A human rights-­‐based approach (HRBA) to development is a cross-­cutting approach that can strengthen existing development commitments by underpinning them with a universal standard of achievement for both process and outcome. The HRBA also has a legally-­binding basis that can help protect people from harms as they move towards the realisation of the right to development. This policy brief will give a summary of how the HRBA and current global development agendas are complementary and mutually reinforcing. It will also highlight some ways in which current global development agendas are being used to harm or ignore human rights.