Switzerland promotes human rights, the rule of law and access to justice

Goal 16 of the 2030 Agenda focuses on questions of justice, human rights, the rule of law, anti-corruption and illicit financial flows.  The SDG 16+ approach widens the focus to include aspects such as access to education, human rights education, gender equality and non-discrimination, labour rights, the right to equality and equal opportunities policies.

Switzerland helps foster just societies in partner countries such as Afghanistan, Honduras, Laos, Mozambique and Rwanda by conducting programmes dedicated to human rights and access to justice. Switzerland is also committed to fighting corruption, which acts as a barrier to development and impedes the sustainability of interventions.

Promoting human rights

As well as standing in the way of development, human rights violations can also be the cause or consequence of violent conflict, which in turn threatens development outcomes. Strengthening human rights thus plays a key role in the work of the SDC. The SDC reinforces human rights by adopting a human rights-based approach, using international human rights standards and principles as a guide: indivisibility, universality, non-discrimination, participation, transparency, accountability and the rule of law. Applying this human rights-based approach means framing the observance of human rights, and a life in dignity, peace and security, as a development cooperation goal.

The human rights-based approach involves putting people, their rights and duties at the centre of development cooperation instead of focusing on their imminent needs. The aim is to develop the capacity of duty-bearers (usually state institutions, but may also include non-state actors) to meet their human rights obligations, and to enhance their accountability. At the same time, rights-holders (everyone to whom the rights in question apply) are also given support. Knowing their rights encourages people to claim them and to take part in public life as active and responsible citizens. Examples of ways in which the SDC strengthens the capacity of rights-holders include its support for civil society actors such as the media, as in Tanzania, or non-governmental organisations that advocate for human rights issues on behalf of citizens and hold duty-bearers to account, as in Honduras.

Promoting the rule of law and access to justice

A fully functioning rule of law lays the foundations for peaceful co-existence within a society. A human rights-based justice system that is openly accessible, protects people’s rights and investigates, prosecutes and punishes wrongdoing is an important cornerstone of any state governed by the rule of law.

Goal 16 of the 2030 Agenda, which promotes peace, justice and inclusive institutions, reflects this. Switzerland plays its part in implementing Goal 16 through its development-policy commitment to the rule of law and access to justice.

By engaging in a close dialogue with its partner countries and carefully analysing the given context, the SDC is able to identify what contribution it needs to make to national, formal and informal justice systems to enable the relevant actors to work efficiently and transparently on behalf of the citizens they serve. The SDC’s programmes in support of the justice sector aim to give as wide a section of the population as possible access to a well-functioning, efficient justice system that respects human rights. People should be able to trust in this system and know that it will protect their rights.

The practical approaches adopted by the SDC in this area can generally be divided into four categories:

1. Assistance in drafting and implementing new legislation. For example, this could mean supporting state and non-state actors in implementing stricter laws on violence against women, as in Bolivia.
2. Reforming the judiciary, for example training judges in Bhutan and strengthening judicial independence in Ukraine.
3. Access to justice, for example improving access to justice by disadvantaged groups in Afghanistan.
4. Organisational support for programmes focusing on actors that play a role in the justice system, such as the reform of the security sector and police force in Tunisia and Honduras.