302 HEALTH: NOT CHARITY, NOT MERCHANDISE: A HUMAN RIGHT. (part 1 of 2)
-Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane. (Martin Luther King) -Health is not a matter of merely personal interest, but a…
301 TRADITIONAL CAPACITY BUILDING IN CURRENT DEVELOPMENT SCHEMES BOILS DOWN TO REITERATING A CERTAIN LOGIC OF THINKING THAT SERVES THE HEGEMONIC AIMS OF THE PREVAILING DEVELOPMENT PARADIGM. HUMAN RIGHTS LEARNING IS DIFFERENT
1. Human rights learning (HRL) is necessary, precisely because knowledge in traditional capacity building in development work has been much fragmented to the disciplinary realm. Conversely, HRL is about how…
300 THE QUESTION FOR NGOs TO ASK THEMSELVES IS: WHAT IS THE ADDED VALUE OF HUMAN RIGHTS FOR US? IS IT ANOTHER TOOL OR THE KEY TOOL?
Who does not support human rights… or dolphins? 1. NGOs need to be more honest about their long-term achievements and non-achievements. Are they advocating for (the needed) more systemic political…
299 POVERTY IS THE NECESSARY CONDITION OF CAPITALIST PRODUCTION AND THE ACCUMULATION OF WEALTH
Historically, economic inequalities have made civil and political rights meaningless. This categorically demonstrates the importance of implementing economic, social and cultural rights. 1. Little by little, ‘the poor’ have become…
298 CAPITALISM, NEOLIBERALISM AND HOW THEY SCORE IN THE ERA OF UNFETTERED GLOBALIZATION AND FLAGRANT DISREGARD FOR HUMAN RIGHTS. (part 2 of 2)
The vocabulary of social justice we must consistently adopt 15. Economic injustice is another clear cause of conflict; this is equally true for the uneven distribution of resources, for the…
297 CAPITALISM, NEOLIBERALISM AND HOW THEY SCORE IN THE ERA OF UNFETTERED GLOBALIZATION AND FLAGRANT DISREGARD FOR HUMAN RIGHTS. (part 1 of 2)
-Social and economic climbing is so often accompanied by moral degradation. (Carlos Fuentes) -We know, ten times over, that free markets stand for the primacy of shareholder value over long…
296 EVERY SOCIETY UNEDUCATED IN HUMAN RIGHTS IS EASILY TRICKED BY CHARLATANS. (adapted from Condorcet)
When asked “What should we do about human rights?” Voltaire answered, “Let the people know them”. 1. I am convinced –and I have said so repeatedly– that we need to…
295 PEOPLE HAVE RIGHTS, BUT THAT IMPLIES LITTLE IF THEY LACK A SPECIFIC UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THAT MEANS IN PRACTICAL TERMS. (part 2 of 2)
It is better to light a light than to complain about darkness. (Confucius) Capacity building for action 16. For capacity building, the Cape Town team successfully uses the adult education…
294 PEOPLE HAVE RIGHTS, BUT THAT IMPLIES LITTLE IF THEY LACK A SPECIFIC UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THAT MEANS IN PRACTICAL TERMS. (part 1 of 2)
It is better to light a light than to complain about darkness. (Confucius) . 1. The human right to health (RTH) has wrongly been contested for many reasons. These include
293 MANY PEOPLE IN DEVELOPMENT AGENCIES STILL DO NOT REALLY CARE ABOUT ADOPTING THE HUMAN RIGHTS FRAMEWORK. THEY ‘FEAR’ IT WILL LEAD TO A POLITIZATION OF THE HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT DISCOURSE…
It is easy to be a revolutionary at 20, but difficult to be one for 20 years. 1. The word politization draws many fears; you and I know that. But…