The study by a team of six independent researchers from Ethiopia, Kenya and Finland investigates how the Human Rights Based Approach (HRBA) to development is, and ought to be, applied in Finnish development cooperation with a view to contributing to the reduction of inequality especially for women and persons with disabilities in Kenya and Ethiopia. The two case studies review the policies and practices of multilateral, bilateral and civil society organizations’ cooperation, and projects supported by the Local Cooperation Fund (LCF) that is administered by the Finnish Embassies from the perspective of a human rights-based approach with special focus on disability and gender equality. In Ethiopia, the research focused on the education sector and NGO participation in complementing the primary duty-bearer, i.e., the government of Ethiopia (GoE). More precisely, the case study focuses on two government-run education sector programmes supported by Finland, namely, the General Education Quality Improvement Programme (GEQIP) and the Special Needs Education (SNE) programme. The case study also covers projects implemented by CSOs with the support of the LCF of the Finnish Embassy, the Abilis Foundation and Finnish CSOs, which receive funds from the development cooperation of Finland. In Kenya, the main focus of the research is on the programmes under Objective A of the Finnish Country Strategy for Development Cooperation with Kenya, “a democratic and accountable society that promotes human rights”. In the absence of a major justice sector programme, Finland has been promoting three distinct, yet interconnected, programmes that focus on good governance, human rights, and gender equality. The three programmes are: 1) Support for National Human Rights Institutions (constitutional commissions); 2) Support for elections 2013 through the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and the Uraia Trust; and 3) Support for strategic actors (UN Women) working on gender in Kenya. In addition to the examination of the above-mentioned programmes, the research team reviewed and made observations on the Local Cooperation Fund and the Finnish rural development programme known as Programme for Agriculture and Livelihoods in Western Communities (PALWECO) in Busia County
