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Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- Noting that the agricultural sector, considered the cornerstone of Palestinian economic development, has not been able to play its strategic role because of the dispossession of land and the denial of access for farmers to agricultural areas, water resources and domestic and external markets owing to the construction, consolidation and expansion of Israeli settlements,
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Economic Rights
- Year
- 2018
Paragraph
Financialization of housing and the right to adequate housing 2017, para. 33
- Paragraph text
- Many residential rental properties are now owned by bondholders or holders of public stock with no direct connection to properties. It is difficult to know who is accountable for human rights when the owner of housing is a multibillion dollar fund, bondholders, public stockholders or a nameless corporate shell. Tenants living in housing owned by absentee corporate landlords have complained of sharp increases in rent, inadequate maintenance and conditions as a result of substandard renovations that have been undertaken quickly to flip the home into rentals, and an inability to hold anyone accountable for those conditions.
- 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
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Extreme poverty and human rights on universal basic income 2017, para. 10
- Paragraph text
- The income is “basic” in the sense that it is designed to guarantee a “floor” on which every recipient can stand. Because people’s needs are highly individualized and context-dependent, the amount that any specific individual requires will depend on factors such as local housing and living costs, the person’s health status, and whether there is any form of support network in place. But in its pure form, basic income would generally be assumed to be a uniform amount, which does not reflect those differentials. There are, however, different versions of the concept that envisage adjusting the amount over time, providing less money for children and more for the elderly, or adjusting for geography. The basis on which the floor is calculated and the amount to be paid will, of course, vary greatly from one country to another. Thus, while a national referendum on basic income in Switzerland proposed a payment of SwF 2,500 per month per adult, a South African initiative envisages a grant of US$15 per person per month, indexed to inflation.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Financialization of housing and the right to adequate housing 2017, para. 56
- Paragraph text
- Domestic adjudication in the area of housing and finance has also tended to protect investors and has been oriented towards enforcing the contractual relationship between lenders and creditors, both with individual households and with States, without considering imbalances in power or the implications for human rights of the means used for enforcing repayment. The right to adequate housing has rarely been referenced in the adjudication of foreclosures and subsequent evictions, although it is clearly at issue.
- 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
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Financialization of housing and the right to adequate housing 2017, para. 45
- Paragraph text
- Informal settlements in Southern cities are regularly demolished for luxury housing and commercial development such as shopping malls and other high-end services intended for those with expendable incomes. In Lagos, Nigeria, for example, 30,000 residents of the Otodo Gbame community were forcibly removed after their waterfront homes were set alight, allegedly related to luxury developments. Many were left homeless. Elsewhere, when informal settlements are upgraded with infrastructure development and the granting of formal title and credit, they become subject to speculation and rising costs that force existing residents, particularly informal renters, out of the community. The real estate market in Mumbai, India, is now actively engaged in promoting speculative investment in informal settlements, where upgraded housing is attracting real estate speculation and price increases.
- 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
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Strengthening voluntary standards for businesses on preventing and combating trafficking in persons and labour exploitation, especially in supply chains 2017, para. 59
- Paragraph text
- Diverse means of raising grievances and having them addressed were also debated, including examples of worker hotlines and innovations in the use of smartphone technology. However, it was noted that such efforts alone, not unlike social audits, cannot solve the complex problem of human trafficking, and must be reinforced through other means of awareness-raising, capacity-building, problem identification and access to remedy. Questions were raised about the role played by local authorities in the referral and follow-up of grievances, and about how best to coordinate with such authorities, when necessary. Good practices related to the rehabilitation of trafficking victims and their reintegration into communities and labour markets was also mentioned as a topic in need of urgent attention from all relevant stakeholders.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially in women and children
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Violence
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Financialization of housing and the right to adequate housing 2017, para. 7
- Paragraph text
- While much has been written about the financialization of housing, it has not often been considered from the standpoint of human rights. Decision-making and assessment of policies relating to housing and finance are devoid of reference to housing as a human right. Issues related to business and human rights have received some attention in recent years. However, the housing and real estate sector - the largest business sector with many of the most serious impacts on human rights - appears to have been mostly ignored.
- 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
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Strengthening voluntary standards for businesses on preventing and combating trafficking in persons and labour exploitation, especially in supply chains 2017, para. 25
- Paragraph text
- Regarding recruitment regulation, the ILO launched in September 2016 the non-binding ILO general principles and operational guidelines for fair recruitment, in which it is reiterated that recruitment should take place in a way that respects, protects and fulfils internationally recognized human rights, including those expressed in international labour standards, such as prevention and elimination of forced labour. The guidelines enshrine principles related to the prohibition of recruitment fees, transparency in the terms and conditions of employment, the prohibition against confiscating workers’ identity documents, and contracts, among others. Another initiative, the International Recruitment Integrity System (IRIS) was launched by IOM in 2014. IRIS is a multi-stakeholder initiative for labour recruiters that offers a certification system to recognize ethical recruiters on the basis of an evaluation of their compliance with the IRIS Code of Conduct. Based on the ILO labour standards, the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and good practices in the industry, the Code of Conduct also includes principles on the prohibition of charging recruitment fees to jobseekers, respect for freedom of movement, respect for transparency of terms and conditions of employment, respect for confidentiality and data protection and respect for access to remedy.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially in women and children
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Extreme poverty and human rights on universal basic income 2017, para. 57
- Paragraph text
- Finally, a simulation for the region of Catalonia, in Spain, suggests that a basic annual income of €7,968 for those aged over 18 and of €1,594 for minors would require a 49.57 per cent flat tax rate and extra financing of €7 billion.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
The exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in the workplace 2016, para. 79
- Paragraph text
- Attempts to erode the right to strike take place both at the multilateral and national levels. In 2012, the ILO Employers' Group began arguing that the right to strike, protected by Convention 87, did not exist at all. Subsequent court decisions have dismissed employers' claims. The Special Rapporteur notes the positive role played by the Government Group in upholding workers' right to strike by recognizing that "without protecting a right to strike, freedom of association, in particular the right to organize activities for the purpose of promoting and protecting workers' interests, cannot be fully realized."
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Environmental human rights defenders 2016, para. 48
- Paragraph text
- Recent reports have pointed to a growing opposition between what could be considered a commodity-based approach, prioritizing economic growth and midterm profits, and rights-based approaches, favouring populations' interests and sustainability. Communities protesting against projects that threaten their very livelihood and existence have often faced stigmatization and attacks from States and corporations, which label them "anti-development". Yet, these defenders often seek to preserve natural resources and to ensure a holistic and long-term approach to development where land, water, air and forests are not reduced to mere marketable goods. The commodification and financialization of nature often lead to simplifying the real "value" of the environment, ignoring the social or cultural dimensions and the complex interactions of elements within and between ecosystems.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Environment
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Fundamentalism and its impact on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association 2016, para. 35
- Paragraph text
- Similarly, the Australian State of Tasmania has enacted the Workplaces (Protection from Protestors) Act 2014, which makes it a criminal offence to participate in a protest that may obstruct or prevent a business activity or access to business premises (see also A/HRC/28/85, case AUS 3/2014). At the time of writing, the State of Western Australia was considering similar legislation. The Special Rapporteur has urged the State Parliament to vote against the law.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
The exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in the workplace 2016, para. 59
- Paragraph text
- Some States have outright bans on all legitimate unions, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Other States, such as Qatar, impose impermissibly broad restrictions, such as prohibiting public-sector employees from joining trade unions or participating in collective bargaining or strikes. Some laws restrict bargaining subjects, including wages, which hampers assembly and association rights, as workers are more reluctant to risk organizing when potential gains are so few. States, such as China, that own or operate enterprises and do not permit the formation of independent unions violate association and assembly rights both as a government and employer (see E/C.12/CHN/CO/2, para. 23).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
The exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in the workplace 2016, para. 69
- Paragraph text
- In many countries where rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association are constitutionalized, such as Bahrain, strikes are intentionally impeded. Some 92 countries exclude specific categories of workers from striking. The law in India allows the Government to ban strikes in Government-owned enterprises. In Kazakhstan, workers in entities that provide "vital activities" (public transport, utilities and communications) may strike only if the "necessary range of services is provided based on a prior agreement with the local executive authorities".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Fundamentalism and its impact on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association 2016, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur is dismayed at the lack of genuine civil society participation surrounding trade agreements and economic issues in general. He and others have noted previously that the right to freedom of association should be viewed as "an essential adjunct" to the related fundamental right to participate in public affairs. Thus it is not enough for States to simply allow associations to exist; they must seek to actively engage with civil society and to create conditions in which the sector can flourish and play a significant role in public life. The Special Rapporteur views the right to freedom of peaceful assembly as playing a similar role as a vehicle for enjoyment of the right to participate in public affairs.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Economic Rights
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
The impact of bilateral and multilateral trade agreements on the human rights of migrants 2016, para. 65
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur is pleased that the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement includes binding provisions allowing any person residing in either country to submit a written inquiry to the national authorities and obliging the Governments to make the questions and responses public. He stresses, however, that it is important that the terms of such provisions be clear and actually provide meaningful opportunities for participation.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 114
- Paragraph text
- In South Asia, India and Nepal have enacted specific legislation to combat caste based discrimination. In India, two of the most recent laws are the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Bill (2015) and the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and Their Rehabilitation Act (2013). Nepal enacted the Caste Based Discrimination and Untouchability (Offence and Punishment) Act in 2011, which criminalizes such discrimination in private and public spheres.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Freedom of expression, States and the private sector in the digital age 2016, para. 17
- Paragraph text
- Hardware firms design and manufacture the computer devices that connect individuals to the Internet. The range of devices equipped with personal computing functions is, however, ever-expanding and impossible to cap, given the avalanche of connectedness widely described as the "Internet of things", in which digital connection is enabled for all aspects of contemporary existence. Automobiles, refrigerators, televisions and watches are just a few examples of "smart" devices that today incorporate browser, messaging and other Internet-related functions.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Preliminary survey on the root causes of attacks and discrimination against persons with albinism 2016, para. 58
- Paragraph text
- Although it is likely, given the alleged prices for body parts, that relatively wealthy individuals are involved in the attacks and in the market for body parts, some testimonies indicate that the demand for and use of body parts also comes from social classes with relatively limited economical means. There are reports of the use of body parts by fisherman wishing to increase their catch, artisanal miners, entrepreneurs and small business owners.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Violence
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
The exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in the workplace 2016, para. 75
- Paragraph text
- Other States generally fail to protect workers against employer violations or to enforce their own laws. In fact, many do not stop at benign neglect, but support or collude with employers to infringe upon workers' rights to peaceful assembly and to association. In the United States, Tennessee State officials reportedly offered nearly $300 million in incentives to Volkswagen for adding a production line to a factory, but the offer was contingent on the plant remaining non-unionized (A/HRC/32/36, para. 38). In the State of Georgia in the United States, police called in by the company prevented union organizers from distributing leaflets outside the company's gates, and issued a citation that carried the comment: "picketing drivers to become union". The State government of Mississippi touts the lack of unionization as a great benefit when courting potential employers. The dangers of that are exemplified by the situation at the Nissan plant in Canton, where the company has aggressively worked to prevent unions from organizing. During his official visit to the United States in July 2016, the Special Rapporteur was informed that Nissan operates 44 major plants throughout the world; all of them are unionized, except for two of them in the south of the United States.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. B.
- Paragraph text
- [Recommendations to Member States:] Establish and/or update comprehensive national action plans for the eradication of contemporary forms of slavery including debt bondage. The national action plans should outline measures to prevent and eradicate debt bondage, and ensure the protection of persons released from debt bondage.
- 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
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 28c
- Paragraph text
- [Caste and analogous systems present distinguishing characteristics:] (c) Untouchability practices: a set of collective behaviours and norms stemming from the belief that contact with individuals from lower castes is "polluting";
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 71
- Paragraph text
- Caste-based discrimination confines Dalits in South Asia to certain occupations associated with their caste, which often involve the most menial tasks, such as sanitation jobs. In Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka, street cleaning and the handling of human waste and animal carcasses are almost exclusively performed by Dalits.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Water & Sanitation
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Lifelong learning and the right to education 2016, para. 60
- Paragraph text
- The National Agreement for Skills and Workforce Development of Australia introduced a national training entitlement for government-subsidized training to at least the Certificate III qualification, with a view to ensuring that working -age Australians without qualifications can obtain the skills that they need to work in higher-skilled jobs.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to education
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Education
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 33
- Paragraph text
- In India, according to official data, Dalits (referred to as "scheduled castes") constitute more than 201 million people. This figure does not include Dalits who have converted or are born and raised within non-Hindu religious communities, such as the Dalit Muslim and Christian communities; unofficial statistics estimate that the actual number of Dalits in India is much higher.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 118
- Paragraph text
- In 2002, Nepal established a National Dalit Commission tasked with a twofold objective: to increase the participation of Dalit communities "in the mainstream of national development" and to create a favourable environment for Dalit communities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Gender
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Lifelong learning and the right to education 2016, para. 67
- Paragraph text
- Technical and vocational education and training cuts across formal or school- based, non-formal or enterprise-based, and informal or traditional apprenticeship. It has a nexus with the right to education and the right to work and is valuable in providing "retraining for adults whose current knowledge and skills have become obsolete owing to technological, economic, employment, social or other changes ". Such education and training can enable vocational trainees to acquire further professional competence and improve their skills and competencies. Numerous initiatives taken in all regions of the world to introduce reforms in technical and vocational education and training systems are propelled by a variety of skill requirements in the rapidly changing economies of the twenty-first century and involve lifelong learning. In India, inspired by the vision of the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, of a "skilled India", efforts are being made to align the "demands of the employers for a well-trained skilled workforce with aspirations of Indian citizens for sustainable livelihoods". With the launch of the national skill development mission (kaushal vikas yogna), a national skill development and entrepreneurship policy was adopted in 2015 for that purpose.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to education
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Education
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Comparative study of enabling environments for associations and businesses 2015, para. 103
- Paragraph text
- Similarly many States afford more protection to corporations engaged in natural resource exploitation than to groups peacefully protesting their activities. The shooting to death of over 30 miners in South Africa by police during a workers' strike is an egregious example of such preferential treatment. Individuals and communities opposed to natural resource exploitation activities are labelled as "anti-development" and "enemies of the State" and portrayed as undermining States' efforts to promote economic growth and development. Their activities are criminalized and their claims disregarded, while corporations continue exploitation activities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Environment
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Responsibilities of local and other subnational governments in relation to the right to adequate housing 2015, para. 23
- Paragraph text
- The situation of residents of informal settlements in many cities around the world illustrates how allocation of responsibilities among different levels of government plays out in peoples' lives. For example, a recent study considers the situation of residents of the Mukuru settlement in Nairobi. They live in windowless shacks on privately held land without sewage or water infrastructure. They have been unable to determine title through local governments and therefore lack security of tenure, rendering them ineligible to apply for basic water, sewers or electricity. With the Kenyan Constitution now recognizing "the right to accessible and adequate housing and to reasonable standards of sanitation", the challenge for local residents is to claim their rights within a complex web of regulatory schemes and decisions applied by an array of governmental actors.
- 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
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Due diligence and trafficking in persons 2015, para. 27
- Paragraph text
- Victim identification under the rubric of prevention - as well as in the context of investigation, prosecution, protection and assistance - also requires greater training and understanding of the "continuum of exploitation" that exists between decent work and forced labour, such that workers experience different forms of exploitation that require different types of interventions when workers find themselves in any situation other than decent work. In addition, training should address the relationship between different forms of transborder movement. For example, trafficking and smuggling are often treated distinctly when in practice they are often very linked, such that what was once an act of smuggling can be turned into an act of trafficking if the circumstances become more exploitative and involuntary.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially in women and children
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Violence
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph