Despite global progress, poverty persists in many developing countries, where national and donor-led strategies often fail to produce real change. This book examines whether a human rights-based approach to development (HRBAD), rooted in capacity development, can support sustainable and locally driven state-building. Combining a literature review with a field case study of UNICEF's village assaini programme in Kongo Central (DRC), it explores local understandings of rights - especially the right to water. The study highlights two key insights: the need to expand the notion of 'duty-bearers'...