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Extreme poverty and human rights on universal basic income 2017, para. 57
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- Finally, a simulation for the region of Catalonia, in Spain, suggests that a basic annual income of €7,968 for those aged over 18 and of €1,594 for minors would require a 49.57 per cent flat tax rate and extra financing of €7 billion.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2017
- Date modified
- Sep 21, 2020
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The World Bank and human rights 2015, para. 47
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- On various occasions, senior Bank officials have warned of the dire consequences that would follow if the Bank were to become some sort of global policeman, responsible for enforcing respect for human rights by its client Governments. Because of the sanctions mentality described above, that fear is not altogether unfounded.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Year
- 2015
- Date modified
- Sep 21, 2020
Paragraph
Taxation and human rightss 2014, para. 39
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- Moreover, when revenue is used to finance public services, it creates conditions propitious to growth and employment in formal sectors of the economy, guaranteeing both equality of access and equality of opportunities. Public services also mitigate the impact of skewed income distribution and directly contribute to reducing inequality.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2014
- Date modified
- Sep 21, 2020
Paragraph
Extreme poverty and human rights on universal basic income 2017, para. 14
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- The absence of conditionality is a key dimension for most basic income proponents. This means that no conditions, such as children’s attendance at school or proof of job searches, must be met before the income is paid. People are thus not compelled to accept unpleasant or unattractive jobs. The latter would be filled either by machines, or by people attracted by a higher pay level.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2017
- Date modified
- Sep 21, 2020
Paragraph
Extreme poverty and human rights on universal basic income 2017, para. 18
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- In the United Kingdom, basic income proposals were prominent in the period after both world wars. In 1918, Bertrand Russell called for an income for all, sufficient to pay for “necessaries” in post-First World War Britain. And when the Beveridge plan was being debated in 1943, Juliet Rhys-Williams proposed a basic income approach instead of Beveridge’s contributory welfare state plan.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2017
- Date modified
- Sep 21, 2020
Paragraph
Extreme poverty and human rights on universal basic income 2017, para. 32
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- Negative income taxes, inspired by the work of Milton Friedman, ensure that individuals who earn below a certain threshold receive payments from the government, rather than having to pay taxes. It is similar to basic income in that every citizen is automatically and unconditionally eligible, but it differs from the full basic income in that benefits phase out as incomes rise. Amounts may also be adjusted for households.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2017
- Date modified
- Sep 21, 2020
Paragraph
Extreme poverty and human rights on universal basic income 2017, para. 8a
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- [The present report is premised on the view that the human rights movement needs to address and respond to the fundamental changes that are taking place in economic and social structures at the national and global levels. These include, among others:] The increasingly precarious nature of employment in the age of Uber, Airbnb, outsourcing, subcontracting, zero-hours contracts and the like;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2017
- Date modified
- Sep 21, 2020
Paragraph
The UN responsibility for the cholera outbreak in Haiti 2016, para. 40
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- The global media has been systematically critical of the United Nations. For example, the Economist has accused the United Nations of dodging its responsibility, the New York Times argues that it has "failed to face up to its role in [Haiti's] continuing tragedy", Business Insider has referred to the cholera outbreak as "the UN's Watergate", the Washington Post has commented that "by refusing to acknowledge responsibility, the United Nations jeopardizes its standing and moral authority".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Year
- 2016
- Date modified
- Sep 21, 2020
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The UN responsibility for the cholera outbreak in Haiti 2016, para. 38
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- Although the former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navanethem Pillay, called publicly in 2013 for the Haitian victims to be compensated, the abdication approach has otherwise prevailed in the ranks of United Nations officials, under the watchful eye of the Office of Legal Affairs.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Year
- 2016
- Date modified
- Sep 21, 2020
Paragraph
The UN responsibility for the cholera outbreak in Haiti 2016, para. 21
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- Immediately after the publication of the panel's report in May 2011, a United Nations spokesperson was dismissive of the report on the grounds that it did "not present any conclusive scientific evidence linking the outbreak to the MINUSTAH peacekeepers or the Mirebalais camp". Senior officials have continued to rely on this defence. However, the more detailed and official response provided in a letter dated 25 November 2014 from Assistant Secretary-General Pedro Medrano Rojas, Senior Coordinator for the Cholera Response in Haiti, addressed to the special procedures mandate holders took a different tack. Although the letter is long and detailed, it curiously makes no mention of the panel's principal finding, which was, as noted above, that that "the source of the Haiti cholera outbreak was due to contamination of the Meye Tributary of the Artibonite River with a pathogenic strain of current South Asian type Vibrio cholerae as a result of human activity". In other words, MINUSTAH was indeed the source. Instead, after citing the panel's reference to poor water and sanitation conditions and inadequate medical facilities, Mr. Medrano suggested that the main outcome of the inquiry was the statement that the outbreak "was not the fault of, or due to deliberate action by, a group or individual". Similarly, regularly updated fact sheets describing the United Nations response continue to make no mention of the panel's principal conclusion in relation to MINUSTAH. It has been airbrushed out of the picture.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Water & Sanitation
- Year
- 2016
- Date modified
- Sep 21, 2020
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The World Bank and human rights 2015, para. 60
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- Fifth, the Bank needs at least a convincing due diligence policy to enable it to adjust or reject projects that would otherwise lead to, or support, human rights violations. Its safeguard policies have long been referred to as "do-no-harm" policies, but their very limited coverage in terms of the full gamut of the human rights obligations of States has meant that many serious violations are alleged to have occurred in the context of projects funded by the Bank. The Special Rapporteur is in no position to judge the accuracy of any particular allegations of rights violations and nor is it necessary to do so in the present report. Suffice it to note that the Bank's own internal reports have made clear that existing safeguard arrangements have often proved to be inadequate. Reports by the Inspection Panel have highlighted significant problems in specific projects and a report by the Internal Audit Department on resettlement programmes has revealed serious systemic deficiencies. To its credit, the Bank responded to the latter by announcing extensive reforms. Nonetheless, those evaluation reports provide powerful evidence of the need for a more sustained and better integrated approach, reflecting the full range of international human rights standards rather than the static list of specific concerns that are currently singled out for monitoring. Integrating human rights into operational policies is necessary to comply with the Bank's aim of doing no harm.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Year
- 2015
- Date modified
- Sep 21, 2020
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Taxation and human rightss 2014, para. 63
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- In many countries, business enterprises are taxed at a very low rate, even if they make large profits, owing in large part to the infrastructure, healthy educated workforce and other resources that public funds enable. In addition, many large transnational corporations are able to effectively avoid tax in many jurisdictions, including in countries where they make large profits.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2014
- Date modified
- Sep 21, 2020
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Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 37
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- Also relevant - given that unpaid caregivers are disproportionately represented in informal jobs - are State obligations to reduce to the fullest extent possible the number of workers outside the formal economy, apply labour legislation to all workers, and ensure that domestic and agricultural work is properly regulated so that domestic and agricultural workers enjoy the same level of protection as other workers.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
- Date modified
- Sep 21, 2020
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Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 46
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- The background and daily experience of justice sector staff, especially judges, are often very different from those of persons living in poverty, and this often means that, without proper training and sensitization, they do not understand and value their views, choices, behaviours or problems. Persons living in poverty may be denied access to impartial justice owing to negative stigma and stereotyping from judges, prosecutors and police.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Year
- 2012
- Date modified
- Sep 21, 2020
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Penalization of people living in poverty 2011, para. 40
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- While States can adopt reasonable regulations, law enforcement officials are often given wide discretion to determine zones, days and times when street vending activities are banned or restricted. This makes street vendors more vulnerable to abuse by law enforcement officials, private individuals or gangs. As a result, they often suffer from threats to their life and physical integrity, as well as from bribery, extortion and unlawful seizures of their wares.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Year
- 2011
- Date modified
- Sep 21, 2020
Paragraph
The importance of social protection measures in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2010, para. 51
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- Women tend to work in sectors greatly affected by economic instability. During economic crises, they are thus often the first to lose their jobs. Furthermore, owing to lower levels of education, less control over productive resources and access to different supportive networks, they have weaker negotiating positions than men and fewer chances of finding other income-generating activities in which to engage.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Person(s) affected
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2010
- Date modified
- Sep 21, 2020
Paragraph
Taxation and human rightss 2014, para. 45
- Paragraph text
- Transferring and redistributing wealth through taxation has the potential to redress systemic discrimination (based on, inter alia, gender, race, age, sexual orientation, disability, socioeconomic status) and to spur progress towards substantive equality. These are fundamental human rights goals and are conducive to sustainable poverty reduction. Tax structures must, however, be carefully designed if a more equitable distribution of incomes is to be achieved.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2014
- Date modified
- Sep 21, 2020
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The implementation of the right to social protection through the adoption of social protection floors 2014, para. 25
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- Scholars have argued that for both ILO and the World Bank, the social protection floor is closely linked to the objectives that inspired the drafters of the respective mandates they were given at the end of the Second World War. For the Bank, the Bretton Woods negotiations in 1944 are said to have been motivated in part by commitments to freedom from want and promoting social security, while the Declaration of Philadelphia of 1944 committed ILO to contribute to the achievement of extended "social security measures to provide a basic income to all in need of such protection and comprehensive medical care". However, the harmony implied by this historical perspective is quickly dispelled by detailed accounts of competition and non-cooperation between the two agencies. Various authors have described how, over the past couple of decades, there has been a "fundamental clash of approaches, ideologies and policies" between the ILO Social Security Department (now the Social Protection Department) and the Social Protection and Labor Division of the World Bank. Those conflicts have played out especially "in the fields of pension policy, of safety net versus universal cash benefits policies, [and] of even the definitions and purposes of social protection".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2014
- Date modified
- Sep 21, 2020
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Social protection and old age poverty 2010, para. 88
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- Considering limited fiscal resources, in some countries, it could be possible to begin with a universal pension offered at an advanced age (providing adequate level of benefits) and from there slowly extend the programme to include persons of a less advanced age. However, this should be carefully examined. While a high age requirement could reduce costs and help the programme to be implemented immediately and later scaled up, if the age requirement is too high it may be regressive, as it could predominantly benefit the better-off in society.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Year
- 2010
- Date modified
- Sep 21, 2020
Paragraph
Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 25
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- Persons living in poverty are often deprived from a young age of the opportunity to acquire the tools, social capital and basic legal knowledge necessary to engage with the justice system. They are unaware of the existence and contents of their legal rights and entitlements, of the State's obligations and duties towards them, and of how to secure the assistance they need. This is especially the case for those who experience discrimination in accessing education on grounds such as ethnicity, gender or disability.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Poverty
- Year
- 2012
- Date modified
- Sep 21, 2020
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The UN responsibility for the cholera outbreak in Haiti 2016, para. 28
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- On 3 November 2011, a petition was lodged with MINUSTAH on behalf of some 5,000 cholera victims claiming (a) a fair and impartial hearing; (b) monetary compensation; (c) preventive action by the United Nations; and (d) a public acknowledgement of United Nations responsibility and a public apology. Sixteen months later the Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs replied, noting that "the United Nations is extremely saddened by the catastrophic outbreak of cholera, and the Secretary-General has expressed his profound sympathy for the terrible suffering caused by the cholera outbreak". The Under-Secretary-General went on to make what seems to be an indirect reference to the theory that the earthquake that had occurred nine months earlier was the real culprit: "The cholera outbreak was not only an enormous national disaster, but was also a painful reminder of Haiti's vulnerability in the event of a national emergency." After recalling the independent panel's "confluence of circumstances" and no fault findings, the Under-Secretary-General deemed the claims "not receivable pursuant to Section 29 of the 1946 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations". That provision requires the United Nations to provide for appropriate modes of settlement of disputes of a private law character to which it is a party, but the Under-Secretary-General considered the claims not to be of a "private law character" because their consideration "would necessarily include a review of political and policy matters".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Year
- 2016
- Date modified
- Sep 21, 2020
Paragraph
Extreme poverty and human rights on universal basic income 2017, para. 27
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- Broader political support is suggested by former United States Secretary of Labor Robert Reich, who suggests that basic income could possibly be financed out of the profits coming from labour-replacing innovations, or perhaps even from a revenue stream generated by the underlying intellectual property. And a book by the former President of the Service Employees International Union, Andy Stern, also calls for a universal basic income to address a new economy characterized by high unemployment, stagnant wages, declining trade union power, and decreasing job security.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2017
- Date modified
- Sep 21, 2020
Paragraph
Extreme poverty and human rights on universal basic income 2017, para. 8d
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- [The present report is premised on the view that the human rights movement needs to address and respond to the fundamental changes that are taking place in economic and social structures at the national and global levels. These include, among others:] The rapid and seemingly unstoppable growth in inequality across the globe, captured by Oxfam’s statistic that the richest 1 per cent of humanity already controls as much wealth as the remaining 99 per cent, and by the detailed national-level economic analyses of Thomas Piketty and others;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2017
- Date modified
- Sep 21, 2020
Paragraph
The UN responsibility for the cholera outbreak in Haiti 2016, para. 65
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- Fifth, guidance might be drawn from important precedents for lump-sum settlements at the national level. Relevant examples include the arrangements set up in the United States to compensate the victims of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks, the 2014 agreement between the United States and France to compensate Holocaust victims and the Canadian Reparations Programme for the Indian Residential School System, created to redress the historical legacies of discrimination suffered by Aboriginal children attending those schools.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Ethnic minorities
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2016
- Date modified
- Sep 21, 2020
Paragraph
The UN responsibility for the cholera outbreak in Haiti 2016, para. 43
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- Among non-governmental organizations, Amnesty International has called for "a fair, transparent and independent mechanism to hear the claims of cholera victims, and ensure redress, including compensation". Human Rights Watch has criticized the absence of any "independent adjudication of the facts". And 34 non governmental organizations have cited "overwhelming evidence that United Nations peacekeepers are responsible" as the basis on which to call upon the candidates for the post of Secretary-General to "pledge to ensure that victims of cholera in Haiti have access to fair remedies".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Year
- 2016
- Date modified
- Sep 21, 2020
Paragraph
Penalization of people living in poverty 2011, para. 58
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- The introduction of biometrics to social benefits systems means that in some States, beneficiaries must submit to facial recognition technology, finger imaging and iris scans. These mechanisms give States extensive power and discretion to monitor and interfere in the lives of beneficiaries. The information obtained is frequently made accessible to other authorities for purposes other than those for which it was given, without beneficiaries' consent. Such practices seriously threaten the protection of personal data and the right to access and control one's personal information.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Year
- 2011
- Date modified
- Sep 21, 2020
Paragraph
The importance of social protection measures in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2010, para. 26
- Paragraph text
- Several studies indicate a strong positive correlation between a family's vulnerability to economic shocks and a child's early entry into the labour market and reduced school attendance. A family that experiences a severe shock, for example, may have to remove a child from school in order to send him or her to work. Evidence from Latin America suggests that greater family access to risk management instruments, such as unemployment benefits or disability benefits, directly reduces the prevalence of child labour.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2010
- Date modified
- Sep 21, 2020
Paragraph
Extreme poverty and human rights on universal basic income 2017, para. 52
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- Basic income proponents have devoted relatively little attention to the biggest question of all, which concerns affordability.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2017
- Date modified
- Sep 21, 2020
Paragraph
Extreme poverty and human rights on universal basic income 2017, para. 38
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- However, many social insurance and social assistance programmes that are integral parts of the welfare state differ in crucial respects from basic income. A study of 108 countries where child benefit or family benefit schemes were anchored in national legislation found that only 49 of them had non-contributory schemes. And contributory schemes generally only cover those in formal employment. They are therefore not universal, and often impose conditions, such as actively searching for work or undergoing medical tests. Moreover, they often go well beyond a floor, by compensating in part or in full for lost earnings.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2017
- Date modified
- Sep 21, 2020
Paragraph
Extreme poverty and human rights on universal basic income 2017, para. 42
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- Many African countries have unconditional cash transfers in the form of “social pensions” provided to all citizens above a certain age, without prior conditions. A newer phenomenon is the introduction of universal unconditional cash transfers in the context of subsidy reform. In 2010, the Islamic Republic of Iran introduced a “cash subsidy” of around $45 per month payable to all Iranians living in the country, to compensate for subsidy reductions on gasoline, gas, water and electricity. Similarly, Saudi Arabia is currently introducing a “household allowance” — a cash transfer to the poor and the middle classes (decreasing with income) to compensate for planned subsidy reforms.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Year
- 2017
- Date modified
- Sep 21, 2020
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