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Follow-up to the Durban Review Conference 2009, para. 1f
- Paragraph text
- [Recommends that the States parties to the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination:] Be mindful that their response to the current financial and economic crisis should not lead to a situation which would increase poverty and underdevelopment and, potentially, a rise in racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance against foreigners, immigrants, indigenous peoples, persons belonging to minorities and other particularly vulnerable groups all over the world;
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2009
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
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
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
Report on expert consultation on access to medicines 2011, para. 44
- Paragraph text
- The right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health encompasses access to medical services and the underlying determinants of health, such as water, sanitation, non-discrimination and equality. As access to medicines is an integral and fundamental part of the right to health, Governments and the international community as a whole have a responsibility to provide access to medicines for all. Yet massive inequalities remain in access to medicines around the world, as up to 2 billion people (or one third of the world's population) lack access to essential medicines. Most of them live in low- and middle-income countries, where the needs of persons living in poverty, women, children and undocumented migrants, as well as other marginalized and vulnerable groups who are often discriminated against in terms of access to medicines, are ignored or underestimated.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Poverty
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Year
- 2011
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
Guiding Principles on security of tenure for the urban poor 2014, para. 4a
- Paragraph text
- [Property has a vital social function including adequate housing of the urban poor. States should balance property rights with the social function of property in designing and implementing housing and other relevant policies. In particular, States, including relevant authorities, should promote access to secure and well-located housing for the urban poor through, inter alia, the following measures:] Conduct citywide audits of vacant and underutilized land, housing and buildings;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
Guiding Principles on security of tenure for the urban poor 2014, para. 4b
- Paragraph text
- [Property has a vital social function including adequate housing of the urban poor. States should balance property rights with the social function of property in designing and implementing housing and other relevant policies. In particular, States, including relevant authorities, should promote access to secure and well-located housing for the urban poor through, inter alia, the following measures:] Conduct assessments of spatial needs to house the urban poor, including homeless persons, taking into account current and anticipated trends;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
Reflections on the six-year tenure of the Special Rapporteur 2017, para. 100
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur has repeatedly emphasized that the collection and statistical analysis of disaggregated data on minorities are crucial to obtain important baseline information on the actual situation and status of minority communities. Such data would allow for adequate policy responses to minority issues, including the establishment and monitoring of targeted actions and programmes to prevent and address poverty, exclusion and discrimination. The Special Rapporteur urges States to collect data disaggregated on the basis of, inter alia, gender, ethnicity, language and religious affiliation. Individuals should be able to self-identify and express multiple identities. Data collection should be periodic and comply with international standards of privacy and personal data protection.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2017
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
Penalization of people living in poverty 2011, para. 82h
- Paragraph text
- [In this context, the Special Rapporteur wishes to present the following recommendations:] The design and implementation of social benefit systems must comply with human rights norms, including the rights of persons living in poverty to privacy and family life and to take part in the decisions that affect them. Surveillance policies, conditionalities and other requirements must be reviewed to ensure that they do not violate human rights obligations by imposing a disproportionate burden on those living in poverty. When collecting and processing information pertaining to beneficiaries, States shall ensure that they observe internationally accepted standards of privacy and confidentiality, and shall not disseminate such information to other authorities or use it for other purposes without the consent of the beneficiary;
- 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
- Families
- Year
- 2011
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
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
Human rights based approach to recovery from the global economic and financial crises, with a focus on those living in poverty 2011, para. 74
- Paragraph text
- Considering that the majority of people living in poverty earn their livelihoods in the informal sector, under difficult conditions and receive low and irregular wages, policies should prioritize improving their working conditions and extending formal social protection to them. To this end, policymakers should consider encouraging the formalization of informal firms, and specifically of employment relations. These measures have the potential to reduce labour market inequality and to extend the coverage of labour institutions to groups that were previously excluded. States should ensure, however, that such measures are taken without increasing poverty and vulnerability.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 107
- Paragraph text
- Care users, caregivers and other stakeholders should be proactively supported to participate in the design, implementation and monitoring of care services and other relevant policies. States and other relevant branches of Government must build the capacity of unpaid caregivers to participate in decision-making processes, including by providing them with accessible, up-to-date information about their rights, and services and benefits available to them. Participatory mechanisms must be designed to be accessible to women living in poverty with unpaid care responsibilities, for example by providing on-site childcare at meetings.
- 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
- Children
- Women
- Year
- 2013
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 109
- Paragraph text
- In order to position unpaid care work as a major human rights issue, build up evidence in this regard and alleviate women's poverty resulting from unpaid care work across their life cycle, the Special Rapporteur urges national human rights institutions to include the issue of unpaid care work in their research, policy, advocacy and programming work and to apply a human rights and gender equality perspective to this work. In addition, she encourages them to raise the issue with human rights mechanisms and bodies, including the universal periodic review, human rights treaty bodies, and the Commission on the Status of Women, including when country reports are reviewed.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Gender
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2013
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 84
- Paragraph text
- Government agencies and policymakers must be prepared to give value to the findings of participatory processes, critically examine their own practices and attitudes, and allow the necessary resources and time to enable people living in poverty to participate effectively. Instituting meaningful participation will require the State to relinquish unilateral control over some areas of policy traditionally seen as government prerogative, for example budgets. Similarly, while successful participation is frequently dependent on some form of State engagement, States should not seek to "own" all spaces of participation, and must protect and promote the role of NGOs and civil society.
- 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
- All
- Year
- 2013
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
Manifestations and causes of domestic servitude 2010, para. 93
- Paragraph text
- [The criminalization of all forms of slavery and servitude, in line with States' international obligations, is one aspect of an effective response. At the same time, the issue is embedded in the wider challenge to ensure that domestic workers are finally provided with equal protection of their labour rights. Combating domestic servitude and protecting domestic workers' rights are two sides of the same coin. The Special Rapporteur recommends that States:] Require that domestic workers receive a written contract in a language they can understand and that wage payments are made into a bank account. States should set a minimum wage for all domestic workers, including migrants, that should be above the poverty line of the country concerned and under no circumstances lower than the World Bank reference line indicating poverty (currently set at US$ 2 per day). Any additional payments in kind should not be counted towards the minimum wage.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
Thematic discussion on structural discrimination against people of African descent 2010, para. 119
- Paragraph text
- The Working Group notes that a holistic approach, encompassing education, health care, the administration of justice, employment and housing, is imperative to breaking the cycle of poverty, social, economic exclusion and marginalization in which the majority of people of African descent are trapped. The Working Group stresses that the Millennium Development Goals should be achieved for all sectors of society, including people of African descent.
- Body
- Working Group of experts on people of African descent
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
The impact of housing finance policies on the right to adequate housing of those living in poverty 2012, para. 65
- Paragraph text
- Housing finance policies based on credit are inherently discriminatory against lower-income households, and at their best increase housing affordability for upper- and middle-income groups. Housing finance policies often "redline" the poor, who are required to pay much higher prices for financial services, exposing them to financial risks inherent to global financial markets and indebtedness.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Year
- 2012
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
Ensuring the inclusion of minority issues in post- 2015 development agendas 2014, para. 83
- Paragraph text
- The relationship between inequality, discrimination and poverty cannot be ignored or underestimated. Tens of millions of people worldwide are trapped in a cycle of discrimination, exclusion, poverty and underdevelopment from which they cannot break out without targeted attention given to their situations. It is imperative that the United Nations and others, as they move forward to craft a new set of development objectives and targets, addresses the inequalities faced by national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2014
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
Taxation and human rightss 2014, para. 79d
- Paragraph text
- [States must realize the full potential of tax collection as a tool to generate revenue for the fulfilment of human rights obligations and to redress discrimination and inequality. Human rights principles regarding participation, transparency, accountability and non-discrimination should be followed throughout the whole revenue-raising cycle. For this purpose, States should:] Carefully consider the income tax threshold to ensure that persons below or near the poverty line are not driven deeper into poverty by tax policies;
- 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
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
Guiding Principles on security of tenure for the urban poor 2014, para. 2h
- Paragraph text
- [In order to improve security of tenure, especially for vulnerable and marginalized persons and groups living in urban poor settlements, States, including relevant authorities, should take the following measures:] Allocate sufficient funds to ministries, municipalities and local governments for the implementation of these measures; and
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2014
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 96
- Paragraph text
- [States should:] Expand the geographical reach of the justice system (police, prosecutors, courts, legal aid, etc.) in particular in rural and remote areas, by: Considering innovative measures such as mobile courts, one-stop justice shops, street clinics and homeless courts to increase practical access to justice for persons living in poverty, particularly the homeless and those living in rural communities
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2012
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
Report on the Post-2015 Education Agenda 2013, para. 120
- Paragraph text
- Poverty is the greatest obstacle to the enjoyment of the right to education as well as the right to development, and its elimination is an overriding development concern. A universal goal to eliminate poverty should be intertwined with a universal goal on education, in consideration of the key importance of the right to education as a powerful lever in the elimination of the intergenerational transmission of poverty. An implementation strategy should provide permanent support in the form of grants and bursaries to the children who remain deprived of education, in particular children who are victims of extreme poverty.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to education
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2013
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
Justiciability of the right to education 2013, para. 82k
- Paragraph text
- [Bearing in mind the key importance of the justiciability of the right to education and its enforcement, and with a view to fostering protective as well as promotional role of adjudication mechanisms, the Special Rapporteur would like to offer the following recommendations:] The United Nations Declaration on the Rule of Law, adopted by the General Assembly on 24 September 2012, emphasized that States should “promote access to justice for all, including legal aid”. To facilitate this, individuals or groups who have been denied the right to education and cannot afford to bring litigation should have access to free legal aid to support their claims. While reducing fees for all rights-based claims in courts to a minimum, States should ensure that applications before quasi-judicial mechanisms are free for complainants. Protection of the right to education of the poor should be central to poverty reduction strategies.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to education
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
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
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
The impact of housing finance policies on the right to adequate housing of those living in poverty 2012, para. 64
- Paragraph text
- Having examined the impact of these policies in various regions of the world, it is the view of the Special Rapporteur that they have largely failed to promote access to adequate housing for the poor. Evidence indicates that housing policies based exclusively on facilitating access to credit for homeownership are incompatible with the full realization of the right to adequate housing of those living in poverty, failing to supply habitable, affordable and well-located housing solutions accessible to the poor.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2012
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
The importance of social protection measures in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2010, para. 101
- Paragraph text
- Poverty is not gender-neutral, and any approach to social protection that is aimed at achieving the Millennium Development Goals while respecting human rights must take account of the fact that women and men experience poverty differently. Numerous studies have shown a positive link between improvement in terms of women's access to health care, education and other social benefits, and economic growth, the reduction of income poverty and overall progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Gender equality is a development objective to which gender-aware social protection can contribute.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2010
- 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
Penalization of people living in poverty 2011, para. 74
- Paragraph text
- Penalization measures are often motivated by prejudices and negative stereotypes that ignore the realities of disadvantage and exclusion and fail to recognize the daily struggle of persons living in poverty to overcome the multiple obstacles they face. Poverty is not a lifestyle choice. Homeless persons would prefer safe, affordable, adequate housing to public parks and bus stations. Those struggling to survive on social benefits would rather have secure, regular, well-paying, productive employment than be subject to discrimination and live in constant fear that their entitlements will be taken away. One does not choose to live in poverty, and therefore should not be punished for that situation.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2011
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 92
- Paragraph text
- Access to justice is essential for tackling poverty and protecting the human rights of persons living in poverty. Even mature democracies with well-functioning State institutions and technically inclusive and fair legal systems struggle to ensure de facto equal access to justice by those living in poverty. When the poor are unable to access justice equally and without discrimination, they are prevented from enjoying and claiming their human rights, and from seeking remedies to violations of their rights. This may exacerbate their situation, or frustrate their efforts to move out of poverty.
- 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
- All
- Year
- 2012
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
Eradicating contemporary forms of slavery from supply chains 2015, para. 70a
- Paragraph text
- [The Special Rapporteur would like to make the following recommendations to other stakeholders:] International organizations and the donor community have an important role to play in providing a forum for stakeholder dialogue and partnership to address contemporary forms of slavery in supply chains and to empower communities. They are encouraged to assist the States and other actors, if needed, by providing technical assistance for research, capacity-building, remediation and for addressing root causes through human rights-based development and poverty reduction programmes;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
Overview of main observations of five years fact-finding and research 2010, para. 77d
- Paragraph text
- [In building upon the general recommendations elaborated by his distinguished predecessor, Theo van Boven, in 2003, the Special Rapporteur wishes to particularly stress the following recommendations:] The international community should establish a global fund for national human rights protection systems which will assist States in their efforts to improve and reform national criminal justice systems, including the judiciary, prosecutors, police and prisons. That fund shall be financed by States, non-governmental organizations and the corporate sector and shall contribute to the legal empowerment of the poor;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
Analysis of two alternative housing policies: rental and collective housing 2013, para. 67
- Paragraph text
- Housing policies have increasingly been reduced to housing finance systems to promote homeownership. Evidence indicates that housing policies based exclusively on facilitating access to credit for homeownership are incompatible with the full realization of the right to adequate housing for low-income households, as they fail to supply habitable and affordable housing to the poor that is secure and well located.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph