ABSTRACT
This chapter explores changes in the development paradigm, and how it has begun to incorporate a human rights-based approach. It reviews how the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights ushered in the concept of a human rights-based approach to development, principally through United Nations’ initiatives. The post War trials in Nuremberg and Tokyo for war crimes were the beginnings of humanitarian intervention, which recognised not only national leaders, but also individuals as being responsible in times of war. The United Nations has been the institution spearheading the instillation of human rights issues within the concept of “development.” Approaches to the role of women in the development process have evolved over time since the end of the Second Word War. Sustainable Development has become a major focus of development planning since the 1970s, especially after the release of the Brundtland Report in 1987.
