© Regions & Cohesion Volume 8, Issue 2, Summer 2018: 1–26 doi: 10.3167/reco.2018.080202 ISSN 2152-906X (Print), ISSN 2152-9078 (Online) ARTICLES/ARTÍCULOS Human rights-based service delivery Assessing the role of national human rights institutions in democracy and development in Ghana and Uganda Richard Iroanya, Patrick Dzimiri, Edith Phaswana Abstract: This article examines the extent to which National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) in Ghana and Uganda contribute to the strengthening of democracy and sustainable development in those coun- tries. A human rights-based approach is used to investigate human rights violations, marginalization, exclusions, and discrimination against vul- nerable groups in society. This article examines whether NHRIs are pro- active in adopting preventive measures to protect and promote human rights within the African context. The study utilized a qualitative meth- odology and a case study design. It found that the legal environment on which NHRIs are located and their operations largely determine their effectiveness, as well as whether good governance and sustainable devel- opment are achievable. Keywords: democracy, human rights, service delivery, sustainable development The human rights-based service delivery approach emphasizes that sus- tainable democracy and development cannot be divorced from recogni- tion, respect, and protection of fundamental human rights of people in any given sociopolitical space. This approach, traditionally employed by National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) gives preeminence to people as the center of democracy and development and not complex physical constructions, technological advancement, and economic growth, which oĞen erroneously define development (Donnelly, 1985; Gunduz. 2004; To-