Can a rights-based approach help in achieving the millennium development goals?

Much of the current emphasis on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in development abstracts the MDGs from any connection to rights and focuses on the MDGs as technical targets. In fact, not only does a rights-based approach contribute positively to human development and the fulfilment of the MDGs, but a rights-based approach from the outset underlies and frames the MDGs. This article provides examples of how a rights-based approach to implementing the MDGs strengthens their effects in particular contexts. Understanding how the MDGs and rights in development are linked is essential to the lasting impact of the MDGs on reducing poverty and injustice.