An unforced consensus? Religion and the rights-based approach to development

Abstract

The rise of the ‘rights-based approach’ and the increasing attention to the role of faith-based actors in the field of development has given rise to the question of the compatibility of religion and human rights. The rights-based approach has been criticized for its alleged secular bias, and is thought to leave little room for alternative religious or cultural perspectives. This thesis investigates the relationship between religion and the rights-based approach, using a concrete development program as a case study. It concludes that religious and secular actors can achieve a consensus on the level of human rights norms, while the underlying justifications are quite different. However, the question remains to what extent these norms and justifications can really be decoupled.