International development agencies are increasingly using rights-based language, but how can their policy and practice support people’s own efforts to turn their rights into reality? Rights-based approaches are inspired by autonomous movements such as of those of women, the landless and indigenous peoples which often include demands for participation in decisions which affect their lives. This briefing issue synthesises rights-based approaches of multiple international agencies, including the UN Development Programme and The World Bank. The brief argues that until recently, donor governments have been mainly interested in promoting fairly narrow definitions of human rights related to civil and political liberties as an aspect of good governance.