International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)
What is the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCP) about? What are the major rights and its implementation?
- The ICESCP is
- is one of the three Bills of Human Rights
- ‘the ethical and legal basis for all the human rights work of the United Nations…the foundation upon which the international system for the protection and promotion of human rights has been developed’
- Major Rights
- Art 1: The right to self-determination: giving recognition to a right to economic, rather than political, self-determination (The First part of the covenant)
- Art 6: right to work and earn a living
- dependent on the establishment of appropriate training and vocational programs
- The working conditions must be fair
- ILO focused on minority groups, while ICESCP focus on everyone
- Art 10: nursing mothers and children
- Trade Union membership and activities
- adequate standard of living, food, physical and mental health
- education, and a rich cultural life including the protection of the moral and material interests of an author of any scientific, literary, or artistic work.
- Implementation
- Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1986): setup to monitor compliance of states to the covenants
- States are required to send periodic reports to the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights of the Economic and Social Council
- detail the advances made by the State in the realization of the goals set for them in furtherance of the progressive achievement of the rights and freedoms embodied in the Charter for their entire population
- Transmit reports to the Human Rights Council for study and general recommendations
- The Economic and Social Council will assist any states in need to technical assistance
- States are required to send periodic reports to the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights of the Economic and Social Council
- Individuals could complain mistreatment to the committee if a state infringes their rights
- Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1986): setup to monitor compliance of states to the covenants