However, considering the lack of enforcement
mechanisms the usefulness of these documents seems to be limited to standard setting only. State parties that have ratified the various conventions are the ones responsible for implementation. But how can nongovernmental organizations make
use of the existing conventions in order to push for the effective protection of human rights?
There is no simple answer to this issue. Most of all, there is a need for political will and commitment, and a legal system willing and able to address these issues. Furthermore, rights cannot be successfully implemented from above without at the same time being seized from below by informed and resourceful non-governmental actors. Rights-based strategies use the apparatus and legal foundation of human rights, such as international law and
its institutions, mechanisms, discourse and terminology, as the scaffold on which to structure development policy and action. A rights-based approach can strengthen a non-governmental organization’s work on improving pastoralists’ food security through three entry points presented in this document: UNCCD, human rights instruments, and the right to food.