A Guide for a Human Rights-Based Approach to Public Services
7 December 2021
The Resolution of the Council of Ministers no. 51/2020 approves the strategic lines of the Never Forget Project – the National Programme for the Memory of the Holocaust, Axis 1 – Knowledge, the project 1.7 “Rights-based public services – participation, innovation and experimentation in the Public Administration”, which corresponds to the development of methodologies for the (re)design, experimentation and evaluation of public services taking Human Rights into account.
In this context, and based on the 9 “Guiding principles for a human rights-based approach in service design”, a document that we presented on the occasion of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2021, we now present this guide that helps public entities to materialise these principles in their practices of (re)design and evaluation of public services.
A human rights-based approach in service design implies that at any stage of the (re)design process, stakeholders are involved, especially disadvantaged user groups or those who may find it more difficult to use the service.
It implies looking ahead in order to perceive threats and opportunities that may arise in the field of Human Rights and being proactive in mitigating risks and preventing possible consequences with a negative impact.
A public sector human rights-based approach is about civil society empowerment, promoting civic participation, information, and responsible choices, strengthening the relationship between the citizen and the State and thus enhancing transparency and accountability.
A Guide for Human Rights-Based Approach on Public Services
See the document
Based on the 9 “Guiding principles for a human rights-based approach in service design”, a document that was presented on the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2021, LabX now presents this guide that intends to help public entities to materialise these principles in their practices of (re)design and evaluation of public services.
See document in portuguese version
