Multi-level actor partnerships for implementing children’s rights

In November 2014, the world commemorated the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). Until today, the CRC is the most widely accepted human rights instrument worldwide; only one country, the United States, has not ratified it. The convention belongs to the so-called targeted treaties (Alston 2005, 789) stipulating both civil and political, as well as economic, social and cultural rights. Just like other conventions embracing social rights, the CRC emphasizes the need for international cooperation to support developing countries in the progressive realization of children’s rights. In this chapter, I will introduce, reflect and take a critical perspective on

multi-level actor partnerships as particular forms of such cooperation contributing to rights implementation. These partnerships often emerge in the context of transnational development projects and comprise international organizations (IOs), national governments, sometimes private businesses and local non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The main argument I will present is that multi-level actor partnerships can initiate rights implementation processes. Due to the temporary character of these partnerships, however, implementation is not always sustainable. Therefore, more attention needs to be paid to sustainability concerns pertinent to multi-level actor partnerships in research and in practice (Jenichen and Schapper 2015). To further understand the emergence and functioning of multi-level actor

partnerships, I draw on theoretical considerations from international relations (IR) scholarship on norm compliance, norm localization and public-private partnerships (PPPs). These will be complemented with further insights that have their origin in anthropology, sociology and development research. Empirically, my findings are based on an in-depth case study of Bangladesh. Methods for conducting this study involved intensive field research, including expert interviews, field observations and focus group discussions. I also interviewed children, parents and key community actors as the target group of children’s rights. They, however, have been very careful in voicing concerns about initiatives that were launched in cooperation with IOs or the

government. Hence, the most valuable statements on local implementation and norm localization could be gained from expert interviews with local civil society. I selected Bangladesh as a typical case. Its implementation problems are

also representative of other country cases (Gerring 2007, 149). Moreover, the country displays a great diversity in children’s rights programmes, including projects by the UN International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), the International Labour Organization (ILO), local NGOs and the government. It is also the only country in which UNICEF and the ILO (usually following a different approach towards children’s rights) have cooperated in an exceptional policy project in the garment sector. Therefore, Bangladesh can also be regarded as a unique case from which important lessons can be drawn. In the following, I will first introduce major children’s rights instruments

and frame the discrepancy between global norms and compliance deficits as one central question in IR scholarship on norms. This includes carving out explanations – from IR, anthropology and development studies – on how to overcome this discrepancy. In the next section, I will refer to Bangladesh as an empirical case study as well as to the emergence of multi-level actor partnerships for implementing children’s rights in the country. Finally, I critically discuss whether contracted local NGOs can serve as intermediary agents and raise sustainability concerns, before I draw together some conclusions.