“LOCAL POLICIES SHOULD BE BASED ON HUMAN RIGHTS”: HOW A HUMAN RIGHTS-BASED APPROACH IS CHANGING COMMUNITY LIFE
Ukraine is completing the decentralization process, which should promote democratization and the greater involvement of residents of small towns and villages in decision-making. However, vulnerable groups of the people, such as lonely elderly people or people with disabilities, are often deprived of the opportunity to fulfill their rights and to participate in decision-making. From April 2019 through March 2020, the Human Rights-Based Approach to Community Development project was implemented in order to help resolve this problem.
The project started off with training events for teams that represented their communities. Each team included representatives of local authorities, initiative groups, and civil activists. Project leader Ruslana Burova believes that this team composition is the most effective for jointly searching for solutions and implementing changes in communities that will help promote equal rights and opportunities for all community residents.
After identifying the key problems of their communities, each team began to research the local state of affairs regarding human rights through questionnaires, interviews, and studying local regulations. The research aimed to identify specific mechanisms for safeguarding and protecting human rights at the local level, and to understand to what extent the principles of equality, non-discrimination, participation, transparency and accountability are implemented in local policies.
How a modern youth space was created in Chernihiv Oblast
Komarivka amalgamated territorial community had two burning issues. First, the outflow of young people from the villages. Second, young people who were growing up in the village had no space where they could spend their leisure time, develop themselves, and acquire social competencies. To find information on the Internet they had to go to the village council building and use its Wi-Fi. This put the team onto the idea of creating a Youth Space. With that in mind, they decided to turn the old village club into such a space.
“We couldn’t even imagine that this would generate such involvement by community members, the local government and such joint activity. People were incredibly enthusiastic and involved — many residents helped us clean out the space, take out the rubbish, and make repairs,” Burova said.
This is how a place for young people finally appeared in the village — a modern educational space. The space boasts a human rights film club, and it regularly holds lectures and meetings on the above topic. It also has computers with free access to the Internet.
How Losynivka community started to take care of its elderly residents
The team from this community in Chernihiv Oblast researched the state of affairs in each village of the community and created a so-called community profile — a vulnerability map that clearly showed the most vulnerable groups in each village, together with the most urgent current needs of these groups. The main, very urgent issue the team chose to resolve was the problem of elderly people who are lonely and no longer able to take care of themselves and their homes. From time to time, these people are visited by social workers, who have to cover 6–8 km by bicycle to reach everyone, even in winter. It became clear that the community had to establish a space for elderly people where they would be looked after on a permanent basis. This led to the idea of undertaking the Social Hostel for Lonely Elderly People project.
The team managed to collect UAH 500,000 in charitable contributions and funds allocated by the local authorities for its implementation. The premises for the centre were available, and it took the team only three months to repair and equip the place. At present, the centre is fully operational, providing assistance to lonely elderly people. The local authorities ensure that there are medical and social workers on staff who have had special training as part of this project.
From a kitchen for homeless people to a development centre for young mothers: an overview of successful cases
An initiative that aimed to meet the needs of elderly, low-income and homeless people was implemented in Zabolottsi amalgamated territorial community in Lviv Oblast. After studying the situation in their community, the local team discovered that there are many homeless people who have no means of subsistence, and are in dire need for food. This put the activists onto the idea to launch a “meals on wheels” service.
Activists have set up an NGO in Smyha community in Rivne Oblast to support children with diabetes, a serious condition, the treatment of which constantly requires a lot of resources and money.
The team from Novoukrainka community in Kirovohrad Oblast focused on the problems faced by young mothers.
“As it turned out they had no space for development, communication, and leisure,” Burova said. “That’s why the community decided to create the Mum Centre. The space, which is currently actively developing, provides young mothers with the opportunity to enrol in an English class, attend educating events, or simply talk to other people.”
How the project has changed people’s community life
According to Burova, the most important aspect of the Human Rights-Based Approach to Community Development project was that community residents themselves chose the problems to be resolved, guided by their needs, and with a view to exercising their rights and fulfilling their desire to actively participate in community life, to interact with the local authorities, and to develop their community.
However, in addition to resolving their problems, they gained something else: experience that will help them bring about change in the future, together with an understanding that change is possible.
“This pilot project in Ukraine has shown that the human rights-based approach is very effective in small populated areas,” Burova said. “Why? Because vulnerable groups there have by far fewer opportunities to participate in processes that promote their rights, and these opportunities need to be expanded by introducing the human rights-based approach”, Burova said.
“The human rights-based approach (HRBA) should be integrated into the policies of every community in Ukraine. After all, local authorities must understand that, while implementing any changes, they have to respect human rights. For example, even if a community desperately needs a road, it cannot be built by demolishing a Romany settlement”.
“The project in Ukraine has provided representatives of the Ukrainian civil society hub network with a wide array of tools that have already been developed, tested and ready for use by other communities across the country. The tools are there — all you have to do is deploy them”, explains Ruslana Burova.
For reference:
What is the human rights-based approach?
The human rights-based approach (HRBA) is globally considered to be the most progressive and effective approach to promoting sustainable development. This means that any social, economic, or cultural development takes human rights into account.
This approach aims to:
1. Bolster and protect human rights;
2. Empower rights holders to fulfill their rights;
3. Expand the capacity of duty bearers to meet their obligations.
The main underlying principles of the approach are equality, non-discrimination, participation, transparency, accountability, and democratic governance, as well as fostering community members’ understanding of what their rights are, and how they can protect them and demand that those in positions of responsibility uphold their rights.
The Human Rights-Based Approach to Community Development project was implemented by the Civil Society Hubs Network, within the implementation of UNDP project “Civil Society for Enhanced Democracy and Human Rights in Ukraine”, and with financial support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. Four NGOs from across Ukraine that are members of the Ukrainian civil society hub network were involved in the project. These were the Committee of Ukrainian Voters, an NGO in Rivne Oblast; the Women’s Perspectives Centre, an NGO in Lviv; the Territory of Success, an NGO in Kropyvnytskyi; and MART, an NGO in Chernihiv.
The entry was authored by:
Yuliia Beba
The entry was edited by:
Tetyana Kononenko, Anna Mysyshyn
Translation from Ukrainian:
Kristina Zasypkina
You can also read this article in Ukrainian
