Realising the right to an adequate standard of living through the New Partnership for Africa's Development

Abstract

"The research paper is premised on the fact that NEPAD has the potential to reduce poverty and improve the observance of human rights in Africa. Both of these outcomes are relevant because they address the right to an adequate standard of living. It is, however, doubtful whether the economic path chosen by NEPAD to addres the key issue of poverty is actually going to have a positive impact on realisation of this rigts. This is particularly important given the fact that NEPAD's economic plan is premised on free market economics, private sector led growth and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), which it hopes, will improve the quality of life of the poor. There are problems with this approach because previous economic programmes that were imlemented in Africa with similar economic programmes failed because they never put people at the core of their develoment plans. The success of NEPAD's programme will depend on whether people are put at the core of its programmes, otherwise its contribution to improving living conditions in Africa will be minimal. Secondly, the institutional framework for human rights in NEPAD is not strong enough to address human rights. As a result, human rights issues are not likely to attract the seriousness that they deserve. This paper therefor intends to suggest ways of strengthening the human rights mechanism in NEPAD. ... The study is divided into five chapters. Besides this chapter, the seocnd chapter will trace the historical development of NEPAD. It will also examine what NEPAD is all about, its institutions and proposed programmes. The third chapter will discuss the concept of the right to an adequate standard of living as enunciated in the Internaitonal Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR). The chapter will seek to define the scope of the right to an adequate standard of living and discuss the obligations of the state towards the realisation of this right. The fourth chapter deals with how NEPAD addresses the right to an adequate standard of living as elucidated on in the previous chapter. The fifth chapter will address the issue of how NEPAD can be made more responsive to addressing the right to an adequate standard of living. The conclusion will be contained in this chapter." -- Chapter 1.