UK Approach to Democracy and Human Rights Review
Laure-Hélène Piron, The Policy Practice Director, is leading a review of the UK aid's approach to democracy and human rights since 2015 on behald of the UK Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI).
Promoting and protecting democracy and human rights overseas is a long-standing UK government commitment, reiterated in the 2022 UK government’s strategy for international development and the 2021 Integrated review of security, defence, development and foreign policy. In 2015, for the first time, democracy and human rights became globally agreed development objectives, not only through SDG 16, but also as part of commitments to gender equality, combatting inequalities and leaving no one behind. In addition to the SDGs, the UK government is also the initiator and/or an active member of a range of global coalitions, from the Community of Democracies to the Open Government Partnership.
The UK’s democracy and human rights portfolio includes both in-country and centrally managed programmes. The purpose of the review is to explore how effectively the UK aid programme has responded to the emergence of new threats to democracy and human rights on the global stage.
The review will cover UK aid policy, influencing and programmes on these issues between 2015 and 2021. The review will focus on policies and programmes aimed at promoting and protecting democracy and human rights from threats, including to civil and political rights. It will also explore how aid policies and programmes have taken into account the core principles of equality and non-discrimination, transparency, accountability and participation. Through country case studies, it will examine how UK aid has considered economic, social and cultural rights, and the rights of individuals belonging to ‘at-risk groups’ – that is, specific social groups which have been excluded or persecuted (such as LGBTQI+, religious or ethno-linguistic minorities).
The review questions are:
- Does the UK have a credible approach to using aid to counter threats to democracy and human rights in developing countries?
- How coherent is the UK’s approach to countering threats to democracy and human rights?
- How well has the UK contributed to countering threats to democracy and human rights?
The approach paper can be found here.
The review will be published by the end of 2022.
The Politics of the Energy Transition in the Global South Webinar Series
The Policy Practice, in partnership with the Thinking and Working Politically Community of Practice (TWP-CoP) and other partners is running a series of workshops looking at different aspects of the energy transition from a political economy perspective.
The first webinar was on The Political Economy of Country Platforms. It was held on 15 January and was led and hosted by ODI. The slides from the webinar can be found here. A write up with the key takeaway message of the webinar can be found here.
Governance in a new development paradigm: Reformer leadership and partnership humility
This Working Paper, written by TPP Principal Wilfred Mwamba, calls for a major shift in how international actors support governance. It shows reforms only endure when domestic reformers lead, urging partners to drop “performance theatre” and back genuine, locally led, politically grounded change.
Reducing violence against defenders of the Amazon: a political economy approach
This Working Paper by TPP Principal Niki Palmer explores why environmental defenders in Brazil’s Amazon face persistent violence. It shows how powerful economic interests and competing ideas about the Amazon fuel conflict and impunity. It outlines three realistic pathways to strengthen protections, shift incentives toward conservation and reduce violence.