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The right to social security (Art. 9) 2007, para. 3
- Paragraph text
- Social security, through its redistributive character, plays an important role in poverty reduction and alleviation, preventing social exclusion and promoting social inclusion.
- Body
- Committee on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2007
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Extreme poverty and human rights on universal basic income 2017, para. 11
- Paragraph text
- Under a basic income system, regular payments would be made to recipients, for example on a monthly basis. Predictability and continuity ensure that redistributive and poverty-reducing goals are met, whereas one-time only payments or lump sums do not ensure a consistent floor.
- 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
- N.A.
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Extreme poverty and human rights on universal basic income 2017, para. 1
- Paragraph text
- The present report is submitted in accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 26/3 and is the third report submitted to the Council by Philip Alston in his capacity as Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights.
- 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
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Development cooperation in the water and sanitation sector 2016, para. 69
- Paragraph text
- Funders must face those challenges head-on to create proper arrangements to ensure that funding actually reaches its destination, thereby effectively generating benefit for the poor and realizing the human rights to water and sanitation.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Poverty
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The MDGs and the human rights to water and sanitation 2010, para. 50
- Paragraph text
- Lack of access to water and sanitation is not simply a question of scarcity of technology, financial resources and infrastructure. It is a matter of setting priorities, a function of societal power relations and a problem of poverty and deeply entrenched inequalities. In order to increase sustainable access to water and sanitation, it is essential to address these underlying causes. Rights-based analyses in the water and sanitation sectors have revealed, for example, lack of secure land tenure as a key blockage, in particular in urban slums. Target 7.D aims to achieve, by 2020, a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum-dwellers. The target date (five years later than the rest of the targets) and the scale of progress aimed for (around a tenth of the estimated 1 billion slum-dwellers) highlight the low ambition embodied in this target. The indicators used as a proxy to measure progress towards the target do not capture security of tenure, which would be crucial to improve living conditions and is one of the main components of the right to housing. If these underlying issues were addressed and the target on slums were set higher, it would contribute significantly to making progress towards universal access to water and sanitation.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Poverty
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The MDGs and the human rights to water and sanitation 2010, para. 36
- Paragraph text
- Perhaps the most frequently voiced concern about the Millennium Development Goals is that, taken on their face, they may facilitate aggregate human development progress at the expense of the most marginalized populations, thereby potentially exacerbating underlying inequalities. In fact, it would be possible for a country to be in full compliance with the Goals regarding access to water and sanitation without having extended access to any person belonging to the lowest wealth quintile. Whereas the Millennium Declaration refers explicitly in paragraph 23 to "equitable access", this concern for equity is not reflected in the Millennium Development Goals and, regrettably, principles of equality and non-discrimination are at present poorly reflected in most Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers. Non discrimination and equality are not only instrumentally important in the context of development; they are binding human rights principles reflected in international human rights treaties. Development strategies based on the Millennium Development Goals that pick only the "low-hanging fruit" risk perpetuating and even reinforcing existing inequalities, frustrating sustainable development objectives and violating international human rights standards.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 33
- Paragraph text
- With the growth in rural poverty and lack of investment in rural livelihoods, communities are drawn to work in this sector as they know that they can gain immediate benefits from selling gold as opposed to cultivating land.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Health financing in the context of the right to health 2012, para. 41
- Paragraph text
- However, community-based health insurance programmes may be unable to achieve effective cross-subsidization owing to the size and constitution of community pools. In most cases, community-based pools are very small in size and comprise poor individuals at high risk for illness; financial and health risks therefore may not be effectively subsidized across pool members. Contributions to community-based health insurance have also been shown to be regressive in some instances, as contributions are made as flat amounts and income-rated contributions and exemptions for the poor have been difficult to implement owing to challenges in determining household incomes. Moreover, the costs associated with collecting contributions from populations in rural areas and informal urban areas are high relative to the revenue generated from contributions. Thus, while in some cases community-based insurance programmes may be used to increase access to health facilities, goods and services for vulnerable or marginalized groups and facilitate the participation of communities in health-related decision-making processes, they are not a substitute for larger, more centralized pooling mechanisms.
- 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
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 46
- Paragraph text
- This situation can be changed this time around. As noted in its report, the High-level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda stated that "to fulfil our vision of promoting sustainable development, we must go beyond the Millennium Development Goals. They did not focus enough on reaching the very poorest and most excluded people. They were silent on the devastating effects of conflict and violence on development."
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 73
- Paragraph text
- At a broader level, communities have used participatory wealth rankings as a way of assessing poverty to determine how to target measures within their communities. Determining relative poverty in a community allows for targeting on that basis. Such participatory processes can provide detailed insights on local poverty and often include access to water as an indicator in the analysis.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 56
- Paragraph text
- In different contexts, different mechanisms have been used with the aim of targeting financial support at those individuals and groups who rely on it to ensure the affordability of services. Subsidies could apply to low-income households, to areas populated predominantly by low-income communities, or to small-scale services likely to be used by those living in poverty or on a low-income.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Sustainability and non-retrogression in the realisation of the rights to water and sanitation 2013, para. 64
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur is aware that resources available to States are limited, despite efforts to mobilize revenue. As noted in a previous report (A/66/255, para. 41 ff), this highlights the need for appropriate targeting of available resources. Human rights principles give clear guidance on this: States should initially direct resources and efforts towards meeting obligations with immediate effect, for example, targeting the realization of the core content of the human rights to water and sanitation without discrimination and protecting existing access. One of the challenges highlighted above demonstrates this need for targeting of resources: while potentially necessary for long-term sustainability of the sector, the introduction of metred service delivery at cost price can have discriminatory effects. Thus the pricing of services (as well as taxation) needs to be targeted and appropriately adjusted for the most disadvantaged and for people living in poverty. For example, scarcity pricing, penalties or higher pricing structures for non-essential use, well-designed increasing-block tariffs, subsidies for those in need, and institutional and distributive taxes, are all examples of approaches used to raise revenue and recover costs. These should be implemented in a fair manner that promotes sustainability and access for all to water and sanitation services.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Sustainability and non-retrogression in the realisation of the rights to water and sanitation 2013, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- Since the start of the global financial crisis, the majority of European countries have cut their aid budgets; for example, Ireland announced a cut of nearly €100 million (a 10.6 per cent decrease) in its 2009 budget and Spain cut its aid budget globally by approximately 75 per cent. For the poorest countries, sustainable and predictable flows of funds are therefore unlikely to be forthcoming at least until the recession is over.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Wastewater management in the realization of the rights to water and sanitation 2013, para. 50
- Paragraph text
- Looking at households, some countries make it mandatory to connect to sewage lines, where they are available (see A/HRC/21/42/Add.2, para. 18). In countries with extensive sewerage networks, this may be a feasible measure, but it requires ensuring that connections are affordable even for people living in poverty, for instance, through the targeted use of subsidies. Often, challenges remain in that regard.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Poverty
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The MDGs and the human rights to water and sanitation 2010, para. 52
- Paragraph text
- Social protection policies can be expected to feature prominently in an intersectoral, rights-based analysis of the water and sanitation sectors. There have been strengthened calls for "social protection floors" and numerous cases of successful implementation with impressive poverty reduction impacts. While social policy priorities are of course country-specific, the "social protection floor" concept includes water and sanitation within the scope of essential services, along with a set of social transfers to provide a minimum income and livelihood security to ensure continuing access to essential services for the poorest. In practice, however, these minimum packages of affordable social protection guarantees do not frequently appear to have prioritized water or sanitation, as distinct from basic health, nutrition, education and income security objectives. The fundamental importance of water and sanitation, in their own right and also for the realization of health, food, education and other Millennium Development Goals and their corresponding human rights, establishes a strong case for increasing priority attention to water and sanitation. Such an integrated and intersectoral analysis within a broader social protection framework offers a compelling and potentially important means of addressing affordability constraints.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Human rights based approach to recovery from the global economic and financial crises, with a focus on those living in poverty 2011, para. 43
- Paragraph text
- As part of the efforts to tighten spending, some countries are further curtailing already limited social protection schemes by reducing the level of benefits or by further targeting (reducing coverage). This is despite the reality that those living in poverty continue to suffer from the cumulative effects of the crises and should be protected as a matter of priority.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Human rights based approach to recovery from the global economic and financial crises, with a focus on those living in poverty 2011, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- In order to avert the worst effects of the crises, and drawing from the experience of previous crises in which social protection systems played an important role, many low- and mid-income countries have allocated significant percentages of their stimulus packages to social protection initiatives.
- 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
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Penalization of people living in poverty 2011, para. 35
- Paragraph text
- Often the underlying motivation of these measures is to reduce the visibility of poverty in the city and attract investments, development and (non-poor) citizens to the city centres. These aims are not legitimate under human rights law and they do not justify the severe sanctions that are often imposed through these regulations.
- 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
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Social protection and old age poverty 2010, para. 65
- Paragraph text
- While targeting mechanisms may be seen as way of reaching the poorest, from a human rights perspective, caution is required. In principle, human rights standards are not compromised by the use of targeted schemes as a form of prioritization of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged groups within a longer-term strategy of progressively ensuring universal protection. However, targeted schemes must be implemented with the intention of providing widespread coverage.
- 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
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The importance of social protection measures in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2010, para. 22
- Paragraph text
- While reducing income poverty is an essential first step towards the achievement of other development goals, extreme poverty cannot be defined simply in terms of income, and poverty reduction should not be measured solely on the basis of global targets. Even if Millennium Development Goal 1 is achieved by 2015, it is likely that many of those living in extreme poverty will not be reached. Furthermore, the Goal may increase the incentives for States to focus attention on those most easily reached, namely, individuals living just below the poverty line, rather than those who are most marginalized and in need of help. States should adopt development plans that include precise national benchmarks and targets, fulfilling human rights obligations so as to ensure that those in extreme poverty are reached. Such obligations include those imposed by the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which requires States parties to take progressive measures to realize fully all economic, social and cultural rights while also ensuring minimum essentials for all. Once again, this illustrates the importance of social protection measures, particularly social assistance measures, in prioritizing those in extreme poverty and in promoting universal protection as soon as resources allow.
- 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. 74
- Paragraph text
- Ensuring respect for these principles implies a preference for schemes that are universal. While targeting mechanisms may be seen as a way in which to reach those in extreme poverty, States must remain focused on the ultimate goal. While policies should prioritize the most vulnerable and disadvantaged, in accordance with human rights standards, they must also form part of longer-term strategies to progressively ensure universal coverage.
- 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
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The importance of social protection measures in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2010, para. 16
- Paragraph text
- Social protection contributes to the achievement of Millennium Development Goal 1 (eradicate extreme poverty and hunger) by transferring resources to those living in extreme poverty, enabling the beneficiaries to generate income, protect their assets and accumulate human capital.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Financialization of housing and the right to adequate housing 2017, para. 38
- Paragraph text
- Patterns of inequality are often starkest in developing countries. In Africa, if current trends continue, the number of households living in informal settlements will continue to increase while the number of ultra-high-net-worth individuals is predicted to rise by almost 50 per cent in the next decade.
- 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
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The right to life and the right to adequate housing: the indivisibility and interdependence between these rights 2016, para. 33
- Paragraph text
- The Committee's recognition in its general comment No. 6 and in periodic reviews that the right to life requires positive measures to address homelessness and poverty stands in marked contrast with the absence of consideration of these obligations in the Committee's consideration of alleged violations under the Optional Protocol.
- 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
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The impact of housing finance policies on the right to adequate housing of those living in poverty 2012, para. 22
- Paragraph text
- Market-based housing finance inevitably targets the more affluent segments of society, which have the necessary capital to take on the initial housing loan and generate profit to lenders through the payment of interest. Mortgage finance has been traditionally considered unattainable for the poor owing to issues such as lack of title, informal and illegal settlements, restrictive zoning and occupancy regulations, low and erratic income and large-scale employment in the informal sector. Banks traditionally focus their marketing on the upper-income groups, tending to adopt an over-collateralized approach to lending (multiple guarantors, low loan-to-value ratio, etc.), which inherently excludes low-income groups. Mortgage markets, therefore, in effect discriminate against low-income borrowers. Research commissioned by the FinMark Trust in 12 countries across Africa found that less than 10 per cent of local populations are eligible for mortgage finance. In Eastern European countries in transition, recent estimates by UN-Habitat indicate that rapid house price increases coupled with high unemployment and higher interest rates on mortgages have excluded more than 80 per cent of new households from the new housing construction market.
- 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
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Work of the mandate and priorities of the SR 2015, para. 45
- Paragraph text
- This departure from universal human rights principles and this selective approach, ignoring or not adequately addressing one or more rights of a group of the population, reinforces cycles of poverty, inequalities, social exclusion, discrimination and violence, and in the longer run has a negative impact on the health and development of society in general.
- 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
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The right to access information 2013, para. 82
- Paragraph text
- There are financial costs related to the collection of information and national laws often allow public institutions to charge fees to the requestor. Some fees can cover costs relating to, for example, applications, searching or copying. The charging of fees for gaining access to information can also, however, be a barrier to such access, in particular for those living in poverty. In the absence of any oversight, some fees can be imposed abusively.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Taxation and human rightss 2014, para. 48
- Paragraph text
- A well-placed tax threshold (namely, the income below which an individual or household is exempted from income tax) is also crucial for ensuring that the taxation system does not jeopardize the ability of people living in poverty to enjoy minimum essential levels of economic, social and cultural rights. Unfortunately, in some countries, households are required to pay tax before they earn enough to even meet minimum food basket requirements.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Food & Nutrition
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Taxation and human rightss 2014, para. 11
- Paragraph text
- International human rights law sets obligations for States to respect, protect and fulfil human rights in all the ways that they exercise their functions, and the design, implementation and monitoring of revenue-raising policies is no exception. In the section below, the Special Rapporteur examines how a State's use of its revenue-raising power has a direct impact on its ability to comply with international human rights obligations, in particular relating to the economic, social and cultural rights of people living in poverty.
- 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
- N.A.
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Acroecology and the right to food 2011, para. 38
- Paragraph text
- Agroecology is knowledge-intensive. It requires the development of both ecological literacy and decision-making skills in farmer communities. Investments in agricultural extension and agricultural research are key in this regard. While agricultural spending is among the four top contributors to increasing rural welfare, along with public spending in education, health and roads, agricultural research has the greatest overall impact on poverty and agricultural productivity in developing countries. Agricultural research had "the largest impact on agricultural production and second-largest impact on poverty reduction (after rural education) in China, and the second-largest impact on poverty reduction in rural India (after investment in roads)." Research in agroecological practices, in particular, should be prioritized, because of the considerable and largely untapped potential of such practices. Modern science combines with local knowledge in agroecological research. In Central America for instance, the coffee groves grown under high-canopy trees were improved by the identification of the optimal shade conditions, minimizing the entire pest complex and maximizing the beneficial microflora and fauna while maximizing yield and coffee quality. However, perhaps because such practices cannot be rewarded by patents, the private sector has been largely absent from this line of research.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Food & Nutrition
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph