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Activities of the Working Group 2014, para. 84g
- Paragraph text
- [In recognition of the contribution of the continent of Africa and people of African descent to the development, diversity and richness of world civilizations and cultures that constitute the common heritage of humankind, States should, in collaboration with relevant United Nations bodies and agencies, particularly the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and international donors:] Put in place measures and procedures to prevent the media from perpetuating negative stereotypes.
- Body
- Working Group of experts on people of African descent
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Activities of the Working Group 2016, para. 45
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- The Working Group recognizes that without the essential contribution of civil society, non-governmental organizations and academics, the fight against racism, racial discrimination, Afrophobia, xenophobia, Islamophobia and related intolerance will remain invisible. The link between their work, States and various United Nations mechanisms must be strengthened and made visible by joint equitable partnerships. There must be increased support for civil society engagement with States and the United Nations.
- Body
- Working Group of experts on people of African descent
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Discussion on "Recognition through Education, Cultural Rights and Data Collection" 2013, para. 50
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- Recognition of people of African descent is related to the recognition of their existence, recognition of their contribution in the world development and recognition of their specific culture, history and heritage. It entails recognizing that people of African Descent are particularly vulnerable to racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance across the world, while also recognizing the specific, common history, culture and heritage of people of African descent globally.
- Body
- Working Group of experts on people of African descent
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Discussion on "Recognition through Education, Cultural Rights and Data Collection" 2013, para. 75g
- Paragraph text
- [In recognition of the contribution of the continent of Africa and people of African descent to the development, diversity and richness of world civilizations and cultures which constitute the common heritage of humankind, States should, in collaboration with relevant United Nations bodies and agencies, particularly the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and international donors:] Put in place measures and procedures to prevent the media from perpetuating negative stereotypes;
- Body
- Working Group of experts on people of African descent
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Activities of the Working Group 2016, para. 41
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- The Working Group country visits and allegations received under the communication procedure show how structures based on racial bias or discrimination, including, racial phenotypes, still have a lasting and detrimental effect on Africans and people of African descent in the diaspora. This legacy must be addressed in an open dialogue in order to understand and address the roots of racial tensions and discrimination in society. In certain societies, the invisibility of people of African descent on account of policy assimilation prevents different forms of intolerance from being addressed appropriately. The collection of disaggregated data along ethnic lines based on voluntary self-identification is an important starting point in the conversation of identifying the disparities between, and addressing the human rights of, people of African descent.
- Body
- Working Group of experts on people of African descent
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Development and people of African descent 2015, para. 51
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- The segregation or ghettoization of people of African descent into low standards of housing and the lack of measures to support the development and improvement of poor housing conditions faced by people of African descent is a matter of grave concern to the Working Group.
- Body
- Working Group of experts on people of African descent
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Activities of the Working Group 2014, para. 78
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- Good practices of other countries and regions that have been able to address the negative heritage of enslavement and to build inclusive, multicultural and multi-ethnic societies shall be shared and exchanged.
- Body
- Working Group of experts on people of African descent
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Discussion on "Recognition through Education, Cultural Rights and Data Collection" 2013, para. 74
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- The historical acknowledgement of people of African descent in global development has been characterized by the iconic status of some of the heroes and heroines and the development of tangible sites of memory to represent the other side of the intangible heritage of people of African descent. However, there are varying views and a gap in terms of the identification of many such heroes and, more importantly, heroines that have also contributed to the recognition of people of African descent.
- Body
- Working Group of experts on people of African descent
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Activities of the Working Group 2015, para. 44
- Paragraph text
- The Working Group recognizes that, without the essential contribution of civil society and non-governmental organizations, efforts to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, Afrophobia, Islamophobia and related intolerance remain invisible. The link between their work, States' work and the work of various United Nations mechanisms must be strengthened and made visible by equitable partnerships and developed jointly.
- Body
- Working Group of experts on people of African descent
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Report of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent on its nineteenth and twentieth sessions 2017, para. 55
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- The Working Group concludes that inequalities are deeply entrenched in structural barriers that intersect and reinforce each other. Given their cross-cutting nature, the goals and targets will not be met if we do not acknowledge that racism, racial discrimination, Afrophobia, xenophobia and related intolerance will continue to function as structural and systemic barriers to sustainable development for people of African descent.
- Body
- Working Group of experts on people of African descent
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 109
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- Public campaigns and social mobilization can raise awareness and promote cultural change regarding gun possession and use. Some initiatives are associated with law reform developments, weapons collection and destruction programmes or bans on carrying guns. When based on sound data and research, they can help to build strong partnerships between advocacy groups, religious communities, human rights organizations and businesses.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2014, para. 58
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- Armed forces and armed groups use schools for a variety of military purposes, including as barracks, sniper or defensive positions, munitions depots, detention centres, recruiting grounds and training facilities. This is particularly true in remote locations, where shelter and large structures may be rare. It can involve parts that are central to the functioning of schools, such as classrooms, or those that are more peripheral, such as playgrounds, and water and sanitation facilities. The Security Council, in its resolution 1998, explicitly mentions the use of schools for military purposes as a concern and an integral part of monitoring and reporting.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Solitary confinement 2011, para. 46
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- The administration of prisons and the conditions in which prisoners are held is governed by prison regulations and national laws, as well as by international human rights law. Fundamental norms that are binding by virtue of being treaty-based or part of customary international law are supplemented and interpreted through the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, adopted by the Economic and Social Council in 1957. Although not directly binding, the Standard Minimum Rules are widely accepted as the universal norm for the humane treatment of prisoners.
- 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
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Large-scale development project and human rights defenders 2013, para. 41
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- Furthermore, those responsible for the project should make sure that those traditionally marginalized and excluded from decision-making are able to voice their opinion and participate on their own terms in the process. At the outset, data collected during the assessment stage needs to be collected in such a way as to allow for it to be disaggregated by gender, income, social or other status, and other relevant factors.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Large-scale development project and human rights defenders 2013, para. 26
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- The main elements of the human rights-based approach, in particular when applied to development policy and projects, are enshrined in different international instruments and standards. The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, in their article 1, both state: All peoples have the right of self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development. All peoples may, for their own ends, freely dispose of their natural wealth and resources without prejudice to any obligations arising out of international economic cooperation, based upon the principle of mutual benefit, and international law. In no case may a people be deprived of its own means of subsistence.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Study on illegal adoptions 2017, para. 74
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- The 1993 Hague Convention allows adoption agencies to play a key role in mediating intercountry adoptions. It requires that they be accredited by the receiving country and authorized by the country of origin to operate in that country. An agency accredited to mediate intercountry adoptions should employ a sufficiently large multidisciplinary team of professional staff for its operations. Accredited bodies should be supervised by a competent authority at least as regards "their composition, operation and financial situation", including the regular monitoring of their websites "to examine the quality, accuracy and currency of their information".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, including child prostitution, child pornography and other child sexual abuse material
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Study on illegal adoptions 2017, para. 45
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- As the case of Romania demonstrates, one response to deficiencies in the intercountry adoption procedure has been the provisional suspension of adoptions, often known as moratoriums. In numerous countries of origin and receiving countries, moratoriums have been imposed following scandals revealing illegal practices in adoption procedures. The Hague Conference on Private International Law has noted that many States have a reactive approach to financial malpractice and abuse in intercountry adoption and tend to wait until problems are pervasive before addressing them.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, including child prostitution, child pornography and other child sexual abuse material
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Harmful Practices
- Movement
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Study on illegal adoptions 2017, para. 46
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- Certain countries of origin have notably deemed it impossible to ensure probity in intercountry adoptions under the prevailing conditions and in the face of pressure from receiving countries, and have responded in a variety of ways. For instance, Paraguay has decided to apply strictly the principle of subsidiarity after ratifying the 1993 Hague Convention; since then, it has deemed it unnecessary to process intercountry adoptions. Several African countries (e.g. Lesotho, Liberia and Togo) have also found it necessary to suspend intercountry adoptions in order to attempt to resolve serious malpractice. For their part, receiving countries may decide to impose moratoriums on specific countries of origin in the light of evidence that widespread irregularities have been taking place. This has been decided in the cases of Cambodia, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Nepal and Uganda.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, including child prostitution, child pornography and other child sexual abuse material
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Study on illegal adoptions 2017, para. 90
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- In the context of intercountry adoptions, there have been calls to ensure coordinated responses from both receiving countries and countries of origin faced with illegal adoptions or highly fragile situations. Following the 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean, both countries of origin and receiving countries, with the support of UNICEF and the Hague Conference on Private International Law, stated that no intercountry adoption would take place in the immediate aftermath of the tsunami. Similar conclusions were drawn following the earthquakes that hit Haiti in 2010 and Nepal in 2015.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, including child prostitution, child pornography and other child sexual abuse material
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Movement
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Reflection on a 6-year tenure as Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography 2014, para. 38
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- Although research indicates that in 2008-2009, governments managed to maintain social spending and offset the effects of the crisis on the most vulnerable, since 2010, the trend has been reversed. Increased fiscal austerity has led to significant cuts in social spending, including family benefits, pensions and delivery of social services, resulting in negative effects for households.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, including child prostitution, child pornography and other child sexual abuse material
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Study on illegal adoptions 2017, para. 60
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- The disproportionate demand for adoption is particularly relevant in the context of intercountry adoptions and leads to excessive pressures from receiving countries on countries of origin. Furthermore, when the number of intercountry adoptions suddenly and rapidly increases in a country of origin, the existing infrastructure will often not be able to cope, intensifying the risk of illegal acts and illicit practices.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, including child prostitution, child pornography and other child sexual abuse material
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Harmful Practices
- Movement
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Study on illegal adoptions 2017, para. 92
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- States have been reluctant to react adequately to illegal adoptions. The lack of accountability and redress for victims of illegal adoptions, in part due to a lack of comprehensive national legislation criminalizing illegal adoption as a separate offence, is a major concern. In addition, investigations and prosecutions are rarely targeted at criminal structures involved in the commission of systematic illegal adoptions, often with State complicity. Sanctions for acts related to illegal adoptions rarely reflect the gravity of the crimes.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, including child prostitution, child pornography and other child sexual abuse material
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Study on illegal adoptions 2017, para. 61
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- The lack of transparency regarding the costs of an adoption and other related payments are at the root of most illegal acts. Particularly in the context of intercountry adoptions, the costs of the whole procedure are not set, which leads to great fluctuations in prices and many opportunities for corruption. Nor is there transparency regarding the purpose and use of other "adoption-related payments", blurring further the line between required and unjustified amounts. Payments also create a dependency (e.g. among "orphanages" and intermediaries) that can fuel illegal adoptions.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, including child prostitution, child pornography and other child sexual abuse material
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Challenges faced by groups most at risk when exercising or seeking to exercise the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and/or of association 2014, para. 67
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- Some groups are denied registration or the renewal of their existing registration, in contravention of laws that outline the procedures to be followed in registering associations. This is allegedly the case in Viet Nam, where a majority of Hmong Christian house churches have been denied registration and are therefore unable to operate. The authorities do not consider them to be a "true" religion and instead characterize them as carrying out anti-Government activities. The Special Rapporteur aligns himself with the sentiments of the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief "that freedom of religion or belief is not limited to members of registered religious communities and that registration may only be appropriate for the acquisition of a legal personality and related benefits" (A/64/159, para. 13). He emphasizes that it is the duty of the State to ensure that everyone can peacefully express their views without fear.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Fundamentalism and its impact on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association 2016, para. 75
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- In relation to Indonesia, the Special Rapporteur has received reports that the authorities' enforcement of the nationalist "unitary State" ideology extends to the repression of demonstrations by ethnic West Papuans. He stresses that the State has the responsibility to protect and facilitate protests that advocate political and cultural views that differ from, and even oppose, those espoused by the Government.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
The exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in the context of elections 2013, para. 42
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- Civil society organizations have also an important role to play in the context of elections. The role of civil society in contributing to and sustaining a robust democracy cannot be underestimated. In different capacities, organizations undertake various activities to advocate for the concerns and interests of their beneficiaries, to contribute to ensuring the integrity of the electoral process, to further contribute to the achievement, protection and strengthening of democratic goals and standards, and to keeping authorities accountable to the electorate. Among other things, civil society organizations promote political participation, undertake voter education, campaign for good governance reforms, provide vehicles for the expression of different interests, but also act as platforms that cut across tribal, ethnic, linguistic and other barriers, and catalyse public debate on issues that affect them.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Fundamentalism and its impact on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association 2016, para. 66
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- Finally, the Special Rapporteur notes that anti-religious fundamentalism can be as harmful to assembly and association rights as religious fundamentalism. In Viet Nam, freedom of religion is nominally protected by the Constitution, but the Special Rapporteur has received reports that the State harasses unofficial groups that do not submit to regulations imposing intrusive government control over their operations (see A/HRC/27/72, case VNM 7/2014). The Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief noted, after his 2014 visit to the country, the "tight control" over official religious communities, and "constant surveillance, intimidation, harassment and persecution" of unrecognized communities (see A/HRC/28/66/Add.2). In the Russian Federation, the authorities closed down the local religious organizations of the Jehovah's Witnesses on the ground that it was an "extremist organization" (see A/HRC/31/79, case RUS 6/2015).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Fundamentalism and its impact on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association 2016, para. 69
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- Cultural and nationalist fundamentalisms are sometimes distinguished from racism and xenophobia conceptually (because the characteristic in focus is culture or nationality rather than race or skin colour) and rhetorically (to avoid violating international human rights law). The elevation of a particular (national) culture as superior may not in of itself constitute discrimination in the same way that differentiation on the basis of race does. Nevertheless, the Special Rapporteur stresses the dangers that cultural and nationalist fundamentalisms pose to the enjoyment of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
The right of persons with disabilities to social protection 2015, para. 85
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- The obligation of progressive realization prohibits deliberate retrogressive measures in the exercise of the right to social protection. According to the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, States can only justify a retrogressive measure if it is introduced after the most careful consideration of all other alternatives, and if duly justified by reference to the totality of the rights enshrined in the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. States must also demonstrate that the affected groups participated in the assessment of the proposed measures and alternatives; that the measures are not directly or indirectly discriminatory; and that they will not have a sustained impact on the realization of the right to social protection.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Access to land and the right to food 2010, para. 25
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- The protection of land-users' rights should not be limited to improving farmers' security of tenure. Fisherfolk need access to fishing grounds and may be severely affected by the fencing-off of land that provides access to the sea or to rivers. Pastoralists need grazing grounds for the animals that they raise. For these groups, as well as those practicing itinerant forms of agriculture, the formalization of property rights and the establishment of land registries may be the problem, not the solution: it may cause them to be fenced off from the resources on which they depend, making them victims of the vast enclosure movement that may result from titling. In Kenya, pastoralists whose rights were ignored in the formalization process have reportedly been the victims of violent land-grabbing by ranchers and others seeking scarce resources. Since they have no legal claim to the land, they cannot seek redress. In the United Republic of Tanzania, five years after a major titling effort had begun, pastoralists reported their eviction from multiple common grazing areas and were under threat of losing other grazing lands because those lands had been classified as "unused".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2010
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