A human-rights based approach to peacebuilding is closely related to issues of justice and rule of law. Yet it also goes beyond that. The scope and definition of human rights include such norms as the rights associated with political participation, economic and social rights, freedom of expression, and nondiscrimination.
The activities and programs stemming from this broader understanding of human rights will include not only the pursuit of justice and reconciliation, establishing the parameters to balance the demands of victims with concerns regarding socio-political stability,37 but will also aim to:
• incorporate international human rights standards into all sectors;
• ensure the personal freedom and security of individuals and groups; guarantees for the freedom of media, trade unions and all civil society groups, and against all kind of discrimination (ethnic, religious, gender, etc.);
• prevent the outbreak of future hostilities (including constitutional reforms, restructuring of the government, security forces, and judicial system);
• foster broader social, political, and economic reform (targeting social and economic inequities, redistribution, discrimination, and ensuring legitimacy, accountability, transparency and participation, etc.).
In post-conflict situations, there might be a tendency to focus attention and activities on civil and political rights as they may be perceived as the most urgent and fundamental to be respected if peace is to be achieved. "Nonetheless, ignoring economic, social, and cultural rights, even in the immediate post-settlement phase, risks failing to respond to the immediate needs and expectations of those directly affected."39 The protection of all these rights forms a safeguard against domination and discrimination for all communities. In other words, "the human rights dimension signals a fundamental change in the nature of the state." In the socio-economic realm, a rights-based based approach to development focuses not only on the amelioration of peoples economic conditions, but also on their social and political well-being, as well as on the states obligation to guarantee the enjoyment of these rights on an equal basis and without discrimination. As Amartya Sen stated in his pioneering work, "development can be seen...as a process of expanding the real freedoms that people enjoy." Therefore, actors of socio-economic development play an important role in the human rights agenda.
