| Impunity
of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights violations and implementation
of the optional protocol
An Optional
Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights (ICESC) was adopted by the United Nations in 2008. A longstanding
demand of civil society, it completes the international human rights protection
that began with the proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights in 1948. Symbolically, the adoption of this new instrument was
celebrated by the United Nations on 10 December 2008, the sixtieth anniversary
to the day of the Universal Declaration.
Although the two international human rights covenants were adopted the
same day, 16 December 1966, two very different monitoring systems were
then created. A protocol providing for a complaints mechanism was immediately
put in place for civil and political rights, but there was no such procedure
set up for economic, social and cultural rights. Until now, there has
been no possibility of lodging a complaint at the international level
in case of a violation of economic, social and cultural rights. In spite
of renewed interest in these rights recently, they have never really been
considered as being on an equal footing with civil and political rights.
CETIM is struggling
for many years for this optional protocol to the ICESCR. We organised
in collaboration with the American Association of Jurists (AAJ) two seminars
on impunity of violations of economic, social and cultural rights: the
first in Madrid in 1996 and the second in Geneva in 1997. A publication
in Spanish is available under the title Prevención y sanción
de las violaciones a los derechos económicos, sociales y culturales
y al derecho al desarollo: El problema de la impunidad (see below).
| Publications |
 |
The
Optional Protocol to the ICESCR
CETIM
report N°2 (November 2008) |
|
The
case for a protocol to the ICESCR !
CETIM
(2006) |
|
Transnational
Corporation and Human Rights. Case of Studies and responsabilities
Joint publication (2000) |
|
Prevención
y sanción de las violaciones a los derechos económicos,
sociales y culturales y al derecho al desarollo :El problema de
la impunidad
CETIM/AAJ
(2000) |
| |
|
| Statements at the UN |
|
Moving forward to approving
an Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social
and Cultural Rights. HRC 2005 |
|
Commentaires
sur les parties I et II du PIDESC. Groupe de travail, CDH 2005
|
|
Déclaration
sur le projet de protocole facultatif se rapportant au Pacte international
relatif aux droits économiques, sociaux et culturels. CDH 2004 |
|
Justiciabilité
des droits économiques, sociaux et culturels. Groupe de travail
2004
La
justiciabilidad de los derechos económicos, sociales y culturales.
Grupo de trabajo, CDH 2004 |
|
Comments to the draft
optional protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social
and Cultural Rights prepared by the committee of the ESCR. Working
Group, HRC 2004 |
|
A propos de la
désignation d'un expert indépendant sur la question
de l'impunité. CDH 2002 |
|
Déclaration
sur les droits économiques, sociaux et culturels. CDH 2001 |
|
Impunité
dans la violation des droits économiques, sociaux et culturels.
CDH 2000 |
|
Impunity in Violations
of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. HRSC 1997 |
|
Impunité
des auteurs de violations des droits de l'homme. SCDH 1996 |
| |
| More related documents |
|
Substantive
issues arising in the implementation of the International Covenant
on economic, social and cultural rights, General Comment No. 14, The
right to the highest attainable standard of health, CESCR 2000 (pdf)
|
|
Draft
optional protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social
and Cultural Rights - Note by the Secretary General. HRC 1997 (pdf)
|
|
International
Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (full text) |
| |
| Sites of partners |
|
American
Association of Jurists (AAJ) |
|
Attac
France |
|
Centre
Tricontinental (CETRI) |
|
El Observatori
DESC |
|
Focus
on the Global South |
|
IBFAN
|
|
People
Health Movement |
|
Réseau
des centres de documentation pour le développement et la solidarité
internationale - RITIMO |
|
South
Centre |
|
Swiss
association against impunity (TRIAL) |
| |
|
| Other sites |
|
Center for
Economic and Social Rights |
|
Office
of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) |
|
International
Labor Organization (ILO) |
|
UNRISD
|
|