Incheon Strategy to “Make the Right Real” for Persons with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific
Governments of the ESCAP region gathered in Incheon, Republic of Korea, from 29 October to 2 November 2012 to chart the course of the new Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities for the period 2013 to 2022. They were joined by representatives of civil society organizations, including...
Read MoreEffects of foreign debt and other related financial obligations of States on the full enjoyment of all human rights, particularly economic, social and cultural rights (A/73/179)
In the present report, the Independent Expert discusses the impact of economic reforms, in particular austerity and fiscal consolidation measures, on women’s human rights. He argues that the prevailing current economic system is based on various forms of gender discrimination. The value of unpaid work and its contribution to...
Read MoreReport of the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights (A/HRC/38/33)
The Secretariat has the honour to transmit to the Human Rights Council the report of the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Philip Alston, prepared pursuant to Council resolution 35/19, focusing on the International Monetary Fund and its impact on social protection. Link to report (Arabic, Chinese,...
Read MoreReport of the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights on his mission to the United States of America (A/HRC/38/33/Add.1)
The Secretariat has the honour to transmit to the Human Rights Council the report of the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Philip Alston, on his mission to the United States of America from 1 to 15 December 2017. The purpose of the visit was to evaluate,...
Read MoreReport of the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination in this context (A/HRC/37/53)
In the present report, the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination in this context provides States and other actors with concrete guidance on implementing effective rights-based housing strategies. The report explains the...
Read MoreGeneral Comment No. 13 of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights: The right to education
The human right to education is recognized in several instruments under international law. The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights deals more comprehensively than any other instrument with this right. Pursuant to article 13 of the Covenant, States parties recognize “the right of everyone to education”. The...
Read MoreReport on extreme poverty and human rights (A/HRC/35/26), submitted by the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
The focus of the present report is on the idea of replacing or supplementing existing social protection systems with a universal basic income (“basic income”). In recent months, this proposal has drawn increased attention from governments, scholars, and practitioners in a range of different fields, and four major books...
Read MoreReport of the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health (A/HRC/35/21)
In this report, in an attempt to contribute to the discussion around mental health as a global health priority, the Special Rapporteur focuses on the right of everyone to mental health and some of the core challenges and opportunities, urging that the promotion of mental health be addressed for...
Read MoreAnchoring Social Protection in Law in China
Report on the effects of foreign debt and other related international financial obligations of State submitted by the Independent Expert on foreign debt and human rights on his mission to the institutions of the EU (A/HRC/34/57/Add.1)
The Secretariat has the honour to transmit to the Human Rights Council the report of the Independent Expert on the effects of foreign debt and other related international financial obligations of States on the full enjoyment of all human rights, particularly economic, social and cultural rights, Juan Pablo Bohoslavsky,...
Read MoreReport by Independent Expert on the Enjoyment of All Human Rights by Older Persons: Mission to Mauritius (A/HRC/30/43/Add.3)
In the present report, the Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons presents the findings of her visit to Mauritius from 28 April to 8 May 2015. The main objective of the visit was to identify both best practices and gaps in the implementation...
Read MoreReport by Independent Expert on the Enjoyment of All Human Rights by Older Persons: Mission to Austria (A/HRC/30/43/Add.2 )
In the present report, the Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons presents the findings of her visit to Austria from 22 to 30 January 2015. The main objective of the visit was to identify both best practices and gaps in the implementation of...
Read MoreReport by Independent Expert on the Enjoyment of All Human Rights by Older Persons: Mission to Slovenia (A/HRC/30/43/Add.1 )
In the present report, the Independent Expert on the Enjoyment of All Human Rights by Older Persons presents the findings of her visit to Slovenia from 17 to 21 November 2014. The main objective was to identify both best practices and gaps in the implementation of existing laws related...
Read MoreReport submitted by the Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons (A /HRC/27/46)
The present report, the first annual report to be submitted by a mandate holder, was prepared in accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 24/20, in which the Council decided to establish the mandate of Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons. In the report,...
Read MoreReport on autonomy and care (A/HRC/30/43), submitted by the Independent Expert on on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons
In this report, the Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons addresses the right to autonomy and care, which she considers to be priority areas. The report provides an overview of the existing international and regional human rights standards and analyses in depth these...
Read MoreReport on extreme poverty and human rights (A /70/274), submitted by the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
The present report begins with an analysis of the confusing approaches to human rights taken by the World Bank in its legal policy, public relations, policy analysis, operations and safeguards. The Special Rapporteur then seeks to explain why the Bank has historically been averse to acknowledging and taking account...
Read MoreThe Right to Adequate Food (Fact Sheet No. 34)
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), more than one billion people are undernourished. Over two billion suffer from a lack of essential vitamins and minerals in their food. Nearly six million children die every year from malnutrition or related diseases, that is about...
Read MoreThe Right to Adequate Housing (Fact Sheet No. 21)
International human rights law recognizes everyone’s right to an adequate standard of living, including adequate housing. Despite the central place of this right within the global legal system, well over a billion people are not adequately housed. Millions around the world live in life- or health-threatening conditions, in overcrowded...
Read MoreGeneral Comment No. 5 of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights: Persons with disabilities
This general comment was adopted by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in 1995. With regard to social security, it sets out the following: 28. Social security and income‑maintenance schemes are of particular importance for persons with disabilities. As stated in the Standard Rules, “States should ensure the...
Read MoreGeneral Comment No. 6 of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights: the Economic, Social and Cultural Rights of Older Persons
General Comment No. 12 of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights: The right to adequate food
The human right to adequate food is recognized in several instruments under international law. The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights deals more comprehensively than any other instrument with this right. Pursuant to article 11.1 of the Covenant, States parties recognize “the right of everyone to an...
Read MoreSocial Protection Floors Recommendation, 2012 (No. 202)
Recommendation No. 202 is the first international instrument to offer guidance to countries to close social security gaps and progressively achieve universal protection through the establishment and maintenance of comprehensive social security systems. To this aim, the Recommendation calls for (1) the implementation, as a priority, of social protection...
Read MoreReport on a human rights approach to the global and financial crisis (A/64/279). submitted by the independent expert on the question of human rights and extreme poverty
This report addresses the impact of the current global financial crisis on people living in extreme poverty and the enjoyment of their human rights. It stresses that the crisis offers an opportunity to move beyond the restructuring of the global financial and monetary systems and to place people at the...
Read MoreReport of the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights on her Mission to Paraguay (A /HRC/20/25/Add. 2)
The report focuses on a number of flagship programmes, including the Tekoporã conditional cash transfer programme, the Abrazo (“hug”) Programme and the Family Health Units Programme. The report recognizes that major strides have been made in the area of rights-based public policy planning. It also reviews the achievements of the social protection...
Read MoreReport of the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights on her Mission to Namibia (A /HRC/23/36/Add.1)
While acknowledging the compounded challenges faced by Namibia – including limited institutional capacity, and the fact that Namibia has one of the world’s lowest population densities – this report concludes that progress has not been fast enough. There are still unacceptable levels of inequality along the lines of gender, race,...
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