Digital Rights Check for Technical Development Cooperation
This section of the human rights assessment tool and guidance is meant for project staff working in technical development cooperation who are working on digital projects or other projects where digital solutions are used.
How should the tool be used by technical development cooperation staff?
Technical development cooperation staff themselves can use the tool for support in the assessment of human rights risks related to digital projects and the digital solutions developed or used within projects. The tool can also be shared with projects partners who may be better placed to answer some of the questions or can be filled in together with partners.
What is the result of the assessment?
At the end of the assessment, users will receive a consolidated overview of recommendations and related potential human rights risks. You will be able to download the overview in a pdf format that can then be shared with projects partners and others. At the end, you will also be able to download an action plan where the recommendations are included, allowing you to work with project partners to address the potential human rights impacts related to the digital project or solution.
How does it work?
Throughout the tool you will have to answer a series of questions. In order to help you provide your answer, you can click the blue button next to a question for further information about the question itself and how you should think about your answer.
Where relevant, you will find further resources for you to immerse yourself further in the topic as well as case studies providing examples of how the question may relate to your own work.
Depending on your responses, you will take different paths through the tool.
Reminder: Not a checklist
The tool is not a checklist or a risk assessment in the form of a traffic light system, where you will get a green, yellow or red score. Instead it will help you ask human rights-related questions and receive guidance on how to prevent and mitigate human rights risks.
How long does it take?
The tool is expected to take around 30 minutes to complete from start to finish, assuming you do not stop in between. Nevertheless, you can always leave the tool halfway through the assessment (for example to consult the relevant project documents) and return to where you have left off as your answers are saved locally via your browser.
What data is stored?
It is your (the user’s) progress in the form that is saved (e.g. the question values etc.), which allows you to go back and forward in the form. Data is stored in ‘localStorage’ (from the web browser) and for an indefinite period of time. No personal data is stored. For more, see the privacy statement.
Further information
See Frequently Asked Questions section for more information.
Resources related to the tool
- For ideas of how development projects might use digital solutions see the digital strategy of the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, and this overview of technologies and political initiatives.
- For more on human rights impact assessments, see DIHR Guidance on Human Rights Impact Assessment of Digital Activities
- For more on a human rights-based approach and digitalization, see Sida’s Technical Note.