ISTR Sixth International Conference Toronto, Canada / July 11-14, 2004 Contesting Citizenship and Civil Society in a Divided World

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	Abstracts

Human rights responses to global 'troubles'
by
Maria Humphries
Waikato Management School, University of Waikato
Coauthors: Suzanne Grant

The organizers of the Sixth International Conference of ISTR invite participants “to take a critical look” at Third Sector engagement “in a troubled world”. While not spelling out the specific nature of these ‘troubles’ we have taken our starting point to be the troubling persistence of social and environmental degradation seemingly associated with the spread of neo-liberal capitalism. That social and environmental conditions are ‘troubled’ and that these troubles may be associated with economic processes is no longer a radical proposition. Responses, however vary. The free marketeers argue that, given time, the ‘trickle down’ from continued growth will improve conditions for all. Others urge the creation of more carefully managed economic practices. Joseph Stiglitz (2002) Nobel Laureat and former Chief Economist at the World Bank, for example, argues for the strong hand of government in setting and maintaining standards. The third sector is being invited to participate at all levels of consideration. Some businesses are making alliances with community groups to address issues of local, national, and international concern. More radical theorists and practitioners seek nothing less than a transformation of western world views. They call for a move from a focus on economic growth based on a mechanistic exploitation of resources to a reconsidered relationship with the earth that sustains us. (Henderson 1991).Common to all these possible responses is a view that the strengthening of human rights can move humanity forward. Our wider research agenda is concerned to ask if (and how) human rights discourses are being engaged to counter, harness, or perhaps transform our contemporary approach to human and environmental wellbeing (Humphries & Bedggood, 2002).

New Zealand, a country known for its rapid and deep commitment to the principles of neo-liberalism has reaped the consequences in terms of social costs (Kelsey 1999, 1997). While persisting with a free trade agenda, the current government has seen the need to acknowledge and redress these negative trends. The Third Sector has been invited to participate through a deepening of understanding of and commitment to Human Rights. In this paper we outline New Zealand’s historic commitment to human rights and contemporary attempts to strengthen these, in part, through community participation articulated in the Platform for Action for Human Rights (www.hrc.co.nz). This Platform is seen as one way to contribute to the government’s social development goals (or ways of enhancing human wellbeing). Of interest to this research is the emphasis the government is basing on “the role of human rights in sustainable national development” (ibid) and the preparation by community organisations for engagement with proposed community-government consultations. “National Plans of Action do not apply simply to the actions of government agencies. They must be developed in consultation with the community” (Human Rights Commission Document December 2002). We report on our investigations of this commitment by our government and on our participation in projects engaging the community sector and its managers in discussing this commitment. These projects are part of a broader agenda investigating whether predominant forms of capitalism can be harnessed to serve human and environmental wellbeing or whether a much greater transformation in human thinking must occur.

A specific project of interest we will report on is our work with Social Services Waikato (SSW), managers of community organisations, and the project leaders of the National Platform for Action (NPA), to obtain an insight into the implications of an increased emphasis of a human rights framework in social service delivery. This research investigates the links between the Government’s proposed NPA and the work of community based social services. We are interested to understand to the extent to which community engagement in such a Plan may contribute to the enhancement of well-being The primary outcome of this project will be to ensure that SSW and other community advocates are well prepared to participate in the proposed round of consultations with the community by the Human Rights Commission. Supplementary outcomes will include enhanced participant understanding and commitment to human rights mechanisms for strengthening communities where deemed appropriate; community input into the proposed consultations and potential action plans that may follow.

This project seeks, through a SSW and university partnership to build our joint understanding of the human rights framework, of the social justice and wellbeing that may be enhanced through this approach and in preparation to make a thoughtful contribution to the anticipated government-community consultations. We also anticipate this research will generate a deepening understanding of and perhaps commitment to a human rights framework in service delivery among the researchers and the participant managers. In keeping with our wider research agenda we are aiming for an enhanced a relationship between community managers and university researchers in the joint aspirations of enhancing wellbeing for the people of the region by growing expertise in collaborative research methods of mutual benefit (Humphries & Gregg ,2002; Martin & Humphries, 2002).

References Humphries, M.T. and Gregg, N. (2002). Challenging Globalisation through University and Community Dialogues. Fifth International Conference of International Society for Third Sector Research, Cape Town, 7-10 July.

Martin, B. and Humphries, M. (2002). Enhancing relationships through research, enhancing research through relationships. Australia New Zealand Third Sector Research Conference, UNITEC, Auckland, November 27-29.

Henderson, H. (1991). Paradigms in Progress: Life Beyond Economics. San Francisco, Berret Koehler Humphries, M. and Bedggood, M. (2002). Can an economic rights approach to justice establish fundamental basic rights that are robust no matter what the economic fashion of the day? Australia New Zealand Third Sector Research Conference, UNITEC Auckland, November 27-29.

Kelsey, J. (1999). Reclaiming the Future; New Zealand and the global Economy. Wellington, Bridget Williams Books.

Kelsey, J. (1995).The New Zealand Experiment: A World Model for Structural Adjustment? Wellington, Bridget Williams Books.

Stiglitz, J. (2002). Globalisation and its Discontents. London. Allan Lane.

Date received: September 28, 2003

Copyright © 2003 by the author(s). The author(s) of this document and the organizers of the conference have granted their consent to include this abstract in Atlas Conferences Inc. Document # camk-56.