Applying a Rights-based Approach (RBA) in Forest Governance

This manual uses forestry as its context BUT the sessions lend themselves to any area of natural resource management. A trainer can adjust or adapt it to their targeted participants who want to apply RBA in their projects to contribute towards better governance in their own contexts. A trainer using the manual should emphasize the basic tenet that respecting, protecting and fulfilling human rights should be the end goal of any intervention and this can be achieved by a RBA. Numerous international and national standards support this approach and provide the legal and non-legal (moral) basis to address and restitute any violations. The trainer should highlight the value of applying RBA to forestry officials whose mandate is to ensure better forest governance. RBA results in rights being respected and protected and also can contribute towards clarity of tenure, promote more equitable benefits, identify the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders and ultimately contribute towards the sustainable management of forested landscapes. RBA interventions at all levels (whether individual, organizational or institutional, local, subnational/provincial or national) need to consider this.