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OneWorld.net's take:  Development programs founded on a comprehensive understanding of local culture are exceptionally effective in promoting human rights and women's equality, says a report released last week by a United Nations agency.

• Women and children -- such as this mother and child in Suva, Fiji -- stand to gain a lot from culturally sensitive development programs, says the UNFPA. © Eric Lafforgue (UNFPA)Last year, Molly Melching and the women of Senegal were elected OneWorld.net's People of 2007 for the unprecedented success Melching's innovative and culturally sensitive approach to eliminating female genital cutting (FGC) has had in Senegal and across Africa. Tostan, Melching's organization, approaches the issue of FGC in an absolutely non-judgmental manner, educating willing villagers about topics such as the universal human rights to health and freedom from all forms of violence, and then allows communities to make their own, informed decisions. Since 1997, 2,336 villages in Senegal, 298 in Guinea, and 23 in Burkina Faso, as well as villages in Sudan and Mali, have abandoned FGC.

• The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, "Recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world." Visit OneWorld.net's human rights page for the latest news and organizations working on human rights around the world.

New Report Shows Cultural Sensitivity Critical to Successful Development Strategies, Women's Equality

From:  United Nations Population Fund

November 12, 2008

UNITED NATIONS, New York—Developmentstrategies that are sensitive to cultural values can reduce harmfulpractices against women and promote human rights, including genderequality and women’s empowerment, affirms The State of World Population 2008 report from UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund.

Reaching Common Ground: Culture, Gender and Human Rights,launched 12 November 2008, reports that culture is a central componentof successful development of poor countries, and must be integratedinto development policy and programming. 

The report, which coincides with this year’s60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is basedon the concept that the international human rights framework hasuniversal validity. Human rights express values common to all culturesand protect groups as well as individuals. The report endorsesculturally sensitive approaches to development and to the promotion ofhuman rights, in general, and women’s rights, in particular.

“Human rights are everybody’s work, and beingculturally sensitive and understanding the context is everybody’sbusiness,” said Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Executive Director of UNFPA. 

Culturally sensitive approaches call forcultural fluency—familiarity with how cultures work, and how to workwith them. The report suggests that partnerships—between UNFPA andcommunity-based institutions and leaders, for example—can createeffective strategies to promote human rights and end their abuses, suchas female genital mutilation or cutting 

Culturally sensitive approaches seek outcreative solutions produced within cultures, and work with them.“Communities have to look at their cultural values and practices anddetermine whether they impede or promote the realization of humanrights. Then, they can build on the positive and change the negative,”said Ms. Obaid.

The State of World Population cautions thatcultural sensitivity and engagement do not mean acceptance of harmfultraditional practices, or a free pass for human rights abuses – farfrom it. Values and practices that infringe human rights can be foundin all cultures. Understanding cultural realities can reveal the mosteffective ways to challenge these harmful cultural practices andstrengthen beneficial ones. 

Despite many declarations and affirmations insupport of women’s rights, the report argues, gender inequality iswidespread and deep-rooted in many cultures. Coercive power relationsunderlie practices such as child marriage—a leading cause of obstetricfistula and maternal death—and female genital mutilation or cutting.These and other harmful practices continue in many countries despitelaws against them. Women may even support them, believing that theyprotect their children and themselves.

The UNFPA approach encourages change fromwithin, says the report. The Fund works with governments and a varietyof local organizations and individuals through a “culture lens”. “Thereare people within every culture who oppose harmful cultural practices.Our experience shows that we can work closely with them for culturalchange to protect human rights,” said Ms. Obaid. 

The report emphasises the importance of aculturally sensitive approach not only to development, but also tohumanitarian response. It stresses that humanitarian assistance inconflicts must protect whatever progress women have made towards genderequality, including reproductive health and rights. Describing women asvictims and men as aggressors ignores cultural realities and thevariety of responsibilities that women take in wartime as heads ofhousehold, breadwinners, caregivers and combatants.

Culturally sensitive approaches are essentialfor reaching the Millennium Development Goals, says the report,including Goal 5: to improve maternal health. “To be healthy throughoutthe life cycle – before pregnancy, during pregnancy and after pregnancy– is a human right,” said Ms. Obaid. 

The report concludes that analysing people’schoices in their local conditions and cultural contexts is aprecondition for better development policies.

“Cultures change, for better or worse, in goodtimes and bad. The report is about promoting human rights in allcircumstances,” said Ms. Obaid. “Culture is not a wall to tear down. Itis a window to see through, a door to open to make greater progress forhuman rights.”

For more information about efforts to advance women's rights around the world, visit the United Nations Population Fund.