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The implementation of the right to social protection through the adoption of social protection floors 2014, para. 12
- Paragraph text
- Although a report as brief as this can only skim the historical surface, at least five factors ensured that social protection in general, and the right to social security in particular, were of marginal importance for most of the twentieth century. First, the artificial and in some respects arbitrary division of the concept of human rights into two different categories of rights governed by very different assumptions, condemned economic and social rights to second-class status for much of this period. Second, the often proclaimed interdependence and indivisibility of the two sets of rights resolutely failed to address in practice the fact that individuals living in extreme poverty were unable to realize effectively many of their civil and political rights. Third, the mistaken notion that civil and political rights are largely costless, while economic and social rights are inevitably extremely costly, was used to legitimize the assumption that social security was a quintessentially costly right and thus only really of relevance to rich countries. Fourth, where it was officially accepted, social security was largely conceptualized as a tool for protecting workers in the public sector and in the formal sector more generally. Thus only minimal efforts were made to develop a more inclusive notion that built upon both formal and informal structures and processes to ensure that all persons were covered by some type of security arrangement. Fifth, many of those problems were exacerbated by the impact of the cold war on the human rights framework. A sixth factor was the extent to which individual United Nations agencies claimed different issues as their own and sought to develop forms of exclusive jurisdictional competence. Under that scheme, social security "belonged" to ILO. The rest of the United Nations system thus more or less kept away from the issue, except in the most general terms. That also meant that, some official rhetoric notwithstanding, the United Nations human rights system developed in relative isolation from what should have been the closely related work of a number of the specialized agencies.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The implementation of the right to social protection through the adoption of social protection floors 2014, para. 13
- Paragraph text
- The emergence of the Social Protection Floor Initiative at the international level has been well documented. In telegraphic form, most analyses begin with the harsh adjustment policies associated with the "Washington Consensus" of the 1980s, the reaction to those policies by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and other actors, the World Summit for Social Development in 1995, the poverty reduction strategies championed by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), starting in the late 1990s, and the focus on poverty in the Millennium Development Goals. Social security then began to re-emerge as a priority concern, thanks in large part to the engagement of ILO. It launched a global campaign on social security in 2003, followed by the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization in 2004, along with a series of other steps endorsed by the International Labour Conference.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The implementation of the right to social protection through the adoption of social protection floors 2014, para. 23c
- Paragraph text
- [At the international level, definitional issues continue to be controversial, especially in terms of whether social protection floors should be seen as a matter of human rights and whether they should be universal and unconditional. Before examining those dimensions, it is appropriate to take note of the approach reflected in ILO recommendation No. 202. As the culmination of many initiatives, both within and well beyond the ILO context, it has become the principal benchmark against which social protection floors should be designed, implemented and evaluated. The main elements of recommendation No. 202 are as follows:] Protection is to be universal, rather than selective and is to be aimed at "preventing or alleviating poverty, vulnerability and social exclusion";
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The implementation of the right to social protection through the adoption of social protection floors 2014, para. 26
- Paragraph text
- The report of the Social Protection Floor Advisory Group was especially critical of the Bank's approach and its critiques are still largely pertinent today. In the report, the Advisory Group noted that: In the social safety net approach, social policies were considered as residual to economic development. The implementation of such measures was driven by the need to provide relief to the poor and vulnerable during structural reform by cushioning the effects of the structural adjustments and facilitating political support to them. These measures were generally temporary, fragmented and targeted to the poor and vulnerable in a needs-based framework.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The implementation of the right to social protection through the adoption of social protection floors 2014, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- While the Bank has participated in the deliberations of the Social Protection Inter-Agency Cooperation Board, recent developments appear to confirm that it is doing so very largely on its own terms, built around risk management and safety nets, and remains reluctant to buy in to the Social Protection Floor Initiative in a meaningful way. Its response to that remark would doubtless be to point to the fact that 870 million of the 1.2 billion people living in extreme poverty, as defined by the Bank, are not covered even by safety nets. Under those circumstances, surely it is only prudent to begin with minimum aspirations? However, the Initiative envisages a gradual ratcheting up of aspirations, rather than the immediate introduction of full-blown social protection floors in low- or medium-income countries.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The implementation of the right to social protection through the adoption of social protection floors 2014, para. 51
- Paragraph text
- Second, an indispensable step is to insist on explicit recognition by key actors that there is a human right to social protection. At present, the right to social security and the right to an adequate standard of living, proclaimed so proudly in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and subsequently often reaffirmed in binding treaty obligations, are ignored or even challenged by the policies advocated by many of the key actors involved in addressing the plight of the hundreds of millions of persons living in extreme poverty. Many leading international organizations and financial institutions still avoid recognizing those rights in their policies and programmes.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The implementation of the right to social protection through the adoption of social protection floors 2014, para. 52
- Paragraph text
- Third, technocratic solutions, no matter how innovative and data-driven, will not work unless they are genuinely empowering of those whom they purport to help. In that regard, extreme poverty is a classic case study in the centrality of human dignity as a guiding principle of human rights. The poor, we have too often been told by our politicians and others, are usually to blame for their own plight, whether because of laziness, incompetence, mendacity, or whatever. Those unjustified stereotypes provide yet another justification for preferring technocratic approaches through which we measure the poor and work out how we are going to make minimal provision for them, at least in the long term. As Keynes reminded us, in the long term we are all dead. Those living in extreme poverty will be dead even more quickly, so that long-term solutions may be little more than an illusion. Short-term empowerment and respect are what is needed. We need to reassert a common humanity, shared responsibilities and the centrality of human dignity.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The implementation of the right to social protection through the adoption of social protection floors 2014, para. 53
- Paragraph text
- International civil society groups should mobilize effectively and in coalition with groups in other sectors to advocate and promote the Social Protection Floor Initiative. While the Center for Economic and Social Rights joined with a range of other groups, including Amnesty International, to call for a commitment to social protection floors in the sustainable development goals, the great majority of international human rights groups have said little and done less on the issue. It is essential to acknowledge that extreme poverty, which continues to afflict hundreds of millions of people, is a negation of all human rights. International civil society groups in the human rights field fight valiantly to eliminate torture, to reduce and expose extrajudicial executions, to reduce violence against women, to outlaw discrimination and the oppression of minorities and so on, but if the elimination of extreme poverty is not a central part of the collective human rights vision, it is a highly selective battle that is being fought.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Women
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The implementation of the right to social protection through the adoption of social protection floors 2014, para. 58
- Paragraph text
- The role of the World Bank in relation to the Social Protection Floor Initiative is crucial. Based on policies pursued to date, it is the single actor most likely to undermine and frustrate the overall Initiative. Unless there is a change of heart on its part, the development community will continue to be pushed to focus on ill-defined social safety nets aimed at a limited number of the extreme poor and as a matter of bureaucratically defined and designed welfare policy, rather than as a matter of human rights. It is therefore indispensable that the human rights community should shine a spotlight on the policies and practices of the Bank in this area and the Human Rights Council should call upon it to embrace the Initiative in all its dimensions.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The implementation of the right to social protection through the adoption of social protection floors 2014, para. 59
- Paragraph text
- In the realms of human rights and the Initiative, the current draft of the post-2015 agenda is a considerable disappointment. The almost complete omission of substantive references to human rights in the draft is a throwback to the United Nations development decade strategies of the 1960s and 1970s. However, they were drafted at a time when the human rights framework was in its infancy and development was seen largely as a technocratic process. Similarly, the very low standards set in relation to social protection are inconsistent with the high-flown rhetoric of ending poverty in all its forms everywhere. As it stands, the first goal proposed by the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals might be considered to be in violation of deceptive advertising laws designed to protect consumers.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Taxation and human rightss 2014, para. 22
- Paragraph text
- Decision-making processes regarding tax and public revenues must therefore be based on full transparency and the broadest possible national dialogue, with effective and meaningful participation of civil society and those who will be directly affected by such policies, including people living in poverty. Fiscal policies should be subjected to the scrutiny of the population during design, implementation and evaluation stages, with the various interests transparently identified. This will require capacity-building and fostering fiscal literacy in the population. The population should have access to all relevant information in an accessible and understandable format, and inclusive mechanisms should be put in place to ensure that they are actively engaged in devising the most appropriate policy options. Owing to the asymmetries of power, expertise and interests in this debate, specific measures should be taken to ensure equal access and opportunities to participate, particularly for people living in poverty.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Taxation and human rightss 2014, para. 33
- Paragraph text
- When acting as a member of an international organization, a State remains responsible for its own conduct in relation to its human rights obligations within and outside its territory. This includes identifying the possible human rights impact of measures agreed at the international level, including the impact on persons living in poverty. Therefore, when a State makes decisions about loans as a member of an international financial institution, careful consideration of human rights obligations would mitigate against imposing conditions regarding fiscal policies that may jeopardize the human rights of the borrower State's population or undermine that State's ability to use maximum available resources to realize economic, social and cultural rights.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Taxation and human rightss 2014, para. 38
- Paragraph text
- Taxation policies also have the potential to reduce income and wealth inequalities, depending on their level and progressiveness. This is a crucial goal, because inequalities have been shown to slow the pace of poverty reduction, create intergenerational poverty traps through uneven access to health and education, and increase the vulnerability of societies to economic crises. Some research has shown that improvement in income distribution is the key channel for poverty reduction. In most economies, the redistribution achieved through income taxes is even higher than for means-tested social transfers.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Taxation and human rightss 2014, para. 46
- Paragraph text
- Progressive tax systems, in particular direct taxes, are one of the most important tools available to Governments in addressing income inequality. Personal income tax is one of the most progressive and important kinds of tax in this regard. Indirect taxes, such as those based on consumption (such as value-added or sales taxes) are typically regressive, because they generally constitute a larger proportion of the income of people living in poverty; for example, in Latin America, on average for the poorest 20 per cent of the population, sales tax accounts for 13.7 per cent of their income, while only 5.8 per cent of income for the richest 20 per cent. Thus, despite exemptions aimed at decreasing the burden on lower-income groups, the poor bear a tax burden 2.4 times higher than that of the wealthiest people. Women, who tend to use larger portions of their income on basic goods because of gender norms that assign them responsibility for the care of dependents, bear the regressive brunt of consumption taxes.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Taxation and human rightss 2014, para. 47
- Paragraph text
- Overall, high tax rates for goods and services and low rates for income, wealth and property bring about inequitable and discriminatory outcomes; indeed, it has been shown that the negative effect of indirect taxes on the income of people living in or on the verge of poverty can be greater than the positive effect of cash transfers. Such regressive tax structures also restrict the redistributive aspect of social programmes, resulting in them effectively being funded by the very persons whom they seek to benefit. Thus, although each country's situation is different, the higher the prevalence of regressive taxes in the mix of revenue-raising sources, the more likely it is that a State will run afoul of the principles of equality and non-discrimination and that the minimum essential enjoyment of rights by the poorest will be threatened.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The importance of social protection measures in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2010, para. 9
- Paragraph text
- Social insurance and social assistance are the two main segments of social protection. "Social insurance" refers to contributory insurance schemes providing pre-specified support for affiliated members. "Social assistance" encompasses initiatives providing both cash and in kind assistance to those living in poverty. Relevant social protection measures addressing the needs of those living in extreme poverty include cash transfer schemes, public-works programmes, school stipends, social pensions, food vouchers and transfers, and user-fee exemptions for health care, education or subsidized services.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The importance of social protection measures in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2010, para. 10
- Paragraph text
- The duty to implement social protection policies to expand the protection available to persons living in extreme poverty flows directly from a number of human rights, in particular the right to social security and the right to an adequate standard of living, which are enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, several international and regional human rights treaties, conventions of the International Labour Organization (ILO), and national constitutions. Ensuring access to social protection is thus not a policy option, but a State obligation under international human rights law. Understood in this way, human rights can greatly contribute to the building of the political support necessary to establish and expand social protection systems.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The importance of social protection measures in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2010, para. 12
- Paragraph text
- The elimination of all forms of discrimination, including gender-based discrimination, is an overarching human rights principle that must guide the conduct of States. Given that gender inequality is a cause and a factor that perpetuates it, effective development strategies must take into account State obligations regarding gender equality and the protection of the full range of women's rights. This is made clear in the Beijing Declaration, which affirms that the "[e]radication of poverty based on sustained economic growth, social development, environmental protection and social justice requires the involvement of women in economic and social development, equal opportunities and the full and equal participation of women and men as agents and beneficiaries of people-centred sustainable development".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Environment
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The importance of social protection measures in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2010, para. 17
- Paragraph text
- At a basic level, social protection has the potential to shield the most vulnerable segments of society from various "shocks". These include personal crises such as lack of income due to unemployment, disability or sickness, as well as crises at the macro level such as economic slowdowns, large-scale structural adjustments or, increasingly, crises due to climate-change-related environmental degradation (including crop failures, flooding and droughts). By transferring resources to those in need, social protection increases consumption, reduces a household's extreme vulnerabilities and prevents further deterioration in living conditions. Evidence suggests that without social protection, there will be, inter alia, an increase in poverty and the prevalence of child labour and HIV/AIDS, higher levels of exclusion from access to health and education, and low access to productive activities. Social protection also helps to keep individuals who live on or close to the poverty line from backsliding into poverty following a sudden loss of income or increase in expenses.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The importance of social protection measures in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2010, para. 18
- Paragraph text
- Moreover, several kinds of social protection programmes contribute to income generation and enable recipients to accumulate and protect assets, building their resilience in the face of shocks and increasing their chances of escaping extreme poverty. The additional income that social protection provides through various types of cash or in kind transfers and microcredit schemes enables families and individuals to accumulate savings, engage in long-term planning and invest in productive assets. Increasingly, social protection programmes are also designed to enable households to invest in human capital development, thus preventing poverty from being passed on from one generation to the next.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The importance of social protection measures in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2010, para. 19
- Paragraph text
- Many studies note the potential of social protection initiatives to promote progress towards the achievement of Millennium Development Goal 1, in particular target 1: halving income poverty by 2015. The World Bank estimates that social protection interventions could reduce the total poverty head-count rate by 5 to 10 per cent. Data from national flagship programmes show such results. In Mexico, for example, the PROGRESA programme, a cash transfer scheme, may have led to a 36 per cent decrease in the poverty gap among beneficiaries. Together with an increase in the minimum wage, Brazil identifies the expansion of its cash transfer programme, "Bolsa Familia", as the reason for its having met target 1 ahead of schedule.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The importance of social protection measures in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2010, para. 20
- Paragraph text
- Numerous studies demonstrate that specific cash transfer programmes have been effective in working towards target 2 of the Millennium Development Goals: halving the number of persons suffering from hunger by 2015. For example, the Productive Safety Net Programme in Ethiopia, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in India, the initiative "Challenging the Frontiers of Poverty Reduction: Targeting the Ultra-Poor" in Bangladesh and the Kalomo District Pilot Social Cash Transfer Scheme in Zambia have all improved nutritional levels. In a wide range of programmes and countries, there is strong evidence of a direct link between income supplementation and food consumption among beneficiary households. A number of countries have noted the possible role of school meal programmes and the distribution of food baskets in the achievement of significant gains towards the fulfilment of target 2.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Food & Nutrition
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The importance of social protection measures in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2010, para. 36
- Paragraph text
- The effects of social protection measures such as cash and in-kind transfers on the health status of persons living in extreme poverty will not be consolidated unless they are accompanied by adequate investment in the provision of health care and the guarantee of access to medicines. Also essential is coordination among various social policies, including coordination between programme managers and health service providers, to ensure adequate, accessible and gender-sensitive health-care services, even in the most remote and vulnerable communities. In addition, States should provide mass immunizations and public health awareness campaigns.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The importance of social protection measures in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2010, para. 41
- Paragraph text
- While it is positive that the importance of sustainable development is reflected in the Millennium Development Goals, it is regrettable that they fail to include a specific goal or target related to climate change. This is despite the fact that those living in extreme poverty are affected the most by, yet have contributed the least to, the phenomenon. In addition, Goal 7 (ensure environmental sustainability) is criticized for not appropriately representing the realities of developing countries. For instance, many low- and middle-income countries argue that they cannot afford to focus on renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, and instead need to use natural resources to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. While this is a complex issue, the "pollute first, clean up later" approach is clearly not a viable option. For most low-income countries, Goal 7 is not necessarily about cutting emissions, but rather about enabling those in poverty to "manage, control and sustainably develop natural resources". In this regard, social protection programmes can play a considerable role.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The importance of social protection measures in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2010, para. 42
- Paragraph text
- While climate change simultaneously poses massive challenges for human rights and the prospects of those living in extreme poverty, the international and domestic actions required in the context of climate change represent an unparalleled opportunity to overcome poverty, generate new levels of development, further the realization of human rights and build a more stable, balanced and robust global economy. States - particularly the industrialized countries that emit high levels of greenhouse gasses - must provide substantial funding, separate from and additional to pre-existing official development assistance (ODA) commitments, to help developing countries adapt to the inevitable effects of a warming climate.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The importance of social protection measures in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2010, para. 49
- Paragraph text
- Gender inequality causes and perpetuates poverty. Gender-based discrimination limits women's opportunities to gain access to education, decent work, land ownership, credit, inheritance and other economic resources, thus increasing their likelihood of living in extreme poverty. Other factors, including age, ethnicity, race, disability and health status, compound the discrimination that women face and affect their living conditions. Accordingly, it is widely accepted that improving the situation of women is essential for sustainable development. Eliminating extreme poverty in the long run, therefore, requires careful consideration of the various types of risks and the vulnerability to poverty experienced by men and boys and by women and girls.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Girls
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The importance of social protection measures in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2010, para. 67
- Paragraph text
- The present report stresses the fact that a rights-based approach to social protection programmes will maximize their potential for ensuring the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. This section contains recommendations concerning how to frame the discourse on social protection and the Goals in human rights terms. Social protection interventions based on human rights can ensure that underlying obstacles cutting across all Millennium Development Goals are tackled. As the core of a rights-based social protection system, special attention to the various impacts of poverty on men and women must be provided by policymakers during the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programmes.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The importance of social protection measures in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2010, para. 68
- Paragraph text
- The establishment of a solid legal and institutional framework for social protection measures at the national level is a fundamental first step towards the realization of human rights as well as the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. Enshrining social protection within domestic law affirms the duty of States to protect and promote the right to social security and an adequate standard of living. It solidifies States' long-term commitment to poverty reduction, placing social protection firmly on the political agenda. The independent expert has repeatedly emphasized the significance of legal and institutional frameworks in ensuring the long-term success of social protection programmes.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The importance of social protection measures in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2010, para. 87
- Paragraph text
- Social protection is not a policy panacea and must be regarded as one element in a broad development strategy aimed at overcoming poverty and ensuring the enjoyment of human rights, including equality between men and women. It should be developed in coordination with other policies addressing the various factors causing or perpetuating gender inequality. In most countries, women's vulnerability to poverty would not change with social protection alone. Measures such as ensuring for women access to land, productive resources and credit; fair inheritance rights; full legal capacity; access to justice; and the removal of mobility restrictions are critical to effective development strategies. Moreover, the protection of women and girls from acts of violence against them, and the prevention and punishment of such acts, are essential for improving their standard of living. In this regard, national legislation must be in line with international human rights standards, in particular the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Women
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The importance of social protection measures in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2010, para. 98
- Paragraph text
- It is widely recognized that social protection interventions do not work in isolation; they must be developed within a broader policy framework, integrating various protective initiatives and ensuring access to essential social services and a favourable economic environment. The present report provides concrete recommendations regarding the core elements of a rights-based social protection system. The adoption of a human rights approach to social protection not only responds to international obligations and commitments, but also improves the effectiveness of such strategies and aligns them with the holistic perspective required to tackle the various dimensions of poverty.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
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