Many applied budget groups are concerned about and work for social justice. What could using a human rights framework add to their work?  Here are some thoughts: 

• Human rights are about putting the welfare of people first. Asking what the human rights implications are of different budget decisions or options can help ensure that individual human beings don't get lost in the technical process of budget development and budget analysis.

• Human rights are about what is "right" to do. While applied budget work focuses on the poor, budget analysis as a skill or tool is value-neutral. Human rights provide a compelling vision and add moral suasion to arguments made by applied budget groups.

• Human rights have been embodied in national, regional and international laws. They are an internationally agreed-upon basis, and in many situations a legal obligation, for government action. Choices made among options using rights framework can thus not be easily dismissed, because they are the society’s articulated values and have been agreed upon by the government itself.

• A human rights framework provides a means of selecting among different options. Some human rights standards have been developed in great detail; others are currently more broadly stated, but are becoming more elaborated over time. These more detailed standards can provide key guidance to policy makers and legislators who need to decide among competing demands on limited resources.

• Transparency, accountability and participation are rights-based concepts. Greater transparency, government accountability and participation of affected groups help ensure that budget-making and expenditures are more accurate and effective. They are, at the same time, basic political rights.