Strategies for Access to Essential Services

OIYP Kaleidoscope Workshop October 2007

Strategies for Access to Essential Services

Aim: To explore the meaning of access to essential

services To explore human rights-based approaches and

MDGs in relation to access to essential services To analyse the challenges faced by a local community

in accessing essential services To practice developing strategies to address access

to essential service barriers To share experiences with other action partners

Why Access to Essential Services

Access to essential services is a vital component of development strategies for poverty reduction.

Without this vital component strategies or goals such as MDGs cannot be effectively achieved

What do we mean by Access?

Right of entry/Right to use Physically Economically available and affordable Free of discrimination (sex, age, skin colour, religion,

birth status, etc)

Level of access is determined by : The required standard or level of service and

expected use which will vary between each type of service and each region

What do we mean by basic essential services?

Health care services Education services Clean water & sanitation services Transport services Information and communication services

Vital or basic services required for a dignified and decent life

Access to Essential Services

Is having physical and economically available and affordable access to basic/vital services on a non-discriminatory basis, allowing us to strive for a decent and dignified life

Access to Essential Services When talking about increasing access to

essential services, it is important to consider the empowerment of the poor/marginalised population.

When we talk about empowering those marginalised we can no longer only focus on the needs of those marginalised but we also have to focus on their rights = entitlements.

Therefore access to essential health services becomes more than a moral obligation it becomes a legal obligation, this is the first step towards empowerment.

Human Rights Entitlements

Everyone is entitled to all rights and freedoms set forth in the universal declaration of human rights (1948), without distinction of any kind such as race, colour, sex, language, religion,property, political or other opinion, national or social, origin, birth or other status.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Article 26 Everyone has the right to education. Education shall

be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education should be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.

Conventions and Covenant (Pact) 1949 Geneva Convention 1965 Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination 1966 Covenant on Civil and Politcal Rights 1979 Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights 1984 Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child 2003 Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families

Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (Art 13)

Primary education shall be compulsory and available free to all

Fundamental education shall be encouraged or intensified as far as possible for those persons who have not received or completed the whole period of their primary education

The development of a system of schools at all levels shall be actively pursued, an adequate fellowship system shall be established, and the material conditions of teaching staff shall be continuously improved.

Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA)

A human rights based approach identifies the rights-holders and their entitlements and corresponding duty-bearers and their obligations, and work towards strengthening the capacities of rights- holders to make their claim and of duty-bearers to meet their obligations.

HRBA to Accessing Essential Primary Education Services

Primary Education Rights Marginalised children have the right to obtain primary

education, the governent is obliged to provide primary education to those marginalised.

Therefore the human right-based approach would: Strengthen marginalised families capacities to have the

economic means and accessibility to access the primary education and

strengthen the government capacities to provide the free primary education which needs to be of good quality, economically and physically accessible and provided on a non-discriminatory basis.

Group Exercise I: scenario Who are the rights-holders and the duty-

bearers? What entitlements do the rights-holders have a

right to? What entitlements are being violated or not

fulfilled in the scenario and why (barriers)? What is needed and how can we strengthen

the capacity of the rights-holders to claim their entitlement?

What are the legal obligations of the duty-bearers?

How can we strengthen the capacity of the duty-bearer to meet their obligation

Group Exercise II - AES Strategies

List the basic essential services available in your local community.

Choose a basic essential service and answer the questions below; What kind of human rights do we have in relation to the

chosen essential service? What works well in relation to accessing this service and

what needs to be done to maintain or build upon it? What are the potential barriers/challenges faced by the

local communities in accessing this services? what strategies are needed to address these barriers and

in order to realise the human rights? Give examples of activities needed to be implemented to

realise the strategies?