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Penalization of people living in poverty 2011, para. 73
- Paragraph text
- Often, States invoke grounds of public safety, health or security in an attempt to justify the restriction of human rights through penalization measures. However, human rights law establishes strict requirements for the imposition of limitations on individual rights. Any restriction on the enjoyment of human rights by those living in poverty must comply with several safeguards, including requirements that they be legally established, non discriminatory and proportionate, and have a legitimate aim. The burden falls upon States to prove that a limitation imposed upon the enjoyment of rights by those living in poverty is in conformity with international human rights law.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2011
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
Social protection and old age poverty 2010, para. 106
- Paragraph text
- Non-contributory pensions are the only means by which universal pension coverage can be achieved and gender imbalances redressed. However, social pensions must not be regarded as the sole response to old-age poverty. To be effective in the promotion of an adequate standard of living, social pensions can only be one component of a comprehensive social protection strategy that addresses the impact of extreme poverty throughout one person's life cycle and includes measures to ensure older persons access to adequate social services, in particular access to health care.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Older persons
- Year
- 2010
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
The UN responsibility for the cholera outbreak in Haiti 2016, para. 79
- Paragraph text
- There are strong grounds for now issuing an apology and accepting responsibility. First, the element of doubt as to the responsibility of the United Nations for the introduction of cholera has been definitively removed. A series of scientific studies and statements subsequent to the issuance of the report of the independent panel of experts, as well as the experts' own later clarifications, leave no reasonable doubt and the United Nations position must reflect that reality. A policy that might arguably have been justified in years gone by is clearly no longer supported by the scientific facts.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
Social protection and old age poverty 2010, para. 105
- Paragraph text
- The traditional reliance of many States on contributory pension systems as the main source of social security in old age has left a significant portion of older persons unprotected. This problem is particularly serious for women as most are not covered by contributory pension schemes although they tend to live longer. Investing in non-contributory pensions can play an important role in empowering older people and contribute to the realization of their human rights, in particular their economic, social and cultural rights.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Older persons
- Women
- Year
- 2010
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 98
- Paragraph text
- In particular, quality and affordable care services for carers and parents can have a major positive impact on the human rights of both caregivers and receivers. Investment in childcare, elder care and disability support should therefore be increased, prioritizing disadvantaged and underserved areas. The services should be affordable, and provided free to those who cannot afford to pay. In particular, all women should have economic and physical access to high-quality, culturally appropriate childcare for children under school age, including children with disabilities. As well as having a major positive impact on women's right to work, quality early childhood education accessible to people living in poverty has many proven benefits for children and society as a whole. Innovative approaches such as mobile crèches should be considered in order to reach communities living in poverty.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Year
- 2013
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
Human rights based approach to recovery from the global economic and financial crises, with a focus on those living in poverty 2011, para. 72
- Paragraph text
- Human rights standards relating to working conditions require States to ensure just and favourable conditions of work, including safe and healthy working conditions, reasonably limited working hours and paid annual leave. The right to form and join trade union organizations and engage in collective bargaining must be ensured. Workers must have access to a social security system that provides for the broadest possible coverage (such as health care, sickness compensation, old age pensions and compensation for employment-related injuries).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Older persons
- Year
- 2011
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 97
- Paragraph text
- Policymakers should implement general measures, such as eliminating user fees in primary education and basic health care, including sexual and reproductive health care, and progressively implementing free universal health care. More specific measures adapting and reforming public services, directly guided by the need to alleviate unpaid work demands on women and girls, will also be necessary. Such measures might include free school food programmes; extended school day programmes; improvements to palliative care systems; and the introduction of household/community care capacity assessments to guide hospital discharge decisions.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Women
- Year
- 2013
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
The UN responsibility for the cholera outbreak in Haiti 2016, para. 89
- Paragraph text
- Going forward, the role of Member States will be absolutely crucial. Although more lives have been lost in Haiti to cholera than were lost in the entire Ebola epidemic in Africa, too many States have so far wrongly assumed that the case of Haiti is too hard to resolve. States that provide substantial support to the peacekeeping budget, particularly the United States, which is the principal contributor, should actively champion a resolution to this ongoing crisis that respects the rights of the victims and best serves the reputational and other interests of the United Nations. A failure to do so will cause irreparable harm to the Organization and the esteem in which it is held around the world.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Humanitarian
- Year
- 2016
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
Social protection and old age poverty 2010, para. 111
- Paragraph text
- States must adopt specific measures to ensure access to social pensions by those in most vulnerable conditions, for example, by removing administrative barriers that prevent them from accessing social pensions, such as the lack of documentation. Specific measures are also needed to ensure that benefits are distributed within safe reach and at a convenient geographic location, paying particular attention to physical and mental impairments that affect older persons.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Older persons
- Year
- 2010
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 101
- Paragraph text
- States affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic should also take specific measures to ensure that unpaid home-based caregivers are adequately supported, including by providing counselling, training, livelihood support and skills development, savings and credit schemes, medical supplies and equipment.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 100
- Paragraph text
- An important part of the State's investment in care services is the recruitment of adequate numbers of paid care professionals such as nurses, and providing them with decent pay and working conditions. Overall, States should shift from a strategy of reliance on market and voluntary provision of care that is informal and exploitative to one that allows professional, decently paid and compassionate forms of care.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Health
- Year
- 2013
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
Social protection and old age poverty 2010, para. 114
- Paragraph text
- States must ensure social security schemes are complemented by other social policies, in particular the provision of health care. States must ensure access to adequate health-care services and address other underlying determinants of health, such as access to safe drinking water and food.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2010
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
Penalization of people living in poverty 2011, para. 80
- Paragraph text
- While preventing fraud is a legitimate aim, measures such as invasive surveillance policies, onerous conditionalities, excessive disclosure requirements and extensive policing in social benefit systems are disproportionate to their aim, stem from overt and covert discriminatory attitudes and practices, and only serve to reinforce the poverty experienced by beneficiaries.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 102
- Paragraph text
- States have a duty to regulate private service providers, to ensure that they are not violating the human rights of the population they serve, including the rights to equality and non-discrimination and the principles of availability, accessibility, acceptability, adaptability and quality. To this end, a human rights impact assessment should be conducted before care services are outsourced to private providers, and at regular evaluation intervals.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 99
- Paragraph text
- Low-income countries can overcome resource constraints by building on existing social care programmes to provide better working conditions and improve the quality of care, for example through the expansion of child nutrition centres into quality preschool or educational centres with wider coverage.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2013
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
The UN responsibility for the cholera outbreak in Haiti 2016, para. 81
- Paragraph text
- Third, there is now a much stronger commitment to taking the rule of law seriously in the context of the approach adopted within the United Nations itself, and this needs to be reflected in the legal response to cholera in Haiti.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Year
- 2016
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 76
- Paragraph text
- In order to create an enabling legal framework, States must ensure comprehensive equality and non-discrimination legislation. This should include explicit prohibition of discrimination on the basis of maternity and family or carer responsibilities in all areas of public life, and the right to equal pay for equal work. These laws and regulations must cover part-time, atypical and informal workers. Similarly, the legal framework must include reproductive rights, prohibit child marriage and remove any remaining family laws in place, including those relating to divorce, inheritance and division of marital property.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2013
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
Social protection and old age poverty 2010, para. 104
- Paragraph text
- The rapid ageing of the world population, particularly within developing countries, requires that there be an urgent assessment of the existing policies aimed at protecting older persons. Extreme poverty amongst older persons is a reality in every region of the world today: lack of access to work and income, increased need for health care and dependency within the household are some of the factors that expose older persons to poverty. Unless action is taken, the situation will deteriorate.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Older persons
- Year
- 2010
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
The importance of social protection measures in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2010, para. 55
- Paragraph text
- It is widely accepted that the provision of social protection benefits to women significantly improves the education, health and nutritional levels of children. Understandably, this component has been incorporated into many social protection schemes around the world, with very positive consequences. However, the specific channelling of social protection towards women to increase the well-being of other household members must not undermine women's enjoyment of their human rights. The design of programmes should respect and acknowledge the role of women as care providers without reinforcing patterns of gender discrimination and negative stereotyping.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Women
- Year
- 2010
- Paragraph type
- Other
Paragraph
The importance of social protection measures in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2010, para. 35
- Paragraph text
- Evidence also shows the positive impacts of social protection for people living with HIV/AIDS and their families. For example, in a number of African countries in which HIV/AIDS is prevalent, universal old-age pensions have significantly improved the lives of AIDS orphans raised by their grandparents. There are also programmes that are testing how financial incentives in the form of cash transfers could have a positive impact in preventing HIV/AIDS (Goal 6). For example, the RESPECT Project, a pilot cash-transfer programme in the United Republic of Tanzania, uses cash as an incentive to reduce risky sexual activity among young people, male and female, who are at high risk for HIV infection and to provide counselling and periodic screening for sexually transmitted infections. The final outcomes of this approach have yet to be seen, and further human rights analyses are required.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Older persons
- Youth
- Year
- 2010
- Paragraph type
- Other
Paragraph
Social protection and old age poverty 2010, para. 93
- Paragraph text
- The living conditions of persons living in extreme poverty clearly impact on their health status throughout their life. Higher incidence of ill-health and premature mortality correlates with socioeconomic factors in all regions of the world. Ageing increases a person's susceptibility to illness and disability, and this phenomenon is further aggravated by poverty as they are less likely to be able to afford health care and more likely to maintain poor nutritional diets. They are also more likely to have engaged in physically demanding work for a living. Therefore, policies must take into account that older persons living in poverty may have a greater need for health care.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Older persons
- Year
- 2010
- Paragraph type
- Other
Paragraph
Social protection and old age poverty 2010, para. 39
- Paragraph text
- In 1995, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights adopted a general comment on the rights of older persons, in which it stressed that States needed to adapt their social and economic policies to respond to the needs of ageing populations and should give more consideration to older persons in their human rights monitoring and reporting. The general comment also sheds light on the relationship between the provisions of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Vienna International Plan of Action and the United Nations Principles for Older Persons, clearly indicating that both binding and non-binding commitments are linked.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Older persons
- Year
- 2010
- Paragraph type
- Other
Paragraph
Human rights based approach to recovery from the global economic and financial crises, with a focus on those living in poverty 2011, para. 36
- Paragraph text
- Reductions in public expenditure are likely to take the form of decreased spending on social services, which has the potential to significantly undermine the effective and efficient functioning of basic health and education services and social protection systems. These services are crucial for providing minimum essential levels of enjoyment of human rights and to protect the rights of the poorest and most vulnerable members of society. While the human rights framework does not exclude the possibility of States adopting austerity measures, it is clear that, in many instances, these reductions in expenditure could have grave consequences for the enjoyment of human rights, particularly for those living in poverty who continue to suffer from the cumulative effects of the crises.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
- Paragraph type
- Other
Paragraph
Social protection and old age poverty 2010, para. 34
- Paragraph text
- The benefit of social pensions may also reach beyond their direct beneficiaries and assist family members of the older person and any children in their care. In AIDS-affected countries, for example, where older persons are the primary caregivers of children orphaned by AIDS, social pensions may impact positively on child well-being. A study in South Africa found that children living with pensioners are, on average, 5 centimetres taller and that such a pension being given led to an 8 per cent increase in school attendance among those in the poorest percentile of the population.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Older persons
- Year
- 2010
- Paragraph type
- Other
Paragraph
The importance of social protection measures in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2010, para. 33
- Paragraph text
- Research indicates a possible relationship between social protection and declines in child mortality (Goal 4). For example, by eliminating financial disincentives, cash transfer programmes directed at families with small children have demonstrably increased the number of regular medical check-ups for such children, thus reducing the risk of child mortality. Such programmes have also been effective in increasing the child immunization rates, reducing the incidence of illness and, in extreme cases, premature death. Similarly, food transfers have demonstrably reduced malnutrition among children.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2010
- Paragraph type
- Other
Paragraph
Social protection and old age poverty 2010, para. 37
- Paragraph text
- Human rights treaties apply to all members of society and as such older persons are clearly entitled to the full range of rights established by them. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights mentions the particular vulnerability of older persons in article 25, which stipulates that "everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including … medical care and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Older persons
- Year
- 2010
- Paragraph type
- Other
Paragraph
Marginality of economic and social rights 2016, para. 46
- Paragraph text
- Third, the literature does not pay much attention to the existence of implementing legislation designed to promote realization of a specific right as a human right, whether or not there is constitutional recognition. In countries like South Africa, there is very extensive legislation (such as the Water Services Act, 1997) designed to promote or implement economic and social rights and this often plays a key role in constitutional litigation. But in most other countries, such legislation seems to be rare, certainly outside of the education and health sectors.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
- Paragraph type
- Other
Paragraph
The importance of social protection measures in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2010, para. 75
- Paragraph text
- Accepting these principles entails both carefully screening policy choices to prevent the unfair exclusion of disadvantaged and disempowered groups - in particular, persons with disabilities, older persons, indigenous peoples, minorities and persons with HIV/AIDS - and actively seeking out ways to ensure that they are reached. In this regard, social protection programmes must be physically and culturally accessible. This means, for example, that benefits must be distributed within a safe physical distance and that transportation or opportunity costs must be taken into account. Outreach and information regarding programmes must be specifically designed to reach groups that are particularly vulnerable or excluded; examples include radio announcements and community plays aimed at overcoming illiteracy. Information about programmes must be available in the languages of minorities, indigenous peoples and immigrant populations.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Persons on the move
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2010
- Paragraph type
- Other
Paragraph
The importance of social protection measures in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2010, para. 34
- Paragraph text
- Social protection can also promote maternal health (Goal 5). For example, social cash transfers, which provide additional income, can be used by beneficiaries to cover health-care and transportation costs. Evaluations of the "Juntos" scheme in Peru, a conditional cash transfer programme, showed an increase of approximately 65 per cent in the number of prenatal and post-natal visits to health clinics and a reduction in the number of home births in areas where there were high levels of maternal mortality. In addition, social funds supporting the development of local health-care infrastructure have been proved effective in reducing infant mortality rates.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2010
- Paragraph type
- Other
Paragraph
Social protection and old age poverty 2010, para. 42
- Paragraph text
- At regional level, there are several provisions recognizing the specific vulnerability of older persons that call on States to implement specific measures to protect the elderly. They also emphasize the right to social security.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Older persons
- Year
- 2010
- Paragraph type
- Other
Paragraph