under them. It explores the contributions to and influence of both the EC and ACP states on those treaty provisions and practices. A comprehensive overview is provided of the support measures and sanctions resorted to in response to the human rights situation in ACP countries. The book assesses the overall experiences gained and presents a synthesis of factors that proved to be constraints or conducive to the efforts to integrate human rights fully into ACP-EC development cooperation. The insights gained could well inform similar efforts undertaken by others.

This joint World Bank/OECD volume is the second edition of a 2006 study which charts donor approaches, experiences, and challenges integrating human rights into development policy. It analyses a range of rationales for donor approaches to human rights and results these have yielded in policies, programs and projects.

This second edition of Integrating Human Rights into Development consolidates the findings and research compiled in 2006 with key developments and activities that have occurred in the intervening seven years.

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.

This book enhances touches on why and how we need to work more strategically and coherently on the integration of human rights and development. It reviews the approaches of different donor agencies and their rationales for working on human rights, and identifies the current practice in this field. It illustrates how aid agencies are working on human rights issues at the programing level, and it draws together lessons that form the core of the current evidence around the added value of human rights for development. Lastly, it addresses both new opportunities and conceptual and practical challenges to human rights. By giving numerous examples of practical approaches, this publication shows that there are various ways for donor agencies to take human rights more systematically into account.

This electronic version has been made available under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-ND) open access license. It is increasingly recognised that EU development cooperation policy has failed to meet its stated aims. In this book, Arts and Dickson ask the obvious and important question: if the policy doesn’t work, why bother with it? The authors assess why EU development policy has become largely ineffective, citing among the external causal factors the liberalisation of trade, and the growing influence of US and international actors such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund upon EU policy. It also considers contributing factors within the EU such as the enlargement of its membership and the resulting shifts in priorities. It is this analysis of internal and external factors affecting the decline of EU development policy that makes this study both innovative and unique. It brings together an impressive range of contributors from different disciplines resulting in a thorough and intelligent assessment of the debate. This study will appeal to advanced level undergraduates and academics of European politics in general, EU integration, development studies, and International Relations.