Search Tips
sorted by
Cards viewTable viewMap view
330 shown of 1276 entities

The right to participation of people living in poverty

Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Legal status
Non-negotiated soft law
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Year
2013
Document code
A/HRC/23/36
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Document

Access to justice for people living in poverty

Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Legal status
Non-negotiated soft law
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Year
2012
Document code
A/67/278
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Document

Marginality of economic and social rights

Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Legal status
Non-negotiated soft law
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Year
2016
Document code
A/HRC/32/31
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Document

The World Bank and human rights

Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Legal status
Non-negotiated soft law
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Year
2015
Document code
A/70/274
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Document

Taxation and human rightss

Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Legal status
Non-negotiated soft law
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Year
2014
Document code
A/HRC/26/28
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Document

Social protection and old age poverty

Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Legal status
Non-negotiated soft law
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Year
2010
Document code
A/HRC/14/31
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Document

The importance of social protection measures in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Legal status
Non-negotiated soft law
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Year
2010
Document code
A/65/259
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Document

Unpaid care work and women's human rights

Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Legal status
Non-negotiated soft law
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Year
2013
Document code
A/68/293
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Document

Human rights based approach to recovery from the global economic and financial crises, with a focus on those living in poverty

Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Legal status
Non-negotiated soft law
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Year
2011
Document code
A/HRC/17/34
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Document

Penalization of people living in poverty

Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Legal status
Non-negotiated soft law
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Year
2011
Document code
A/66/265
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Document

Extreme poverty and human rights on universal basic income

Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Legal status
Non-negotiated soft law
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Year
2017
Document code
A/HRC/35/26
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Document

The UN responsibility for the cholera outbreak in Haiti

Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Legal status
Non-negotiated soft law
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Year
2016
Document code
A/71/367
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Document

The implementation of the right to social protection through the adoption of social protection floors

Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Legal status
Non-negotiated soft law
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Year
2014
Document code
A/69/297
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Document

Extreme inequality and human rights

Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Legal status
Non-negotiated soft law
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Year
2015
Document code
A/HRC/29/31
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Document

Extreme poverty and human rights on universal basic income 2017, para. 3

Paragraph text
The fundamental values of the international human rights system are under attack in new and diverse ways in 2017. While competing explanations have been proffered, one that is included in most lists is that there is a rapidly growing sense of economic insecurity afflicting large segments of many societies. There is an increasing feeling of being exposed, vulnerable, overwhelmed and helpless, and of being systematically marginalized, both economically and socially. This situation, which previously seemed to be a fate reserved only for those living in low-income countries or in extreme poverty in high- and middle-income countries, now afflicts not just the unemployed and the underemployed, but also the precariously employed and those likely to be rendered unemployed in the foreseeable future as a result of various developments. Many of these individuals previously enjoyed a modicum of security and respect and felt that they had a stake in the overall system of government. As the new insecurity has ballooned and affected ever-greater numbers, many mainstream political parties have either remained oblivious, or have offered solutions that have only exacerbated the problems, further undermining faith in electoral democracy.
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
2017
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 96

Paragraph text
[States should:] Ensure that serious crimes, including gender-based crimes or sexual violence, are dealt with within the formal justice system
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Gender
  • Violence
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 45

Paragraph text
Often, police officers, court staff and other justice sector personnel reflect the discriminatory attitudes of the wider society and are not adequately trained to perform their roles without discrimination or bias against persons living in poverty.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Poverty
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Extreme poverty and human rights on universal basic income 2017, para. 73

Paragraph text
Fifth, proponents of a basic income need to ensure that particular schemes to implement the concept are not narrowly linked to citizenship at the expense of all others who are part of the community.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2017
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Extreme poverty and human rights on universal basic income 2017, para. 68

Paragraph text
How then should human rights actors and institutions respond to the crisis of economic insecurity and the phenomena associated with it? And where might a campaign to achieve a basic income fit into the overall equation?
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Humanitarian
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2017
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
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
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Extreme poverty and human rights on universal basic income 2017, para. 54

Paragraph text
But how would these expenditures be paid for? Piachaud notes that a full basic income that “replaces social security is far more costly than social security, and this has to be paid for from higher taxes on all incomes with far-reaching economic consequences”.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2017
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Extreme poverty and human rights on universal basic income 2017, para. 28

Paragraph text
Van Parijs and Vanderborght acknowledge, however, that while Green parties in Europe and the United States are generally supportive of basic income, the concept does not draw strong support from socialist, Christian Democrat or liberal parties.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2017
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

Marginality of economic and social rights 2016, para. 41

Paragraph text
All three branches of government offer potential accountability mechanisms for economic and social rights claims. The legislature is, of course, central in terms of its ability to adopt legislation that mandates attention to such rights or that responds to violations. There have also been important initiatives in terms of establishing parliamentary human rights committees and institutionalizing review of draft legislation to ensure compliance with human rights law. In terms of the executive, government officials can monitor economic and social rights realization and incorporate those rights into policymaking and implementation mechanisms. State agencies are also often a logical locus for complaints mechanisms, although they remain strongly underresearched in the economic and social rights field. While national human rights institutions are potentially relevant, studies indicate that they have played a very minor role, not just in terms of economic and social rights promotion, as noted above, but also in achieving accountability. The main exception in that regard relates to the role of ombuds institutions, which could be much more engaged on matters of economic and social rights than they are, even though their powers generally fall short of being able to provide direct remedies.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The UN responsibility for the cholera outbreak in Haiti 2016, para. 88

Paragraph text
The Haitian authorities, including the present interim Government, needs to overcome the reluctance of previous Governments to press the international community to ensure that the human rights of its citizens are upheld.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Humanitarian
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The UN responsibility for the cholera outbreak in Haiti 2016, para. 86

Paragraph text
In line with the Deputy Secretary-General's statement, the process should reflect a new-found commitment to consulting with all stakeholders on as transparent a basis as possible.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The UN responsibility for the cholera outbreak in Haiti 2016, para. 82

Paragraph text
The present report is not the appropriate context in which to spell out in detail what remains to be done to right the wrongs that have occurred. But it is possible to sketch in broad outline the principal steps that are required.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The UN responsibility for the cholera outbreak in Haiti 2016, para. 81

Paragraph text
Third, there is now a much stronger commitment to taking the rule of law seriously in the context of the approach adopted within the United Nations itself, and this needs to be reflected in the legal response to cholera in Haiti.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Health
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The UN responsibility for the cholera outbreak in Haiti 2016, para. 77

Paragraph text
Unless the new approach also includes a revised legal policy, it will entrench a precedent according to which the United Nations will never in the future accept legal responsibility, no matter how horrendous the facts. That will be the ultimate ongoing travesty of justice.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • All
  • N.A.
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The UN responsibility for the cholera outbreak in Haiti 2016, para. 46

Paragraph text
Before addressing the major practical concerns that have been used to justify the abdication approach, it is important to emphasize that there is broad agreement in relation to the key principles that are at stake, even if controversy about their application remains.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Extreme inequality and human rights 2015, para. 55

Paragraph text
However, in reading the jurisprudence generated by most of the treaty bodies, it is difficult to escape certain conclusions. First, article 3 of the International Covenants on Human Rights, which asserts equal rights for men and women, has perhaps not been given its fullest reading, especially in terms of access to resources. Second, for all of the attention given to affirmative obligations to eliminate discrimination, much of the work of the treaty bodies seems unduly confined to a focus on specific violations of non-discrimination. Linked to this is a reluctance to develop notions of distributive equality, which has been much debated in the literature, and would give an important added dimension to the effort to combat extreme inequality. Third, the right to equality needs to be given greater attention so that it is able to add substantively to the jurisprudence of international human rights bodies in ways that it has not, thus far. Finally, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has to date done all too little in practice, as opposed to its analysis in general comments, to explore what might be involved in the prohibitions in article 2 (2) of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights against discrimination based on social origin, property or birth.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Men
  • Women
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Extreme inequality and human rights 2015, para. 36

Paragraph text
Although one of the Open Working Group's proposed goals is aimed at reducing inequalities, the Special Rapporteur has observed that human rights norms are almost absent from the proposal (see A/69/297, paras. 45-49). In his synthesis report the Secretary-General attributed far greater importance to them, although he did not explicitly discuss the relationship between inequalities and human rights. The link was however acknowledged in statements calling for a future free from poverty and built on human rights, equality and sustainability, a post-2015 agenda built on the principles of human rights and the rule of law, equality and sustainability, and again in the linking of the challenges of reinforcing human rights, equality and sustainability (see A/69/700, paras. 18, 49 and 82). More generally, the Secretary-General underscored the need to continue to remedy the policy incoherence between current modes of international governance in matters of trade, finance and investment on the one hand, and the norms and standards for labour, the environment, human rights, equality and sustainability on the other (ibid., para. 95). He also acknowledged an indirect link between human rights and inequality by juxtaposing the value of dignity with deepening inequality, thus implying that inequality undermined human dignity.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Environment
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The World Bank and human rights 2015, para. 65

Paragraph text
However, the use of a human rights framework and discourse actually makes an enormous difference, which is of course precisely why the Bank is so resistant to using it and so attached to the never-ending search for surrogate language that enables it to get at the same concerns. Human rights provides a context and a detailed and balanced framework; it invokes the specific legal obligations that States have agreed upon in the various human rights treaties; it emphasizes that certain values are non-negotiable; it brings a degree of normative certainty; and it brings into the discussion the carefully negotiated elaborations of the meaning of specific rights that have emerged from decades of reflection, discussion and adjudication. Even more importantly, the language of rights recognizes the dignity and agency of all individuals (regardless of race, gender, social status, age, disability or any other distinguishing factor) and it is intentionally empowering. Whether in the home, the village, school or workplace, or in the political marketplace of ideas, it makes a difference if one is calling for the realization of agreed human rights to equality or to water, rather than merely making a general request or demand, and human rights are inseparable from the notion of accountability. Where rights are ignored or violated, there must be accountability.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The World Bank and human rights 2015, para. 47

Paragraph text
On various occasions, senior Bank officials have warned of the dire consequences that would follow if the Bank were to become some sort of global policeman, responsible for enforcing respect for human rights by its client Governments. Because of the sanctions mentality described above, that fear is not altogether unfounded.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The World Bank and human rights 2015, para. 45

Paragraph text
While it was clearly not intended as such, the most significant impact of the decision was probably to convince an even larger number of countries that the Bank should indeed be kept away from human rights issues for fear that it would start to apply sanctions more broadly and in an equally unpredictable and ad hoc manner.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The World Bank and human rights 2015, para. 31

Paragraph text
The systematic avoidance of human rights language, frameworks and institutions in the context of Bank projects on gender-based violence is replicated in most other areas of its activities, although there have been some exceptions over past decades in areas such as HIV/AIDS and some gender-related projects.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Gender
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Health
  • Violence
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The World Bank and human rights 2015, para. 28

Paragraph text
Other valuable research on human rights topics has also been published under World Bank auspices with funds from the Nordic Trust Fund, specially set up for the purpose. The Special Rapporteur is not, however, aware of significant internal policy impact resulting from those publications.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The World Bank and human rights 2015, para. 15

Paragraph text
The opinion begins with definitions. First, the criminal justice sector is expansively defined, thus potentially enabling the Bank to undertake broad-ranging activities under that rubric. The definition includes "human rights and ombudsman's offices," but in practice those will presumably fall foul of the political prohibition.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The World Bank and human rights 2015, para. 5

Paragraph text
The World Bank does not have a single comprehensive human rights policy. Rather, it has many different and competing approaches to the issue. For analytical purposes it can be seen to have adopted different human rights policies in each of the following contexts: legal policy, public relations, policy analysis, operations and safeguards.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Taxation and human rightss 2014, para. 81d

Paragraph text
[For the above-mentioned purpose, States should:] Develop a system for more systematic and regular exchange of information between tax authorities, laying the foundations for an eventual multilateral, global system of automatic tax information exchange;
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2014
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Taxation and human rightss 2014, para. 81c

Paragraph text
[For the above-mentioned purpose, States should:] Provide, when in a position and requested to do so, funding and technical assistance to strengthen the capacity of tax authorities in less developed countries to collect taxes and to adhere to international agreements that benefit them;
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2014
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 86a (i)

Paragraph text
[In order to comply with their human rights obligations regarding the right to participation, the Special Rapporteur recommends States undertake the following actions:] Legal and institutional framework: Adopt a legal framework that includes the explicit right of individuals and groups to participate in the design, implementation and evaluation of any policy, programme or strategy that affects their rights, at the local, national and international levels. This should include: a. Putting in place operational guidelines, policies and capacity-strengthening measures to enable public officials to apply these laws, and ensuring that these are adaptable to different contexts and allow innovation based on feedback from the ground. b. Requiring the establishment of inclusive participatory mechanisms at the local and national levels. c. Explicitly including the duty of policymakers and public officials to actively seek and support the meaningful participation of people living in poverty. d. Setting and enforcing minimum standards for participatory processes, including thresholds for participation of people living in poverty and disadvantaged groups such as women, minorities and persons with disabilities.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Poverty
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 23

Paragraph text
Ultimately, the enjoyment of the right to participation can benefit society as a whole, building trust and solidarity, creating better social cohesion and contributing to more inclusive and pluralistic societies, and bringing new issues and voices into the public arena.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 53

Paragraph text
Mechanisms, processes and channels should be adaptable to the local context, taking into account the specific needs of communities or individuals in different social and cultural settings, and also adaptable to changing local, national and international contexts and standards.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 51

Paragraph text
In the context of participation, availability means that channels of participation, access to information and accountability mechanisms must be made available in sufficient quantity (and be of sufficient quality) to meet the needs of the community in question.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 106

Paragraph text
In order to uphold their right to participation, tackle gender stereotypes and create an enabling environment for the more equal sharing of unpaid care work, States must take concerted action to meaningfully empower unpaid caregivers.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Gender
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 73

Paragraph text
In line with the human rights approach, all policies must be participatory in their design and implementation, provide for accountability and redress mechanisms and be based on the objective to meaningfully empower women socially, politically and economically.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Gender
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Women
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 49

Paragraph text
However, the demands of unpaid care work often force women into precarious and informal jobs not covered by social insurance schemes linked to employment, such as paid parental leave, unemployment insurance or pensions. This further contributes to their poverty and economic dependency on men.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Poverty
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Men
  • Women
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 16

Paragraph text
Not only do women living in poverty perform the lion's share of unpaid care work, they also stay poor because they do so. Dedication to unpaid care work and resulting scarcity of time have significant financial and opportunity costs that perpetuate poverty among women.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Poverty
Person(s) affected
  • Women
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 3

Paragraph text
For the purposes of this report, unpaid care work includes domestic work (meal preparation, cleaning, washing clothes, water and fuel collection) and direct care of persons (including children, older persons and persons with disabilities, as well as able-bodied adults) carried out in homes and communities.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • Children
  • Older persons
  • Persons with disabilities
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 96

Paragraph text
[States should:] Continue to extend and expand equal access to the formal justice system for persons living in poverty, even in areas where non-State legal orders operate
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
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 96

Paragraph text
[States should:] Ensure that courts extend legal standing without discrimination to all persons regardless of, inter alia, their gender, ethnicity, legal status or lack of formal legal registration
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 96

Paragraph text
[States should:] Ensure that, in linguistically plural societies, court processes operate in languages used by the poorest communities where necessary and can adapt to intercultural communication
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 96

Paragraph text
[States should:] Ensure that cases where the rights of persons living in poverty are at stake are not subject to long delays which might exacerbate their situation
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
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 96

Paragraph text
[States should:] Ensure that lawyers and paralegals have access to people living in poverty who require their services in police stations, pretrial detention and prison facilities
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
  • N.A.
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 96

Paragraph text
[States should:] Enhance legal skills and knowledge within local communities by, for example, funding and training quality paralegals at the local level
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 96

Paragraph text
[States should:] Ensure that legal aid lawyers are independent, adequately trained and remunerated, and meet the highest standards of the legal profession
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 96

Paragraph text
[States should:] Review and reform detention and incarceration systems to ensure that they do not have a disproportionately harsh impact on those living in poverty
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
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 96

Paragraph text
[States should:] Provide training and education programmes for judicial officers, judges, lawyers, prosecutors and the police focusing on the rights and particular needs of the poor
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Education
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Poverty
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 96

Paragraph text
[States should:] Establish mechanisms to oversee the legality and reasonableness of administrative and policy decisions that have an impact on the enjoyment by the poor of their rights
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 96

Paragraph text
[States should:] Review or abolish legislation that directly or indirectly discriminates against the rights, interests and livelihoods of persons living in poverty
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
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 96

Paragraph text
[States should:] Address the practical factors that impede women's ability to claim their rights, including the status of women and gender-based stereotypes, prejudices and norms
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Women
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 96

Paragraph text
[States should:] Actively disseminate legal and judicial information, for example about laws, legal decisions and policy decisions, to all without charge and in multiple formats and languages
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 96

Paragraph text
[States should:] Take positive measures to raise the capacity of poor and disadvantaged groups to ensure that they have full understanding of their rights and the means through which they can enforce them
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Poverty
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 93

Paragraph text
The principle of the indivisibility and interdependence of human rights requires States to address a range of intersecting and mutually reinforcing deprivations and obstacles which prevent access to justice for the poorest.
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
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 79

Paragraph text
Legal standing is the gateway for access to justice. To have access to the formal judicial system, it is necessary that the courts extend legal standing without discrimination, ensuring that all receive equal treatment when bringing claims, protesting violations or seeking remedies.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 75

Paragraph text
While many people find it difficult to understand legal or judicial terminology, the complexities increase for many persons living in poverty in multilingual and multi ethnic societies where legal proceedings are often conducted in a language that they do not understand.
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
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 59

Paragraph text
Persons living in poverty are not only denied access to justice when they are unable to meet the cost of bribes or of engaging in other corrupt activities, but they are also deterred from accessing the justice system when they perceive the system to be corrupt.
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
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 55

Paragraph text
In addition to formal administrative fees, persons living in poverty encounter other collateral costs in accessing justice. The cost of transportation to courts and of accommodation, together with the loss of income while away from employment or subsistence activities, may be impossible for the poor.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Poverty
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 5

Paragraph text
Access to justice is crucial for tackling the root causes of poverty, exclusion and vulnerability, for several reasons. First, owing to their vulnerability, persons living in poverty are more likely to fall victim to criminal or illegal acts, including sexual or economic exploitation, violence, torture and murder. Crime and illegality are also likely to have a great impact on their lives as it is hard for them to obtain redress and as a result they may fall further into poverty. Second, access to justice is important because justice systems can be tools to overcome deprivation, for example, by developing jurisprudence on social and economic rights. Third, when vulnerable persons cannot access justice systems, they are sometimes forced to take justice into their own hands through illegal or violent means, or to accept unjust settlements. Thus, fair and effective justice systems are an important way to tackle impunity and reduce violence and conflict. Fourth, the inability of the poor to pursue justice remedies through existing systems increases their vulnerability to poverty and violations of their rights. In turn, their increased vulnerability and exclusion further hamper their ability to use justice systems. This vicious circle impairs the enjoyment of several human rights.
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
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. 12

Paragraph text
Even when resources are limited, States are legally bound to respect, protect and fulfil international human rights obligations. For State parties to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, this means, for example, that they must dedicate the maximum amount of resources available to progressively achieve the full realization of all economic, social and cultural rights. The human rights perspective distinguishes between the inability and the simple unwillingness to act. States cannot use the economic damage caused by the crises to justify actions or omissions that amount to violations of basic human rights obligations. While economic, social and cultural rights are often subject to the principle of "progressive realization" depending on the availability of resources in each State, this principle also prescribes particular modes of conduct that are compulsory for all States, regardless of their level of development. These obligations considerably limit the discretion of States with regard to the implementation of economic, social and cultural rights, and require immediate action.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • All
  • N.A.
Year
2011
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Penalization of people living in poverty 2011, para. 54

Paragraph text
In some of these programmes, non-compliance with conditionalities results in the immediate cancellation of benefits, without first assessing the reasons for non compliance. Often, this also means that the family cannot reapply to the programme, notwithstanding its needs and the reasons behind its failure to comply.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Families
Year
2011
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Penalization of people living in poverty 2011, para. 46

Paragraph text
These policies not only severely impact the inclusiveness and diversity of cities, and increase the segregation and social exclusion of those living in poverty, but also represent serious obstacles to the enjoyment of rights to adequate housing, to work, to an adequate standard of living and to take part in cultural life.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Poverty
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2011
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Social protection and old age poverty 2010, para. 108

Paragraph text
States must recognize the human right to social security in domestic law. Non-contributory and contributory pension schemes must be guided by international human rights standards for the right to social security.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Older persons
Year
2010
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Social protection and old age poverty 2010, para. 57

Paragraph text
Legal frameworks are of particular importance when States decide to implement small-scale initiatives and pilot projects. States have a duty to ensure that when pilot projects are discontinued, for example, the beneficiaries are protected from negative changes that could lead to income insecurity.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2010
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Social protection and old age poverty 2010, para. 54

Paragraph text
Despite some exceptions, States' over-reliance on contributory systems has often led to situations where non-contributory schemes lack a sufficient legislative basis. In several countries, they are implemented through weak institutional and legal arrangements such as presidential decrees or simple operational manuals.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2010
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Social protection and old age poverty 2010, para. 51

Paragraph text
Establishing or extending social security systems is more than a policy option or a means for reducing poverty; it is first and foremost a duty of States stemming directly from human rights norms and standards, in particular the right to social security and the right to an adequate standard of living.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Poverty
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2010
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Social protection and old age poverty 2010, para. 31

Paragraph text
Even in developed countries, contributory systems are often inadequate to protect the elderly: often benefits are too low to cover costs of living. Moreover, legislation related to compulsory retirement age can make it impossible for some older persons to find additional sources of income.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Health
Person(s) affected
  • Older persons
Year
2010
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Social protection and old age poverty 2010, para. 25

Paragraph text
Sub-Saharan Africa is home to 26 million of the 40 million persons living with HIV/AIDS worldwide and is subsequently the region with the highest number of households with a generation gap. In Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe, 60 per cent of AIDS orphans live with their grandparents.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Health
Person(s) affected
  • Persons on the move
Year
2010
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Social protection and old age poverty 2010, para. 24

Paragraph text
The HIV/AIDS epidemic impacts on older persons in two ways. First, mostly middle-aged people die from the disease and older persons are more likely to be left without the care and support of their children. Second, they also may become the primary caregivers to their orphaned grandchildren.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Health
Person(s) affected
  • Children
  • Older persons
Year
2010
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Social protection and old age poverty 2010, para. 23

Paragraph text
Migrants can also be at risk of losing income in their old age. While persons who have migrated to work in their adulthood may have contributed to pension systems where they worked, when they retire and return to their countries of origin they are unable to reap the benefits of their prior contributions.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Movement
Person(s) affected
  • Older persons
  • Persons on the move
Year
2010
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Social protection and old age poverty 2010, para. 21

Paragraph text
Older women are not only more likely to be poorer than men, but they are also likely to be burdened with caregiving responsibilities for other family members, especially their grandchildren. In some countries, accusations of witchcraft against poor older women are common, revealing worrying discriminative patterns.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Violence
Person(s) affected
  • Older persons
  • Women
Year
2010
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The importance of social protection measures in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2010, para. 65

Paragraph text
In order to ensure that women's rights are fully respected, social protection programmes must be accompanied by gender-sensitive social services, including sexual and reproductive health care. This requires investment in public services, without which social protection programmes will not be effective. Women and girls, for example, may be prevented from meeting conditionalities imposed by a programme if social services are far away and transportation costs are too high, or if they fear being sexually assaulted while making the trip required. Girls may not attend school if there are no separate sanitation facilities for them or if they are harassed by teachers or other students. Mothers may not bring their children to the hospital owing to discriminatory practices on the part of health-care providers (for example, requesting the consent of the husband) or communication difficulties (for example, women might be expected to demonstrate some form of literacy or might not be able to communicate in their minority language). In the same vein, women may choose not to use clinics for child delivery because of a lack of skilled birth attendants or culturally appropriate birthing methods.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Gender
  • Social & Cultural Rights
  • Water & Sanitation
Person(s) affected
  • Children
  • Girls
  • Women
Year
2010
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The importance of social protection measures in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2010, para. 48

Paragraph text
In the sections below, the independent expert describes some of the key issues to be considered in ensuring that social protection policies properly address gender inequalities.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Gender
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2010
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Taxation and human rightss 2014, para. 44

Paragraph text
Low levels of revenue collection have a disproportionate impact on the poorest segments of the population and constitute a major obstacle to the capacity of the State to finance public services and social programmes. A lack of access to quality services is a constituent element of poverty, and people living in poverty are particularly dependent on public services, being unable to pay for private alternatives. In addition, their specific needs and characteristics make it more likely they will have to interact with State-funded institutions and services on a regular basis. This is particularly the case for people who experience multiple forms of discrimination and disadvantage; for example, persons with disabilities are more likely to come into regular contact with health and social services, while women are more likely to be directly dependent on social protection and health systems for at least some period of their lives because of their sexual and reproductive health and maternity-related needs. Women also serve as unpaid alternative care providers when public services are not adequately funded, increasing their time burden and limiting their opportunities to engage in paid work, education, training or leisure, while also negatively affecting their enjoyment of rights such as health, education, participation and social security.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Health
  • Poverty
Person(s) affected
  • Persons with disabilities
  • Women
Year
2014
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Taxation and human rightss 2014, para. 42

Paragraph text
The most straightforward way in which government revenues can facilitate compliance with human rights obligations is by providing resources for public goods, such as education and health services - goods that are critical to realizing human rights and that ultimately benefit the whole of society.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Education
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Health
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2014
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Taxation and human rightss 2014, para. 39

Paragraph text
Moreover, when revenue is used to finance public services, it creates conditions propitious to growth and employment in formal sectors of the economy, guaranteeing both equality of access and equality of opportunities. Public services also mitigate the impact of skewed income distribution and directly contribute to reducing inequality.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Person(s) affected
  • All
  • N.A.
Year
2014
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Taxation and human rightss 2014, para. 37

Paragraph text
Certainly, poverty reduction is more effective and sustainable when combined with investments in areas such as education, health and food security. These areas are also critical for ensuring the realization of rights in the present and future and for overcoming the intergenerational transmission of poverty.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Poverty
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2014
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Taxation and human rightss 2014, para. 35

Paragraph text
A contemporary interpretation of existing obligations of international cooperation and assistance should recast or redefine the outdated emphasis on tax sovereignty to a more modern conception of international tax cooperation in a globalized and interdependent world economy (see paras. … below).
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2014
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Taxation and human rightss 2014, para. 23

Paragraph text
To ensure accountability, fiscal policies, including, for example, tax incentives granted to foreign investors, should be open to judicial oversight, while public officials should be accountable for decisions that endanger the enjoyment of human rights. Accessible mechanisms for complaints and redress should also be put in place.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2014
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The implementation of the right to social protection through the adoption of social protection floors 2014, para. 50

Paragraph text
Future advocacy for social protection floors needs to acknowledge the lessons that are to be learned from past experience. First, the reality is that in many states the political will to eliminate poverty is lacking and, in the absence of a major change in priorities, the situation will at best improve only incrementally. Far from being a tragedy about which nothing can be done because of financial constraints, the persistence of extreme poverty is the result of a series of deliberate and conscious decisions by key actors who have chosen to prioritize other goals. Those living in poverty have been largely disempowered and their economic position reflects their political marginality. Extreme poverty remains a scourge which the international community has lamented at great length and with a collective gnashing of teeth, but that same community has all too often refused to take the measures required to eliminate the problem. Embracing the Social Protection Floor Initiative would constitute a compelling change of course and mark a genuinely new beginning in the struggle against extreme poverty.
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
  • N.A.
Year
2014
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The implementation of the right to social protection through the adoption of social protection floors 2014, para. 48

Paragraph text
This reading is reinforced by the fact that the earlier provisions of Goal 1 seek to resolve the competition between the two ways of measuring poverty by endorsing both, but in very different terms. Target 1.1 follows the World Bank by calling for the eradication, by 2030, of "extreme poverty for all people everywhere, currently measured as people living on less than $1.25 a day". Given that this is a very low standard, the aspiration is a limited one. But when it comes to "men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions", the aim in target 1.2 is only to "reduce at least by half the proportion" by 2030. In other words, that target implies acceptance that as many as half of those currently living in extreme poverty, as measured by the multidimensional approach described above, will continue to do so beyond 2030. For a planet with immense wealth and one that is able to mobilize vast resources very rapidly for projects that further the interests of the elites, that is a shameful goal and one that is clearly inconsistent with the recognition that all persons are entitled to at least the minimum core of economic and social 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
  • Children
  • Men
  • Women
Year
2014
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The implementation of the right to social protection through the adoption of social protection floors 2014, para. 41

Paragraph text
In the same section of the report, the Group laments the fact that "in many countries … social protection benefits have been provided for several years without having a legal basis."
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2014
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Extreme poverty and human rights on universal basic income 2017, para. 71

Paragraph text
Third, contrary to the orthodoxy promoted by economic institutions and corporate actors in recent years, there needs to be a resurgence of support for the central role of the State, and recognition of the importance of fair and progressive fiscal policies, and of the indispensability of policies to ensure redistributive justice.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2017
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Extreme poverty and human rights on universal basic income 2017, para. 70

Paragraph text
Second, the right to work, the right to social security, and above all the right to an adequate standard of living need to be given a prominent place on the human rights community’s agenda. If these rights are marginalized, the overall agenda will become increasingly less relevant to the most pressing and urgent questions of the day.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2017
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Extreme poverty and human rights on universal basic income 2017, para. 67

Paragraph text
All of these motivations are persuasive on their own terms, but unless they are integrally linked to the last category the likelihood is that what will emerge will be another strategy designed to promote productivity and efficiency, but without concern for the far more fundamental goals.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2017
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Extreme poverty and human rights on universal basic income 2017, para. 66f

Paragraph text
[One of the biggest challenges in relation to basic income is to move beyond its chameleon-like character. There are many versions of it, and each is supported by a diverse array of actors, precisely because they see different attractions in the concept. To assess the utility and acceptability of basic income from a human rights perspective, it is helpful to identify the main categories of motivation.] Fairness and social justice.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2017
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Extreme poverty and human rights on universal basic income 2017, para. 65

Paragraph text
This is where the basic income debate comes in. A focus on social protection more broadly defined might be a more propitious entry point to tackle these issues. Governments remain centrally responsible for ensuring appropriate levels of social protection within their borders, they have a self-interest in promoting stability and economic security, and they control the resources needed.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2017
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Extreme poverty and human rights on universal basic income 2017, para. 51

Paragraph text
However, the negative income tax option would be problematic for 18- to 29-year-olds and for senior women. The Canadian examples demonstrate the potentially positive effects of negative income tax, but warn that a basic income model that replaces existing social support mechanisms could have seriously negative effects on the poor.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Poverty
Person(s) affected
  • Older persons
  • Women
  • Youth
Year
2017
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Extreme poverty and human rights on universal basic income 2017, para. 49

Paragraph text
Between 1974 and 1979, a negative income tax experiment ran in the Canadian city of Dauphin. Subsequent analysis of the data confirmed various positive effects, including a drop in hospitalization rates, especially for mental health and accident admissions, as well as an increase in year 12 school registrations.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Health
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2017
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Extreme poverty and human rights on universal basic income 2017, para. 47

Paragraph text
Basic income is thus not at odds with social protection floors, with universality being a key assumption of both. While basic income proponents have suggested that the reference to “basic income security” in recommendation No. 202 is a much broader concept than their idea of basic income, they see social protection floors as a “significant step toward basic income by legitimizing the idea of basic income security as an essential ingredient for human development”.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2017
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Extreme poverty and human rights on universal basic income 2017, para. 45

Paragraph text
Internationally, social protection floors have been promoted in the context of the Social Protection Floor Initiative, launched in 2009. This initiative culminated in the 2011 report by the Social Protection Floor Advisory Group (the “Bachelet report”) and in the Social Protection Floors Recommendation, 2012 (No. 202). And Sustainable Development Goal 1 advocates “appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors”.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2017
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Extreme poverty and human rights on universal basic income 2017, para. 43

Paragraph text
Unconditional cash transfers, although without strings attached, differ from basic income schemes in several respects. First, they are generally paid to households and may vary accordingly. Second, unconditional cash transfers often target the poor or other categories such as children or the elderly. Third, the amount of the unconditional cash transfers often differs, depending on the recipient’s situation.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Poverty
Person(s) affected
  • Children
  • Older persons
Year
2017
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Extreme poverty and human rights on universal basic income 2017, para. 32

Paragraph text
Negative income taxes, inspired by the work of Milton Friedman, ensure that individuals who earn below a certain threshold receive payments from the government, rather than having to pay taxes. It is similar to basic income in that every citizen is automatically and unconditionally eligible, but it differs from the full basic income in that benefits phase out as incomes rise. Amounts may also be adjusted for households.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2017
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Extreme poverty and human rights on universal basic income 2017, para. 29

Paragraph text
Perhaps the principal promoter of the concept has been the Basic Income Earth Network. This organization was founded in 1986 by researchers and trade unionists linked to the Catholic University of Louvain, in Belgium. It was originally the Basic Income European Network, but changed its name in 2004. It consists predominantly of scholars based in Europe and the United States.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2017
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Extreme poverty and human rights on universal basic income 2017, para. 18

Paragraph text
In the United Kingdom, basic income proposals were prominent in the period after both world wars. In 1918, Bertrand Russell called for an income for all, sufficient to pay for “necessaries” in post-First World War Britain. And when the Beveridge plan was being debated in 1943, Juliet Rhys-Williams proposed a basic income approach instead of Beveridge’s contributory welfare state plan.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2017
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Extreme poverty and human rights on universal basic income 2017, para. 16

Paragraph text
The universality dimension is often assumed to apply only to citizens or those with a minimum period of legal residence in the country, although some schemes require only fiscal residence. These limits raise important questions in terms of migrant workers, undocumented workers and asylum seekers.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Movement
Person(s) affected
  • Persons on the move
Year
2017
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Extreme poverty and human rights on universal basic income 2017, para. 14

Paragraph text
The absence of conditionality is a key dimension for most basic income proponents. This means that no conditions, such as children’s attendance at school or proof of job searches, must be met before the income is paid. People are thus not compelled to accept unpleasant or unattractive jobs. The latter would be filled either by machines, or by people attracted by a higher pay level.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Person(s) affected
  • Children
Year
2017
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Extreme poverty and human rights on universal basic income 2017, para. 13

Paragraph text
Whereas many aspects of existing social protection systems flow to the household, basic income would go directly to each individual. Some proposals do, however, diverge from this principle and envisage reduced payments which take account of the overall family or household situation.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Families
Year
2017
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Extreme poverty and human rights on universal basic income 2017, para. 12

Paragraph text
Basic income is intended as a cash grant; not as in-kind support such as food, vouchers or shelter. This means that individuals must have a means by which to receive the income, such as a bank account, or a cell phone capable of managing electronic payments. This might be problematic where neither banking infrastructure nor cell phone coverage are strong, and will also be difficult for groups such as the homeless, people fleeing domestic violence, and persons with psychosocial disabilities.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Health
Person(s) affected
  • Persons with disabilities
Year
2017
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Extreme poverty and human rights on universal basic income 2017, para. 8c

Paragraph text
[The present report is premised on the view that the human rights movement needs to address and respond to the fundamental changes that are taking place in economic and social structures at the national and global levels. These include, among others:] The likelihood that vast swathes of the existing workforce will be made redundant by increasing automation and robotization, accompanied by the ever-greater concentration of wealth in the hands of the technology elites and the owners of capital;
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2017
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Extreme poverty and human rights on universal basic income 2017, para. 8a

Paragraph text
[The present report is premised on the view that the human rights movement needs to address and respond to the fundamental changes that are taking place in economic and social structures at the national and global levels. These include, among others:] The increasingly precarious nature of employment in the age of Uber, Airbnb, outsourcing, subcontracting, zero-hours contracts and the like;
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2017
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Extreme poverty and human rights on universal basic income 2017, para. 6

Paragraph text
A related problem in the context of the Human Rights Council is the “siloing” of issues, whereby food, health, education, water, and other rights concerns are dealt with in separate silos that stand side by side but are rarely integrated. The Council debates the reports of the individual special procedures mandate holders sequentially and each mandate holder focuses on one particular piece of a large jigsaw puzzle. But there is rarely an occasion to examine the overall picture.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2017
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Marginality of economic and social rights 2016, para. 65

Paragraph text
Despite the rhetoric of indivisibility, both national and international endeavours to promote and protect economic and social rights are overshadowed by the assumption that while economic and social rights are desirable long-term social goals, they should not be treated as full-fledged human rights. The present report is not the place to review in detail the familiar arguments that have been invoked in support of this approach, which include claims that economic and social rights are too expensive, too vague, too empowering of the State, are potentially limitless, reward and encourage laziness, penalize wealth creation, undermine economic growth and are inimical to international competitiveness. These arguments, traditionally associated with those who might describe themselves as libertarians, neo-conservatives, free-marketeers or small government advocates, have triumphed in many countries in the twenty-first century and have been actively promoted by the most influential international organizations in the fields of development, finance and trade. While compelling counter-arguments have been put forward in response to each of the critiques, the biggest challenge by far is essentially ideological. The economic and political power of entrenched elites is best protected by policies that marginalize economic and social rights.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Marginality of economic and social rights 2016, para. 57

Paragraph text
Nevertheless, some of the major international NGOs continue to approach economic and social rights in ways that do very little to change the marginality of those rights within the field. This is especially problematic because these organizations still disproportionately influence the overall shape of the non-governmental agenda, especially at the international level. Good faith efforts in recent years to develop a more positive and proactive approach to economic and social rights have succeeded in moving the field forward in relation to several issues that are important, even though they represent a rather narrow slice of the overall economic and social rights pie. Reporting on issues such as forced evictions, maternal mortality, discrimination in access to schooling, access to palliative care and to HIV/AIDS drugs, and sexual and reproductive health, has contributed significantly in these areas, but the approaches adopted have too often relied almost entirely on using a discrimination lens and avoided reliance on the economic and social rights framework. When combined with policies that eschew issues that involve redistributing resources or require significant budgetary allocations, the approach can amount to a self-denying ordinance that effectively maintains the status quo and ensures that the core economic and social rights issues will not be adequately addressed.
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
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Marginality of economic and social rights 2016, para. 56

Paragraph text
One of the most encouraging developments in recent years in relation to economic and social rights has been the growth of specialist NGOs at the international, national and, especially, local levels working to promote either economic and social rights in general or specific rights such as those relating to health, housing, education, water, gender equality, disability and ageing.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Gender
  • Health
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Older persons
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Marginality of economic and social rights 2016, para. 53

Paragraph text
In one third of the 32 lists of issues considered, the Committee requested information about the status of the Covenant within the State's domestic legal system. In almost all the lists, examples of cases in which domestic courts had considered or applied the Covenant were requested. In a little over half of the lists, States parties were asked about legislative measures taken to implement one or more of the rights.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Marginality of economic and social rights 2016, para. 52

Paragraph text
The Special Rapporteur has surveyed the Committee's work since the beginning of 2014 to evaluate how it has approached the three elements in the RIA framework. This included State party reports, the relevant lists of issues and the concluding observations relating to 32 States parties, drawn more or less evenly from the different regional groups.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Marginality of economic and social rights 2016, para. 47

Paragraph text
Fourth, although some of the databases of economic and social rights case law around the world are impressive, the total number of cases is still rather limited. While individual cases have arisen in many jurisdictions, the reality is that in only a handful of jurisdictions have the courts generated a body of significant case law. Among the most notable of these are Colombia, India, Kenya, South Africa and state-level courts in the United States of America (in relation to the right to education).
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Education
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Marginality of economic and social rights 2016, para. 37

Paragraph text
In considering which institutions are most likely to be best placed to promote knowledge and understanding of economic and social rights at the domestic level, two types of actors seem most relevant. The first being the government agencies that are responsible for making and implementing policy in the relevant sectors. Thus, government ministries dealing with education, social protection, health, nutrition and so on might be expected to take the lead in promoting a rights-based understanding. This is not to argue, as is sometimes suggested in the literature on rights-based approaches to development, that everything these ministries do should be guided by and seen through the lens of human rights. Nonetheless, one might expect the ministry of education, for example, to acknowledge that there is a right to education and to spell out what that means in specific policy terms. While it is well beyond the scope of this report to explore how common such an approach is among sectoral ministries in most countries, it can be said by way of generalization that the phenomenon is not common. There are some indications that the health sector might be moving more in that direction under the impetus of the movement for universal health coverage. Similarly, social security is increasingly seen in terms of the right to social security as a result of the Social Protection Floor Initiative.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Education
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Health
Person(s) affected
  • All
  • N.A.
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Marginality of economic and social rights 2016, para. 15

Paragraph text
Economic and social rights are also of central importance to efforts to tackle extreme inequality and its consequences. The thoroughly documented increases in global wealth and income inequality threaten to undermine the social fabric, to turn civil and political rights into a tool that will be used predominantly to protect the rights and interests of the wealthy and to entrench forms of economic and political liberalism that ignore the needs and deny the rights of those living in poverty. In many respects, the approach currently taken by the international human rights system all but ensures the worst of all possible outcomes. On the one hand, the correct approach insists that economic and social rights are indivisible from, and of equal importance to, civil and political rights, thus suggesting that they can provide a meaningful response to extreme poverty, extreme inequality and other forms of rampant social injustice. On the other hand, the international human rights system systematically marginalizes those rights in many respects, and tolerates a situation in which the majority of States avoid the recognition, institutionalization and accountability that alone can establish solid foundations upon which to build respect for economic and social rights as full-fledged human rights and thus provide powerful and principled arguments to reduce levels of inequality.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Economic Rights
  • Poverty
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Marginality of economic and social rights 2016, para. 11

Paragraph text
In addition to highlighting the intrinsic linkages among all rights, the principal significance of this bold assertion was to signal that economic, social and cultural rights are as important as civil and political rights and must be accorded equal attention. And the past quarter of a century has indeed seen a great number of important initiatives, especially in sectoral areas such as the right to housing, the right to food, the right to health and the right to water, and more consistent tribute being rendered to the principle of indivisibility. But acceptance in law and in practice of the idea that economic and social rights are actually human rights, with the set of clear legal consequences that this entails, rather than a set of concerns synonymous with development or social progress, remains marginal. This marginality manifests itself in the work of United Nations human rights bodies, in both the theory and practice of the great majority of States, in the work of many of the most prominent civil society groups focusing on human rights, in the interests and priorities of scholars and commentators and, perhaps most counter-intuitively, even in the work of most international agencies promoting poverty alleviation and social development. As a result, the principal of indivisibility continues to be honoured more in the breach than in the observance.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Health
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The UN responsibility for the cholera outbreak in Haiti 2016, para. 85

Paragraph text
Since August 2016 the Secretary-General appears to have accepted that existing project-based initiatives cannot be seen as a substitute for personal compensation for victims and their families. His proposed new package should ensure adequate compensation, taking account of the elements identified above.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Families
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The UN responsibility for the cholera outbreak in Haiti 2016, para. 84

Paragraph text
The United Nations should acknowledge that the claims are of a private law character and accordingly should offer an appropriate remedy, as is legally required of it. The new approach announced by the Deputy Secretary-General could go a long way towards constituting such a remedy.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The UN responsibility for the cholera outbreak in Haiti 2016, para. 80

Paragraph text
Second, the existing legal policy was formulated some six years ago, and pays no heed to the important lessons that have emerged from both the Human Rights Up Front initiative and the report on the independent review of sexual abuse in the Central African Republic.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Violence
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The UN responsibility for the cholera outbreak in Haiti 2016, para. 78

Paragraph text
The abdication approach has thrived because sterile legal formalism, facilitated by a failure to explore constructive options, has been permitted to prevail. But that approach is contrary to both the interests of justice and the interests of the United Nations.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The UN responsibility for the cholera outbreak in Haiti 2016, para. 70

Paragraph text
Human rights. One of the most impressive human rights achievements of the United Nations in recent years emerged from a similar time of crisis within the Organization as a result of its role in the final months of the civil war in Sri Lanka in 2010. In response to concerted criticism, the Secretary-General first commissioned an internal review panel to explore whether the United Nations had met its responsibilities to prevent and respond to serious violations of human rights and humanitarian law. He then followed up by announcing his Human Rights Up Front initiative, which "aims to help the United Nations act more coherently across the pillars of the Organization's work - peace and security, development, and human rights". As the Deputy Secretary-General has noted: "Human Rights Up Front is about improving how the United Nations system functions and how staff members are to perform." Yet the refusal to address the human rights violations that have occurred in Haiti as a result of the cholera epidemic stands in stark contrast to the excellent intentions of that initiative. Unless action is taken, the message is that a double standard applies according to which the United Nations can insist that Member States respect human rights, while rejecting any such responsibility for itself even in a particularly egregious situation.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Humanitarian
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The UN responsibility for the cholera outbreak in Haiti 2016, para. 64

Paragraph text
Fourth, different arrangements might be contemplated for cases of death than for those involving injury. Given the ongoing nature of the problem and the complexity of compensating all of those who became ill, a programmatic approach might be an important element in relation to the second category of victim.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Health
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The UN responsibility for the cholera outbreak in Haiti 2016, para. 62

Paragraph text
Second, General Assembly resolution 52/247 on third-party liability is of major relevance. It sets a temporal limitation for the submission of claims, but this may be extended by the Secretary-General in exceptional circumstances. Compensation payable for injury, illness or death is to be determined by reference to local compensation standards, but cannot exceed $50,000. Compensation is payable neither for non-economic loss nor for punitive or moral damages.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The UN responsibility for the cholera outbreak in Haiti 2016, para. 61

Paragraph text
First, scholars have debated whether the optimal approach for the United Nations to take is one that proceeds from the principles of human rights or from the law of torts. For academic purposes, a rich debate can be, and has already been, had around some of these issues. From the perspective of the United Nations, neither of these regimes fits the situation perfectly and elements can be drawn from both in shaping the best response.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The UN responsibility for the cholera outbreak in Haiti 2016, para. 55

Paragraph text
Some officials and diplomats have suggested that although they would favour providing an appropriate remedy in this case, nothing can be done until the shadow of litigation has been lifted. To take action before then would only encourage many more suits designed to achieve the same result: the proverbial "floodgates" would be opened. But even in the wake of the dismissal of the suit on 19 August 2016, the floodgates argument seems to motivate continuing insistence on the abdication policy.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The UN responsibility for the cholera outbreak in Haiti 2016, para. 50

Paragraph text
Fourth, it is recognized in the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations of 1946, in the status-of-forces agreement and in United Nations practice that appropriate remedies should be provided where disputes arise in relation to liability for acts of a private character.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • All
  • N.A.
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The UN responsibility for the cholera outbreak in Haiti 2016, para. 48

Paragraph text
Second, it is agreed that United Nations actions should comply with human rights standards. The Organization specifically claims "to ensure that its peacekeeping operations and their personnel operate within the normative framework of international human rights law and are held accountable for alleged violations".
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Humanitarian
Person(s) affected
  • All
  • N.A.
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The UN responsibility for the cholera outbreak in Haiti 2016, para. 41

Paragraph text
Even some of the Organization's traditional supporters have argued that its "peacekeeping brand has been stained indelibly by three major sins", which are sexual misconduct, the negligence involved in bringing cholera to Haiti and "the abject failure of the United Nations to own up to these lapses, and to respond to them in an effective, principled way".
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Humanitarian
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The UN responsibility for the cholera outbreak in Haiti 2016, para. 40

Paragraph text
The global media has been systematically critical of the United Nations. For example, the Economist has accused the United Nations of dodging its responsibility, the New York Times argues that it has "failed to face up to its role in [Haiti's] continuing tragedy", Business Insider has referred to the cholera outbreak as "the UN's Watergate", the Washington Post has commented that "by refusing to acknowledge responsibility, the United Nations jeopardizes its standing and moral authority".
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Environment
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Humanitarian
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The UN responsibility for the cholera outbreak in Haiti 2016, para. 38

Paragraph text
Although the former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navanethem Pillay, called publicly in 2013 for the Haitian victims to be compensated, the abdication approach has otherwise prevailed in the ranks of United Nations officials, under the watchful eye of the Office of Legal Affairs.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The UN responsibility for the cholera outbreak in Haiti 2016, para. 33

Paragraph text
It has been suggested to the Special Rapporteur by several sources that the legal advice originally submitted to the Secretary-General took a rather different approach to these crucial issues from that which was finally adopted, but this cannot be confirmed since none of the analyses of the Office of Legal Affairs have been made public. If true, however, it might explain why the arguments adduced in order to abdicate responsibility are both peremptory and inadequately justified.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The UN responsibility for the cholera outbreak in Haiti 2016, para. 21

Paragraph text
Immediately after the publication of the panel's report in May 2011, a United Nations spokesperson was dismissive of the report on the grounds that it did "not present any conclusive scientific evidence linking the outbreak to the MINUSTAH peacekeepers or the Mirebalais camp". Senior officials have continued to rely on this defence. However, the more detailed and official response provided in a letter dated 25 November 2014 from Assistant Secretary-General Pedro Medrano Rojas, Senior Coordinator for the Cholera Response in Haiti, addressed to the special procedures mandate holders took a different tack. Although the letter is long and detailed, it curiously makes no mention of the panel's principal finding, which was, as noted above, that that "the source of the Haiti cholera outbreak was due to contamination of the Meye Tributary of the Artibonite River with a pathogenic strain of current South Asian type Vibrio cholerae as a result of human activity". In other words, MINUSTAH was indeed the source. Instead, after citing the panel's reference to poor water and sanitation conditions and inadequate medical facilities, Mr. Medrano suggested that the main outcome of the inquiry was the statement that the outbreak "was not the fault of, or due to deliberate action by, a group or individual". Similarly, regularly updated fact sheets describing the United Nations response continue to make no mention of the panel's principal conclusion in relation to MINUSTAH. It has been airbrushed out of the picture.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Health
  • Water & Sanitation
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The UN responsibility for the cholera outbreak in Haiti 2016, para. 20

Paragraph text
Although the report by the panel has been central to the arguments made by United Nations officials in response to calls for the Organization to accept responsibility, the approach taken by the United Nations has been inconsistent and somewhat unpredictable. In some contexts, the panel's conclusions have been challenged and their recommendations rejected; in others, their finding of no fault has been endorsed and heavily relied upon.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The UN responsibility for the cholera outbreak in Haiti 2016, para. 18

Paragraph text
Almost four years after the initial spillage, a report of the Office of Internal Oversight Services Internal Audit Division, whose public release was long delayed, found that the regulatory framework for effective waste management in MINUSTAH continued to be unsatisfactory, a rating that signified that "critical and/or pervasive important deficiencies" existed.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Environment
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Extreme inequality and human rights 2015, para. 49

Paragraph text
Having taken the principled position that there must be limits to inequality, States should then formally commit themselves to policies explicitly designed to reduce, if not eliminate, extreme inequality. Political recognition of the challenge and the holding of a meaningful and sustained public debate on the most appropriate measures to be taken is the starting point for genuine efforts to reduce extreme inequality.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Extreme inequality and human rights 2015, para. 48

Paragraph text
It must be accepted that extreme inequality and respect for the equal rights of all persons are incompatible. Formal recognition of the fact that there are limits of some sort to the degrees of inequality that can be reconciled with notions of equality, dignity and commitments to human rights for everyone would be an important step forward.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Extreme inequality and human rights 2015, para. 47

Paragraph text
A number of steps must be taken if the international human rights regime is to be able to respond meaningfully to the threat posed by extreme inequality. Some of these proposals are already well known, while others will require a willingness to step back and acknowledge that the existing system has some deep biases that need to be corrected over time.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Extreme inequality and human rights 2015, para. 46

Paragraph text
Mr. Bengoa also recommended the creation of a social forum to facilitate the participation of States, international organizations, non-governmental organizations and corporations in discussing how to take economic, social and cultural rights into account in their policies. The Social Forum was set up in 2002 and recent sessions have focused on the rights of older persons (2014) and on the rights of access to medicines in the context of the right to health (2015).
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Health
Person(s) affected
  • Older persons
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Extreme inequality and human rights 2015, para. 45c

Paragraph text
[Subsequent to Mr. Eide's report, the Sub-Commission decided to appoint a Special Rapporteur on the relationship between the enjoyment of human rights, in particular economic, social and cultural rights, and income distribution. José Bengoa was appointed as Special Rapporteur and produced several reports between 1995 and 1998. He reached the following general conclusions (see E/CN.4/Sub.2/1998/8, paras. 4-9):] Bad income distribution, when accompanied by economic growth, causes explosive social situations;
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Extreme inequality and human rights 2015, para. 39

Paragraph text
It seems clear, however, that the deeply expressed concerns about the consequences of inequality are not in fact bringing the sort of deep changes that would be required in the policies of such institutions. For the most part, the response seems to involve the tweaking of traditional policies rather than any change in the fundamental priorities underlying the work of those institutions. This makes it all the more important to inquire into the role that could or should be played by human rights bodies.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Extreme inequality and human rights 2015, para. 32

Paragraph text
It is clear therefore that the most impoverished suffer the most extreme effects of inequality for a variety of reasons. In part, this is because their influence and capacity to exercise rights is diminished relatively, even if not absolutely, as others become wealthier and gain greater political and economic power, and in part because they are more vulnerable to the harms associated with social unrest, crime and violence.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Poverty
  • Social & Cultural Rights
  • Violence
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Extreme inequality and human rights 2015, para. 17

Paragraph text
In all modern democracies, laws, regulations and institutions influence, and are influenced by, the distribution of economic and other forms of power. Economic inequalities are not only the result of market forces, but equally of political forces that affect laws, regulations and institutions. A full understanding of economic inequalities therefore requires an examination of the exercise of political power.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Extreme inequality and human rights 2015, para. 11

Paragraph text
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has developed several indicators that measure social and horizontal inequalities. An inequality-adjusted human development index, calculated for 145 countries, indicates how achievements in the areas of health, education and income are distributed among a population. UNDP also publishes the coefficient of human inequality, which is a calculation of average inequality across the three dimensions mentioned above. UNDP further measures gender inequality in its gender inequality index. Looking at these different indices, which are not always as intuitive as the income indices described above, it becomes clear that many countries do not even come close to the levels of equality in terms of health, education and gender that exist in the more egalitarian countries. Where Norway had an inequality-adjusted human development index value of 0.891 in 2013, indicating a high level of equality in comparison with other countries, the figures in countries such as the United States (0.755), the Russian Federation (0.685), Chile (0.661), India (0.418) and the Central African Republic (0.203) are much lower. The gender-related development index (female to male ratio of the human development index) ranges from very high levels of equality between men and women in Norway (0.997) to a very high level of gender inequality in Afghanistan (0.602).
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Gender
  • Health
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The World Bank and human rights 2015, para. 86

Paragraph text
Finally, those calling upon the World Bank to adopt a human rights policy need to pay equally focused attention to the policies being adopted by other multilateral lenders. The recently established New Development Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank are particularly relevant in that regard.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The World Bank and human rights 2015, para. 85

Paragraph text
The Bank should adopt a policy addressing economic, social and cultural rights as human rights. Its frequent claims to be almost inadvertently doing this already are not persuasive, but there is much that it could do to promote a basic programme in this area, which would add enormous value to what the international community has so far been able to achieve.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The World Bank and human rights 2015, para. 84

Paragraph text
In general, the policies of the Bank should emphasize the ways in which it can provide positive support, advice and assistance to States in relation to human rights. It could start by establishing a programme to assist Governments that wish to establish domestic institutional mechanisms to promote the integration of human rights into development policies.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The World Bank and human rights 2015, para. 83

Paragraph text
Another key principle in any Bank policy should be to encourage and assist Governments to meet their existing obligations under international law in relation to human rights. Other international organizations explicitly seek to do this and the Bank has long done it in relation to international environmental treaty obligations.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Environment
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The World Bank and human rights 2015, para. 79

Paragraph text
The overarching policy principle, already accepted in relation to safeguards, is that the Bank should "do no harm" through its own involvement. How far the Bank can or should go in trying to bring about government policies that have no direct bearing on what it is supporting is open to debate. Again, some of the demands made of it in this area appear to be both unrealistic and counterproductive.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The World Bank and human rights 2015, para. 78

Paragraph text
Engagement with human rights experts and mechanisms should become routine. A good starting point would be for the Human Rights Council to invite the President of the Bank to address it and engage in a dialogue with its members. The Bank should also set up a forum in which it could engage human rights leaders on a regular basis, just as it has done with religious and faith leaders.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The World Bank and human rights 2015, para. 74

Paragraph text
The legitimate concerns held by Governments, Bank staff and other stakeholders need to be put on the table and fully discussed. There are certainly hard questions to be addressed. The experience of the many other international organizations which have adopted human rights policies over the past decade or more should greatly help to dispel many of the concerns expressed by Bank officials.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The World Bank and human rights 2015, para. 71

Paragraph text
The initiative must come from the President and the staff, as has been the case in relation to almost every major policy initiative of this kind. The Executive Board cannot be expected to meaningfully debate an abstract proposition in the absence of a detailed exploratory analysis.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The World Bank and human rights 2015, para. 60

Paragraph text
Fifth, the Bank needs at least a convincing due diligence policy to enable it to adjust or reject projects that would otherwise lead to, or support, human rights violations. Its safeguard policies have long been referred to as "do-no-harm" policies, but their very limited coverage in terms of the full gamut of the human rights obligations of States has meant that many serious violations are alleged to have occurred in the context of projects funded by the Bank. The Special Rapporteur is in no position to judge the accuracy of any particular allegations of rights violations and nor is it necessary to do so in the present report. Suffice it to note that the Bank's own internal reports have made clear that existing safeguard arrangements have often proved to be inadequate. Reports by the Inspection Panel have highlighted significant problems in specific projects and a report by the Internal Audit Department on resettlement programmes has revealed serious systemic deficiencies. To its credit, the Bank responded to the latter by announcing extensive reforms. Nonetheless, those evaluation reports provide powerful evidence of the need for a more sustained and better integrated approach, reflecting the full range of international human rights standards rather than the static list of specific concerns that are currently singled out for monitoring. Integrating human rights into operational policies is necessary to comply with the Bank's aim of doing no harm.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The World Bank and human rights 2015, para. 59

Paragraph text
Fourth, the Bank needs to bring its operational policies into line with mainstream development theory, especially its own. In 1999, Amartya Sen published a landmark study entitled Development as Freedom, based on lectures given at the Bank. Sen made a powerful case that freedom and the enjoyment of a range of rights were integral to achieving meaningful development. More recently, William Easterly has argued that "the cause of poverty is the absence of political and economic rights, the absence of a free political and economic system that would find the technical solutions to the poor's problems". He dismissed policies that seek to artificially separate human rights from development as technocratic illusions. The Bank itself has often paid lip service to the consensus that has emerged since the end of the cold war that recognizes that "democracy, development and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms are interdependent and mutually reinforcing," as proclaimed in the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted by consensus by 171 States in 1993. By staunchly maintaining the technocratic illusion, not in its conceptual work, but in its operations where it really matters, the Bank has not only placed itself firmly outside mainstream development thinking and policies formally endorsed by all States, but perhaps more problematically has sent the message that rights and development can, and in its own case must, be kept separate. The flow-on effect of that negative example cannot be underestimated;
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Poverty
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The World Bank and human rights 2015, para. 46

Paragraph text
The challenge now is to ensure that there is a silver lining to that incident. The Bank needs to elaborate a nuanced policy which will avoid such incidents in the future; eschew sanctions of that type except in the most extreme and predefined situations; and develop a range of policies that can promote respect for human rights in a constructive manner consistent with its overall policy objectives and its mandate.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The World Bank and human rights 2015, para. 40

Paragraph text
It is particularly striking that one of the most complex and contentious issues confronting the Bank in the twenty-first century, namely a human rights policy, is resolved not on the basis of any detailed legal or empirical analysis, or of transparent debates within the Bank, but on the basis of a legal opinion rooted in the politics of the last century and based on a mode of legal analysis that has long been considered to be unjustified and unsustainable in relation to almost every other issue.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The World Bank and human rights 2015, para. 38

Paragraph text
Interpretation of the Articles is decided by the Executive Directors by a simple majority vote, with the possibility of appeal to the Board of Governors. In practice, legal opinions by the General Counsel have provided the basis for most such interpretations. General Counsels also provide regular advice to the Executive Directors and the President and senior management, including on interpretation of the mandate. The most influential General Counsels have acknowledged the need to adopt a purposive or teleological approach.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The World Bank and human rights 2015, para. 30

Paragraph text
The Special Rapporteur analysed 13 projects on gender-based violence that are part of a major Bank initiative on the issue and were approved between January 2012 and June 2015. None of the relevant project documents engages substantively with the human rights dimensions of gender-based violence. Passing references can be found to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women or the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, but no analysis of the relevant rights and obligations is provided and the provisions are not linked to the project at hand. In fact, even the generic terms "human rights" and "rights" are rarely used and when they are, no elaboration is provided. The intended project beneficiaries are presented not as rights holders, but as clients or service recipients. The borrowing State bears contractual responsibilities towards the Bank, but no reference is made to its international or domestic human rights obligations. No reference is made to responsibility for gender-based violence by State actors, such as police or health-care workers, despite the frequency of such problems, and no reliance is ever placed upon the detailed human rights-based frameworks for tackling gender-based violence drawn up by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and various other international human rights actors, despite the fact that the Convention has been almost universally ratified.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Gender
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Violence
Person(s) affected
  • Women
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The World Bank and human rights 2015, para. 29

Paragraph text
Despite the powerful arguments marshalled in Bank publications for acknowledging the links between human rights and various development objectives, Bank-financed projects and programmes go to great lengths to avoid any operational references to human rights. One case study out of many must suffice. It concerns gender-based violence, a phenomenon that is universally recognized as violating human rights.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Gender
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The World Bank and human rights 2015, para. 21

Paragraph text
The adoption of an expansive criminal justice policy, while refusing to engage with human rights, leads to a highly artificial separation of the two issues. One example is the explanation in the opinion of activities that would be inappropriate by reference to "international due process standards," a concept that has little meaning unless interpreted as incorporating human rights standards.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The World Bank and human rights 2015, para. 19

Paragraph text
Finally, the author of the opinion acknowledges that there will always be a risk that criminal justice interventions might cross the line into the essentially political realm. A range of methods to manage such risk are thus identified, such as promoting "country ownership" of the activity, including through consultation with non-State stakeholders; avoiding involvement in enforcement on specific cases; undertaking careful risk analysis; and setting up a special review mechanism if particular concerns arise.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The World Bank and human rights 2015, para. 16

Paragraph text
Next is the definition of development. In contrast to the notion current over 70 years ago when the Articles of Agreement were adopted, development today is said to encompass "broad areas of human development, social development, education, protection of global public goods, governance and institutions, as well as issues such as inclusion and cohesion, participation, accountability and equity." But not, apparently, human rights, which are somehow different.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Education
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The World Bank and human rights 2015, para. 14

Paragraph text
The 2012 opinion relies on a broad range of sources. Previous legal opinions are invoked extensively but selectively. The practice of other multilateral development banks and of multilateral and bilateral development agencies are all considered to be pertinent. Finally, independent scholarship and Bank research are both cited to bolster the legal arguments made.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The World Bank and human rights 2015, para. 7

Paragraph text
In the mid-1960s, the General Assembly characterized the policies of apartheid in southern Africa and the colonial policies of Portugal as violations of the Charter of the United Nations and crimes against humanity. It requested United Nations specialized agencies, including IBRD and the International Monetary Fund, to deny assistance to those Governments. In 1967, the Bank refused to comply with the relevant resolutions, citing a legal opinion that such action would be political rather than economic.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Taxation and human rightss 2014, para. 82c

Paragraph text
[The Special Rapporteur recommends that international economic bodies and financial institutions, in particular IMF, the European Union, the World Bank, the European Central Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development:] Ensure that, when elaborating policy rankings, loan conditions or technical advice, these are not in conflict with the human rights obligations of the host State.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2014
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Taxation and human rightss 2014, para. 82b

Paragraph text
[The Special Rapporteur recommends that international economic bodies and financial institutions, in particular IMF, the European Union, the World Bank, the European Central Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development:] Utilize their significant technical capacity to help Governments to broaden their fiscal space and redistributive capacities in accordance with their human rights obligations;
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2014
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Taxation and human rightss 2014, para. 81h

Paragraph text
[For the above-mentioned purpose, States should:] Include a commitment to align fiscal policy with human rights obligations as part of the post-2015 sustainable development framework, including by raising sufficient public revenue in equitable ways, allocating and spending revenue to realize human rights for all, and strengthening public oversight, transparency, participation in and accountability over fiscal policy, tackling tax evasion and illicit financial flows.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2014
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Taxation and human rightss 2014, para. 81f

Paragraph text
[For the above-mentioned purpose, States should:] Adopt country-by-country reporting standards for all transnational corporations; in the case of extractive industries, also enforce project-by-project disclosure standards, such as those embodied in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and comparable European Union legislation, and apply them to all extractive industry companies listed on their stock exchanges;
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2014
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Taxation and human rightss 2014, para. 81e

Paragraph text
[For the above-mentioned purpose, States should:] Promote and engage in forums for tax cooperation that guarantee participation by developing countries; in particular, commit more resources to the Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters, support its upgrade to intergovernmental status, and support the implementation of its Model Tax Convention and the Code of Conduct on Cooperation in Combating International Tax Evasion and Avoidance;
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2014
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Taxation and human rightss 2014, para. 80

Paragraph text
With regard to international cooperation and extraterritorial impact, each State should refrain from any conduct that impairs the ability of another State to raise revenue as required by their human rights commitments, and cooperate in creating an international environment that enables all States to fulfil their human rights obligations.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2014
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Taxation and human rightss 2014, para. 78

Paragraph text
A new multilateral tax regime based on the premise of tax cooperation over competition is therefore urgently required. Existing mechanisms, such as the Committee of Experts on International Cooperation on Tax Matters, could play an important role with more dedicated support. Now is the time to take decisive action towards cooperation, guided by human rights principles.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2014
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Taxation and human rightss 2014, para. 77

Paragraph text
The annual loss to Africa from transfer mispricing has been estimated at $38 billion, higher than the flow of development assistance to the region over the same period. The problem is exacerbated by a lack of accessible information on "beneficial ownership" (the ultimate owner of companies, trusts and funds) and the fact that companies are not required to report systematically their income and activities on a country-by-country basis.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2014
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Taxation and human rightss 2014, para. 72

Paragraph text
A State allowing or directly undertaking exploitation of natural resources without ensuring that a fair share of the proceeds are taxed and/or allocated towards fulfilling human rights could be an indication of a failure to mobilize adequate resources. Moreover, excessive reliance on revenues from finite natural resources raises concerns not only about long-term sustainability but also governance and accountability.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Environment
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2014
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Taxation and human rightss 2014, para. 71

Paragraph text
In addition, the rightful benefits in terms of revenue often go abroad (sometimes to tax havens), aided by the fact that extractive industries are often not required to disclose their profits on a project-by-project basis. The public revenue generated through taxes on the sector remains well below potential; the revenue secured by many resource-rich countries is very low in relation to the value of exports.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Environment
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2014
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Taxation and human rightss 2014, para. 66

Paragraph text
Incentives sometimes take the form of a "tax stability" "or "advance pricing" agreement, signed with foreign investors to insulate them from future changes in the domestic tax rates for an extended period of time. These types of agreement should also be examined with caution under human rights law, because they reduce public resources regardless of the evolving impact on human rights.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2014
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Taxation and human rightss 2014, para. 63

Paragraph text
In many countries, business enterprises are taxed at a very low rate, even if they make large profits, owing in large part to the infrastructure, healthy educated workforce and other resources that public funds enable. In addition, many large transnational corporations are able to effectively avoid tax in many jurisdictions, including in countries where they make large profits.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2014
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Taxation and human rightss 2014, para. 57

Paragraph text
Tax collection efficiency can also be increased by improvements in tax administration. Tax administrations with appropriate financial, personal and technical resources are critical to increase levels of revenue collection and to avoid abuse. Lack of investment in tax authorities is therefore a short-term false economy, with negative implications for the enjoyment of human rights. It is also crucial that tax authorities be perceived as being independent, fair, transparent and accountable.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2014
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Taxation and human rightss 2014, para. 56

Paragraph text
Evidence shows that, even in developing countries, widening tax bases and improving tax collection efficiency could raise considerable additional revenue. For instance, if all developing countries were able to raise 15 per cent of their national income in tax, a commonly accepted minimum figure (the OECD average is 37 per cent), they could realize at least an additional $198 billion per year, more than all foreign development assistance combined.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2014
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Taxation and human rightss 2014, para. 55

Paragraph text
In some States, despite significant efforts to increase revenue through taxation, the amount actually collected is demonstrably inadequate to realize human rights. In Latin America and the Caribbean, for example, most States have tax ratios that are clearly lower than they should be when their level of development is considered. It is however crucial that taxes be raised and collected in human rights-compliant ways, where those who can least afford it are not asked to pay more (see paras. 45 - 50 above).
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2014
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 86g (ii)

Paragraph text
[In order to comply with their human rights obligations regarding the right to participation, the Special Rapporteur recommends States undertake the following actions:] Supporting the role of civil society: Grant financial and logistical assistance to civil society groups, giving preference to those that have long-term partnerships with people living in poverty, to facilitate participation and build capacity of public officials.
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
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 86g (i)

Paragraph text
[In order to comply with their human rights obligations regarding the right to participation, the Special Rapporteur recommends States undertake the following actions:] Supporting the role of civil society: Recognize the rights of civil society organizations to participate in the design, implementation and evaluation of public policy.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 86f (iv)

Paragraph text
[In order to comply with their human rights obligations regarding the right to participation, the Special Rapporteur recommends States undertake the following actions:] Empowerment: Respond to demands for participation emanating from communities living in poverty, and enable participatory processes to be promoted from below.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Poverty
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 86f (iii)

Paragraph text
[In order to comply with their human rights obligations regarding the right to participation, the Special Rapporteur recommends States undertake the following actions:] Empowerment: Include capacity-building activities in participatory processes.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 86f (i)

Paragraph text
[In order to comply with their human rights obligations regarding the right to participation, the Special Rapporteur recommends States undertake the following actions:] Empowerment: Involve people living in poverty in setting the agenda and goals for participatory processes.
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
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 86e (v)

Paragraph text
[In order to comply with their human rights obligations regarding the right to participation, the Special Rapporteur recommends States undertake the following actions:] Accountability: Train judges, lawyers and law enforcement officials to enhance judicial oversight and to prosecute any infringement of the right to participation.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 86e (iv)

Paragraph text
[In order to comply with their human rights obligations regarding the right to participation, the Special Rapporteur recommends States undertake the following actions:] Accountability: Require public officials to publicly justify their eventual decisions or actions in light of public participation.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 86e (iii)

Paragraph text
[In order to comply with their human rights obligations regarding the right to participation, the Special Rapporteur recommends States undertake the following actions:] Accountability: Institute effective systems of monitoring and evaluation of participatory processes ensuring the involvement of people living in 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
  • N.A.
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 86e (ii)

Paragraph text
[In order to comply with their human rights obligations regarding the right to participation, the Special Rapporteur recommends States undertake the following actions:] Accountability: Provide an accessible way for the public to hold public officials accountable for violation of the right to participation, as well as for any abuse during participatory processes.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • All
  • N.A.
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 86d (v)

Paragraph text
[In order to comply with their human rights obligations regarding the right to participation, the Special Rapporteur recommends States undertake the following actions:] Access to information: Require prompt public noti?cation of decisions following participatory processes, including the reasons and considerations on which it is based.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 86d (iv)

Paragraph text
[In order to comply with their human rights obligations regarding the right to participation, the Special Rapporteur recommends States undertake the following actions:] Access to information: Improve communications infrastructure and the accessibility and affordability of information and communication technologies in rural areas and poor communities, including by providing training to people living in poverty, in particular women.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Poverty
Person(s) affected
  • Women
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 86d (iii)

Paragraph text
[In order to comply with their human rights obligations regarding the right to participation, the Special Rapporteur recommends States undertake the following actions:] Access to information: Communicate information through accessible channels and in appropriate forms, taking into account the technical understanding, literacy levels and languages of people living in poverty.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Education
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Poverty
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 86c (vi)

Paragraph text
[In order to comply with their human rights obligations regarding the right to participation, the Special Rapporteur recommends States undertake the following actions:] Equality and non-discrimination: Take positive action to promote the inclusion of disadvantaged groups including ethnic minorities and persons with disabilities in decision-making bodies, including by allocating resources and designing mechanisms tailored for their use.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
  • Persons with disabilities
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 86c (v)

Paragraph text
[In order to comply with their human rights obligations regarding the right to participation, the Special Rapporteur recommends States undertake the following actions:] Equality and non-discrimination: Ensure that conditions for participation do not unfairly exclude certain categories of people, for example those without identity documents or with mobility restrictions.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 86c (iv)

Paragraph text
[In order to comply with their human rights obligations regarding the right to participation, the Special Rapporteur recommends States undertake the following actions:] Equality and non-discrimination: Design participatory mechanisms, taking into account the inequalities and asymmetries of power in a given context, and take all necessary measures to counteract them, including through affirmative action.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Gender
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 86c (iii)

Paragraph text
[In order to comply with their human rights obligations regarding the right to participation, the Special Rapporteur recommends States undertake the following actions:] Equality and non-discrimination: Use these recommendations and audits to issue guidance to all relevant government departments on how to ensure non-discrimination and equality regarding the right to participation.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 86c (ii)

Paragraph text
[In order to comply with their human rights obligations regarding the right to participation, the Special Rapporteur recommends States undertake the following actions:] Equality and non-discrimination: Set up a task force of people with experience of living in poverty to make recommendations on how people living in poverty can effectively participate in decision-making.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Poverty
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 86c (i)

Paragraph text
[In order to comply with their human rights obligations regarding the right to participation, the Special Rapporteur recommends States undertake the following actions:] Equality and non-discrimination: Undertake an audit of barriers to participation and identify those communities and groups who face the most obstacles in enjoying their right to participation.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 86b(iv)

Paragraph text
[In order to comply with their human rights obligations regarding the right to participation, the Special Rapporteur recommends States undertake the following actions:] Resources: Grant the national human rights institution adequate resources to promote the right to participation and pursue accountability and remedies.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 86b (iii)

Paragraph text
[In order to comply with their human rights obligations regarding the right to participation, the Special Rapporteur recommends States undertake the following actions:] Resources: Provide long-term funding for capacity-building in disadvantaged communities, including by granting resources to community-based organizations.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 86b (ii)

Paragraph text
[In order to comply with their human rights obligations regarding the right to participation, the Special Rapporteur recommends States undertake the following actions:] Resources: Improve official capacity to facilitate public participation and access to information, including through adequate staff, equipment and training.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Humanitarian
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 86a (x)

Paragraph text
[In order to comply with their human rights obligations regarding the right to participation, the Special Rapporteur recommends States undertake the following actions:] Legal and institutional framework: Create an independent national council on poverty and social exclusion, including people living in poverty, to represent this group to political decision-makers.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Poverty
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 86a (ix)

Paragraph text
[In order to comply with their human rights obligations regarding the right to participation, the Special Rapporteur recommends States undertake the following actions:] Legal and institutional framework: Regulate the involvement of powerful non-State actors (such as business enterprises) in participatory processes; ensure that they cannot exert undue influence; and provide mechanisms for redress in cases of abuses.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 86a (vii)

Paragraph text
[In order to comply with their human rights obligations regarding the right to participation, the Special Rapporteur recommends States undertake the following actions:] Legal and institutional framework: Strengthen laws relating to freedoms of association, assembly and speech; media freedom; anti-corruption; access to information; and whistle-blower protection.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 86a (vi)

Paragraph text
[In order to comply with their human rights obligations regarding the right to participation, the Special Rapporteur recommends States undertake the following actions:] Legal and institutional framework: Respect the right to participation in the implementation of any international assistance and cooperation programme.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 86a (v)

Paragraph text
[In order to comply with their human rights obligations regarding the right to participation, the Special Rapporteur recommends States undertake the following actions:] Legal and institutional framework: Incorporate participatory mechanisms in national development plans, including people living in poverty from the start of the planning process.
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
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 86a (iii)

Paragraph text
[In order to comply with their human rights obligations regarding the right to participation, the Special Rapporteur recommends States undertake the following actions:] Legal and institutional framework: Promulgate and enforce legislation to prohibit discrimination of any kind, including on the basis of economic and social status.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 86a (ii)

Paragraph text
[In order to comply with their human rights obligations regarding the right to participation, the Special Rapporteur recommends States undertake the following actions:] Legal and institutional framework: Strengthen decentralization of power, responsibilities and resources from central to local governments, with adequate accountability mechanisms.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 82

Paragraph text
While the recommendations below are primarily addressed to States, many are also relevant for participatory processes established by other actors such as international financial institutions and donor agencies. Recommendations to national human rights institutions are also included due to their potentially crucial role.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 75

Paragraph text
To the extent possible, people living in poverty should be able to set the terms of the debate and choose topics for discussion. Facilitators should enable involvement, in particular with regard to the most disadvantaged and excluded, but should not dominate or excessively "manage" the discussion.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Poverty
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 71

Paragraph text
From a human rights perspective, participation must be premised on empowerment as the ultimate goal. Thus, participation should not be extractive or instrumental, but instead aimed at building the capacity, social capital, confidence, rights awareness and knowledge of people living in poverty.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Poverty
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 67

Paragraph text
At the end of the process, a final assessment of what has been agreed and what has not should be presented, to be discussed and agreed with participants, as well as information on next steps in the decision-making process and those responsible. The confidentiality of the participants must be respected in any final report or summary of the process.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 66

Paragraph text
Organizers should ensure that there are effective complaint mechanisms in place in advance of the process starting. Responsibilities and the relevant chain of accountability for decision-making and the process itself should be made clear from the outset, and participants should be made aware of their rights and responsibilities. Participants must periodically evaluate the process, with indicators derived from their priorities. Where appropriate, independent advisers should monitor the process.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 65

Paragraph text
Accountability is a critical feature of a human rights approach to participation. Participation understood as a right implies rights holders and duty bearers who can and must be held to account for failure to respect, protect and fulfil that right. To this end, people need access to procedures and institutions that provide redress and remedy, and mechanisms to ensure that their Government ful?ls the right of access to information and the right to participation.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 64

Paragraph text
Once the decision-making body has taken its decision, it should promptly notify participants and the public; both the text of the decision and the justifications for it must be made public, in media accessible to people living in poverty. In addition, reports of the process and meetings held should be made available in all relevant languages and in an accessible manner, while respecting confidentiality.
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
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 62

Paragraph text
Organizers should hold preparatory meetings well in advance to agree on the parameters, goals, purposes and scope, with the involvement of the potential participants. Acceptable forms of facilitation, chairing and leadership should also be agreed with participants in advance. The level and nature of involvement on offer must be clarified to potential participants, as well as the roles and responsibilities of facilitators, policymakers, participants and other stakeholders.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • All
  • N.A.
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 31

Paragraph text
Aside from the United Nations human rights instruments, various other legal frameworks also refer to participation. While not specifically focused on participation of people living in poverty, these other frameworks could also assist in determining the legal content of the right to participation. For example, the Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus Convention) regulates procedural rights for environmental decision-making for State parties. It links environmental rights with human rights, and in particular the right to participation, and is based on three pillars - access to information, public participation in decision-making, and access to justice in environmental matters. The Convention sets out minimum requirements for public participation in various categories of environmental decision-making. The public participation requirements include: (a) timely and effective noti?cation to the concerned public; (b) reasonable time frames for participation, including provision for participation at an early stage; (c) a right for the concerned public to inspect information relevant to the decision-making process at no cost; (d) an obligation for the decision-making body to take due account of the outcome of public participation; and (e) prompt public noti?cation of the decision, with the text of the decision and the reasons and considerations on which it is based made publicly accessible.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Environment
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • All
  • N.A.
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 58

Paragraph text
It is essential that societal and intra-community power relations are openly recognized and clarified at the start of the process, in order to confront the factors that often obstruct debates and prevent issues of inequality from being raised in decision-making arenas. Taking account of different kinds of power relations (visible, hidden and invisible) and the particular needs of marginalized groups, officials and advocates should take steps to ensure that such groups can organize their views, express them frankly and be heard. In order to ensure full substantive equality in enjoyment of the right to participation, where appropriate to enable full and free expression (particularly in very patriarchal or socially stratified communities), separate meetings should be held for excluded or vulnerable groups. For instance, in some communities it may be appropriate to separate participants by age group and sex. However, so as not to further entrench exclusion, the discussions should be brought together in a central plenary at critical moments so each group can share their analysis and actions. Similarly, although power dynamics may necessitate separate meetings and processes for people living in poverty in order to facilitate their full participation and free expression, where appropriate, participatory mechanisms should include opportunities for members of different social groups to interact and share points of view.
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
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 54

Paragraph text
In terms of acceptability, the processes and channels of participation, information and accountability mechanisms must be designed and implemented in a form that respects the cultural values, norms and practices of all those groups that request and use them. They must be respectful of diversity, using terminology and references accepted by the community, and the space used for participatory processes should also be culturally adequate for the community.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 52

Paragraph text
These mechanisms, opportunities and processes must be physically and economically accessible to all, without discrimination and without disproportionate cost or risk. This implies that the obstacles which prevent the poorest and most marginalized people from participating must be addressed, including additional and overlapping obstacles due to age, disability, ethnicity, language, geographical location or other factors.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 46

Paragraph text
Before implementing the participatory process, States or other facilitators should consider and put in place the specific resources, mechanisms and strategies needed to enable the participation of people living in poverty, in particular those most marginalized and excluded. To prevent discrimination, officials must be trained and educated to avoid stigma and stereotypes.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Poverty
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The right to participation of people living in poverty 2013, para. 45

Paragraph text
Simply increasing the number of people living in poverty present in existing decision-making spaces is not sufficient. Realizing the right to participation of people living in poverty requires prioritizing their meaningful involvement from the very beginning of the process, including priority-setting, and a number of political risks (e.g., co-option and manipulation) need to be considered.
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
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 105

Paragraph text
The development and distribution of affordable time and labour-saving and home-based technologies such as fuel-efficient stoves and grain mills is also crucial to reducing time spent on unpaid care in developing countries. Such technologies should be invested in and incentivized, guided by participatory needs assessments in disadvantaged communities, and costs should be subsidized to make them affordable for people living in poverty.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Poverty
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 102

Paragraph text
States have a duty to regulate private service providers, to ensure that they are not violating the human rights of the population they serve, including the rights to equality and non-discrimination and the principles of availability, accessibility, acceptability, adaptability and quality. To this end, a human rights impact assessment should be conducted before care services are outsourced to private providers, and at regular evaluation intervals.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Health
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 101

Paragraph text
States affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic should also take specific measures to ensure that unpaid home-based caregivers are adequately supported, including by providing counselling, training, livelihood support and skills development, savings and credit schemes, medical supplies and equipment.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Health
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 100

Paragraph text
An important part of the State's investment in care services is the recruitment of adequate numbers of paid care professionals such as nurses, and providing them with decent pay and working conditions. Overall, States should shift from a strategy of reliance on market and voluntary provision of care that is informal and exploitative to one that allows professional, decently paid and compassionate forms of care.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Health
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 99

Paragraph text
Low-income countries can overcome resource constraints by building on existing social care programmes to provide better working conditions and improve the quality of care, for example through the expansion of child nutrition centres into quality preschool or educational centres with wider coverage.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Health
Person(s) affected
  • Children
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 95

Paragraph text
For the poorest women, accessible, gender-sensitive public services are the most direct and effective way to redistribute their heavy unpaid care workload and reduce its drudgery and intensity. This can have a direct impact on their enjoyment of human rights, and the rights of those they care for. In many contexts, the provision of such services is a matter of great urgency.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Gender
Person(s) affected
  • Women
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 93

Paragraph text
For the latter two forms of redistribution, the crucial interventions are provision of public services and provision of infrastructure, through which States can reduce the overhead time of poor households and the drudgery of unpaid care work (see paras. 95-105 below).
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Poverty
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 92

Paragraph text
States must act to ensure more equal distribution of care work. This requires redistribution in three forms: redistribution between women and men; redistribution from households to the State; and redistribution of time and resources towards poorer families and households.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Person(s) affected
  • Families
  • Men
  • Women
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 91

Paragraph text
States should also take account of unpaid care work in development planning and programming, including in the post-2015 development agenda. Any goals, indicators and targets adopted should reflect an awareness of the intensity and distribution of unpaid care work and its impact on women's human rights and opportunities for human development. To this end, equality in access to public services should constitute a central goal.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Gender
Person(s) affected
  • Women
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 90

Paragraph text
In the light of the many gender, socioeconomic and racial inequalities inherent in the global care chain, States - both countries of origin and destination countries - should pay greater attention to care issues in migration policy, from protecting the rights of migrant domestic workers to supporting the care needs of those they leave behind.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Movement
Person(s) affected
  • Persons on the move
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 88

Paragraph text
All social protection programmes, including employment guarantee programmes, must be participatory, gender-sensitive and accessible to women with care responsibilities. Information regarding social protection programmes and eligibility must reach women living in poverty working in the home, through locally adapted and gender-sensitive communication strategies.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Gender
  • Poverty
Person(s) affected
  • Women
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 84

Paragraph text
States should take a comprehensive and holistic approach, considering both the needs and well-being of caregivers and care receivers when making policy and addressing the rights enjoyment of both groups. Before new public policies are implemented, their impact on the quality, amount, intensity and distribution of unpaid care work should be assessed.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 81

Paragraph text
Careful measurement of unpaid care work will allow a more comprehensive vision of socioeconomic and gender inequalities and the characteristics of poverty. States should consider adopting a multidimensional measure of poverty that includes time poverty and distribution of unpaid work time.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Poverty
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 79

Paragraph text
Lack of timely, reliable and comparable sex-disaggregated data on women's unpaid care work is a major obstacle to evidence-based gender-sensitive policymaking, leading to negative outcomes for those who perform significant amounts of unpaid work. States should therefore conduct regular time-use surveys, with a view to recognizing, reducing and redistributing unpaid care work.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Gender
Person(s) affected
  • Women
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 60

Paragraph text
Lack of women's perspective in policymaking on agriculture, water and food management, despite their being key actors in these areas, results in misinformed decision-making and jeopardizes women's rights further. Similarly, policy discussions at all levels suffer from an inherent bias because women and men with intensive caring responsibilities are not present, contributing to the invisibility and inattention to care work in public policy.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Food & Nutrition
  • Gender
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Health
Person(s) affected
  • Men
  • Women
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 59

Paragraph text
One of the most significant factors inhibiting women's capacity to participate in public life is men's failure to share unpaid care work, and the lack of services supporting this work. Intense and unequal care responsibilities often confine women to the domestic sphere, excluding them from paid work and public life and preventing them from participating in important decision-making processes at the community and national level.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Gender
Person(s) affected
  • Men
  • Women
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 58

Paragraph text
Owing to systematic gender inequality and discrimination, the lack of value assigned to their work, its location in the domestic sphere and the time it entails, unpaid caregivers are often chronically disempowered and unable to enjoy their right to participation in cultural, social, political and economic life (see A/HRC/23/36).
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Gender
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 56

Paragraph text
States must ensure that unpaid caregivers, in particular in deprived and remote areas, enjoy the right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications without discrimination. A core element of this right is that innovations essential for a life with dignity should be accessible to everyone, in particular marginalized populations (A/HRC/20/26, para. 29).
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Health
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 55

Paragraph text
Because unpaid care work is unrecognized and undervalued, Governments rarely make investments in the development and distribution of affordable technology that could significantly reduce the intensity and duration of women's work within the home. Lack of access to such technologies undermines women's well-being and reduces the time they can allocate to the more interactive part of care that would better improve the well-being of care recipients.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Gender
  • Health
Person(s) affected
  • Women
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 54

Paragraph text
Lack of access to infrastructure and technology, including water and sanitation facilities, electricity and domestic technologies, exacerbates the unpaid care work of women living in poverty who have to dedicate a huge amount of time to domestic tasks such as fetching water or preparing foods. For example, a study in the Democratic Republic of the Congo showed that women with traditional stoves worked as much as 52 hours per week more than would be necessary with fuel-efficient stoves.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Poverty
  • Water & Sanitation
Person(s) affected
  • Women
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 53

Paragraph text
States must ensure that women and men must have an equal right to family benefits and these should be provided taking into account the resources and circumstances of the household. All women, including those in informal or atypical work, should be granted paid maternity leave and benefits for an adequate period and States must take steps to the maximum of their available resources to ensure that social security systems cover persons working in the informal economy.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Health
Person(s) affected
  • Men
  • Women
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 52

Paragraph text
Policymakers must ensure that unpaid care work does not hamper women's equal enjoyment of the right to social security. Social security and social assistance programmes must take account of women's unequal burden of unpaid care work. For example, States must take measures to ensure that social insurance schemes are designed to take account of factors, including child-rearing periods, that prevent women from making equal contributions.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Children
  • Women
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 50

Paragraph text
Even those women who are able to combine unpaid care work with formal jobs are disadvantaged; their work histories and social security contributions are more likely than those of men to be interrupted by periods of full-time caregiving, and therefore they are less likely to receive an adequate pension on retirement. Thus, the gendered division of unpaid care work is one of the key reasons why older women are more likely to live in poverty than their male counterparts.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Gender
  • Poverty
Person(s) affected
  • Older persons
  • Women
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 47

Paragraph text
Ensuring the enjoyment of rights of other members of the population - such as older persons, children and persons with disabilities - will also prove beneficial to their caregivers, by alleviating and redistributing intensive care needs. In this regard, inter alia, States are required to provide physical as well as psychological rehabilitative measures aimed at maintaining the functionality and autonomy of older persons; and attention and care for chronically and terminally ill persons.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Health
Person(s) affected
  • Children
  • Older persons
  • Persons with disabilities
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 45

Paragraph text
The right to health requires States parties to provide quality and accessible health care and take measures to ensure the underlying determinants of health. This includes access to safe and potable water and adequate sanitation, an adequate supply of safe food, nutrition and housing, and also healthy occupational and environmental conditions, which clearly many unpaid caregivers living in poverty do not enjoy.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Health
  • Poverty
  • Social & Cultural Rights
  • Water & Sanitation
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 43

Paragraph text
The right to health may also be affected by unpaid care work. There are limits to how much care a person can give without negative impacts on their own health. Thus, when public policies implicitly assume the free and limitless availability of unpaid care, and fail to take it into account by supporting, funding or provisioning care, this can have a major impact on the health of women caregivers and the quality of care that they are able to provide.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Health
Person(s) affected
  • Women
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 42

Paragraph text
In addition, States must closely monitor education policies, institutions, programmes, spending patterns and other practices so as to identify and take measures to redress any de facto discrimination in the right to education. States are also required to eliminate any stereotyped concept of the role of men and women in all forms of education, and encourage types of education that will break these stereotypes.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Education
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • Men
  • Women
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 39

Paragraph text
Unpaid care work can also compromise the enjoyment of the right of girls and women to education. Entrenched gender stereotypes about the place of women in the home and the family, and the unpaid care work girls and women are expected to perform throughout their lives, often deprive women and girls of time, autonomy and choice to exercise this right.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Education
  • Gender
Person(s) affected
  • Girls
  • Women
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 37

Paragraph text
Also relevant - given that unpaid caregivers are disproportionately represented in informal jobs - are State obligations to reduce to the fullest extent possible the number of workers outside the formal economy, apply labour legislation to all workers, and ensure that domestic and agricultural work is properly regulated so that domestic and agricultural workers enjoy the same level of protection as other workers.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 34

Paragraph text
Under human rights law, all persons have the right to just and favourable conditions of work, including remuneration which provides at a minimum fair wages, equal pay for equal work and a decent living; safe and healthy working conditions; and rest, leisure, reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay. There are complex links between inequality at home and inequality in the workplace, including unequal pay, conditions and rights.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 32

Paragraph text
States are also obliged to take steps to prevent third parties, including business enterprises or private individuals, from interfering in the equal enjoyment of the right to work. For example, States have a legal obligation to ensure that employers do not discriminate against women on the basis of assumptions about the primacy of their care obligations or because of beliefs that women's place is in the home.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • Women
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 30

Paragraph text
Unpaid care is often a determining factor in women's decisions or opportunities regarding work. Studies show that time devoted to unpaid care work is a major obstacle to women taking on paid employment or starting an income-generating activity outside the home. In Latin America and the Caribbean, over half of women surveyed aged 20 to 24 did not seek outside employment because of unpaid responsibilities; the number of women in this group was in fact higher than the number in the education system.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Gender
Person(s) affected
  • Women
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 28

Paragraph text
The right to work is often a crucial enabling factor for dignity, personal development and social and economic inclusion. The right to work signifies the right to paid work - "the right of everyone to the opportunity to gain his living by work which he freely chooses or accepts". Men and women must be able to exercise this right on equal basis.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • Men
  • Women
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 19

Paragraph text
States' neglecting or failing to address women's disproportionate unpaid care workload can be seen as a major failure to comply with the obligations regarding equality and non-discrimination which are the pillars of international human rights law. States must take all necessary measures to ensure that unpaid care work does not have a disproportionate impact on women's enjoyment of rights, and create the conditions to ensure that it is undertaken on a basis of equality between men and women.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Gender
Person(s) affected
  • Men
  • Women
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 18

Paragraph text
The situation is often even worse for women who experience discrimination and social exclusion on other grounds, such as ethnicity, race, colour, health or marital status. For example, in some countries discriminatory beliefs about marginalized ethnic minorities exacerbate their marginalization and are linked to the common overrepresentation of women of marginalized ethnic groups in low-paid unprotected work.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
  • Women
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 14

Paragraph text
The amount, intensity and drudgery of unpaid care work increase with poverty and social exclusion. Women and girls in poor households spend more time in unpaid work than in non-poor households, in all countries at all levels of development. This imbalance has a number of causes, including limited access to public services for people living in poverty, lack of adequate infrastructure in the regions and communities where they live, and lack of resources to pay for care services or time-saving technology.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Poverty
Person(s) affected
  • Girls
  • Women
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 13

Paragraph text
The unequal distribution of unpaid care work is highly reflective and determinative of power relations between women and men. Discriminatory gender stereotypes, which construe women as second-class citizens whose place is in the home, cause and perpetuate this unequal distribution of work, rendering women's equal enjoyment of rights impossible. Addressing care responsibilities is thus an essential component of the obligations of States to ensure gender equality at home, work and in society more broadly.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Gender
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Men
  • Women
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 12

Paragraph text
In both developed and developing countries women work longer hours than men when unpaid work is taken into account. However, because of structural discrimination, the work women do in the home is seen as unskilled and less valuable to society, meaning that men not only receive higher earnings but also more recognition for their contribution. This situation renders many women socially and financially dependent on men, thereby restricting their agency and autonomy.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • Men
  • Women
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 10

Paragraph text
The international human rights framework is further complemented by labour standards, in particular International Labour Organization (ILO) Conventions such as Convention No. 156 on workers with family responsibilities, Convention No. 183 on maternity protection, and Convention No. 189 concerning decent work for domestic workers. Compliance with all these obligations is essential in removing gender inequalities and discrimination and recognizing and redistributing unpaid care work.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Gender
Person(s) affected
  • Families
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 96

Paragraph text
[States should:] Ensure that informal justice systems operate in a manner consistent with human rights standards and that there are regulatory mechanisms to prevent and sanction abuses of power and corruption
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 96

Paragraph text
[States should:] Support mechanisms for alternative dispute resolution, where appropriate and in line with international human rights standards, ensuring that such mechanisms do not pose an obstacle to accessing the formal justice system for those that need or prefer it
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 96

Paragraph text
[States should:] Allow class action suits, or alternative mechanisms for bundling claims, and in relevant areas permit socially relevant litigation to have erga omnes effects, to ensure that those who do not have access to courts can benefit from judicial decisions
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 96

Paragraph text
[States should:] Ensure the possibility of strategic (public interest) litigation to challenge national laws or policies, to demand enforcement of existing laws or to strike down discriminatory laws that affect the poor
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • All
  • N.A.
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 96

Paragraph text
[States should:] Take measures to ensure broader criteria for standing in courts, allowing civil society organizations and national human rights institutions to bring cases on behalf of or in support of persons living in poverty
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
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 96

Paragraph text
[States should:] Take measures to reduce the complexity of legal processes and minimize and streamline rules and procedures to make them more accessible for those unfamiliar with the traditions and rules of those processes
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 96

Paragraph text
[States should:] Allocate sufficient financial and human resources to ensure the efficient and effective functioning of all organs of the judicial system, including police stations, prosecution corps and courts
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 96

Paragraph text
[States should:] Ensure that legal aid application procedures take into account the individual experiences, needs and constraints of the poor; eligibility must not be assessed on the basis of household income where the applicant does not have practical access to household resources
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Poverty
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 96

Paragraph text
[States should:] Ensure access to free and competent civil legal assistance for persons living in poverty where the enjoyment of human rights - civil, political, economic, social and/or cultural - is at stake
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
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 96

Paragraph text
[States should:] Ensure that legal aid is promptly provided to all arrested or detained persons who cannot afford to retain a lawyer; free legal assistance should be available at all stages of the criminal justice process, including during initial questioning and pretrial detention
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 96

Paragraph text
[States should:] Ensure that persons living in poverty have practical and effective access to competent legal advice and assistance when needed for the protection of their human rights, including by making available sufficient resources to provide high-quality legal aid
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
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 96

Paragraph text
[States should:] Ensure maximum use of available resources to provide progressively prompt and effective procedures to allow persons living in poverty to seek financial assistance to cover travel, accommodation and other costs associated with engaging with the justice system
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Movement
  • Poverty
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 96

Paragraph text
[States should:] Put measures in place to ensure that legal, administrative and procedural fees relating to access to justice are waived for those who cannot afford them, including in small claims cases
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 96

Paragraph text
[States should:] Ensure that lack of financial resources does not negatively affect a person's chances of accessing justice in a fair and equal way during pretrial detention, for example regarding bail procedures, conditions of detention or accessing legal assistance
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 96

Paragraph text
[States should:] Sensitize all justice service providers to the rights, needs and constraints of persons living in poverty, particularly the most vulnerable groups, by addressing negative stereotypes of the poor, including through performance evaluation, education and sensitizing the media
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Poverty
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 96

Paragraph text
[States should:] Create integrated and specialized services to address women's access to justice and ensure more efficient handling of gender-related crimes, including, for example, domestic violence courts and one-stop shops for sexual violence survivors; such services must be accessible and affordable for women living in poverty
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Gender
  • Poverty
Person(s) affected
  • Women
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 96

Paragraph text
[States should:] Ensure that adequate accountability mechanisms are in place to investigate and remedy any abuse or discrimination by law enforcement or judicial officers against persons living in 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
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 96

Paragraph text
[States should:] Allocate sufficient financial and human resources to ensure the efficient and effective functioning of all organs of the judicial system, including police stations, prosecution corps and courts
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
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: Taking steps to improve the physical accessibility of courthouses and police stations in order to ensure that persons with disabilities and others experiencing mobility issues are able to access them
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Persons with disabilities
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
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: Creating incentives for police officers and other officials to take postings in rural and remote areas, and attracting well-trained legal professionals to those areas
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 96

Paragraph text
[States should:] Ensure that all forms of gender-based violence, including domestic violence, are criminalized and are subject to appropriate and enforceable criminal sanctions; develop specific strategies and systems to tackle gender-based violence perpetrated against persons living in poverty, including by providing shelter for victims of domestic violence
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Gender
  • Violence
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 96

Paragraph text
[States should:] Make all efforts necessary to register all children immediately after birth, and identify and remove barriers that impede the access of the poor to registration, in particular groups that suffer multiple forms of discrimination; registration must be free, simple and available at the local level
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • Children
  • Infants
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 95

Paragraph text
Given the great diversity of social contexts, there is no "one size fits all" solution for ensuring access to justice for persons living in poverty. Differing national and local contexts create a variety of challenges and opportunities for reform that must be taken into account. Success in all contexts, however, will share the features of a human rights-based approach. Solutions require tackling not only legal obstacles but also a range of extralegal factors: social, economic, cultural, linguistic, etc. Solutions must be sought at local levels, designed and implemented with the active participation of the communities affected. Therefore, policymakers and legal authorities should have a specific contextual understanding of local legal institutions and the variety of obstacles on the ground that impede access to justice by persons living in poverty, and implement multidimensional solutions that can strengthen their agency and ensure their enjoyment of their rights. Special attention must be paid to women and groups that are particularly excluded, such as indigenous peoples, older persons and migrants. With this in mind, States must take immediate and effective action to ensure that persons living in poverty are not denied enjoyment of their human rights because of insurmountable obstacles which prevent them from accessing the justice system. To this end, the Special Rapporteur wishes to present the following recommendations.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Poverty
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
  • Persons on the move
  • Women
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 94

Paragraph text
It is crucial to construct an inclusive justice system that is close to the people, both socially and geographically. Ensuring access to justice for the poor requires well-functioning judicial systems and laws that do not solely reflect the interests of wealthy and more powerful groups but also take into account income and power imbalances. Reforms must be implemented with the effective and meaningful participation of persons living in poverty.
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
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 91

Paragraph text
States have a legal obligation to ensure that all individuals are able to access competent, impartial judicial and adjudicatory mechanisms equally and without discrimination. Access to justice is not only a fundamental right in itself, but it is an essential prerequisite for the protection and promotion of all other civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 89

Paragraph text
Sometimes such systems also impose extremely punitive measures for the commission of even minor crimes. Moreover, while non-State legal orders may often be praised for providing rapid justice, speedy justice proceedings are by no means always just, and indeed many have features that constitute human rights violations by omitting basic due process guarantees.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 80

Paragraph text
In practice, however, restrictions on legal standing in many States directly and indirectly exclude persons living in poverty from accessing judicial and adjudicatory mechanisms. For example, in some States, legislatures and judicial systems limit standing for certain groups, such as women and children. Discriminatory laws deprive women of legal competency and require that they be under male guardianship before instituting a claim or giving evidence.
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
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 76

Paragraph text
This can constitute a significant barrier for the poorest and most marginalized, many of whom speak local languages or dialects, as well as for indigenous populations, ethnic minorities and migrants. In particular, those who are often excluded from education services, including women, are less likely to have received adequate schooling in the official or predominant language.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Education
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
  • Persons on the move
  • Women
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 73

Paragraph text
Requirements that demand a high level of evidentiary proof before civil claims can be instituted can have a disproportionate impact on the poor, who are hampered by their lack of financial resources, time and understanding of the law and of legal processes. Collating evidence, obtaining expert opinions and preparing forms in the correct language can be an almost impossible process without the assistance of a competent legal representative.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 72

Paragraph text
Persons living in poverty are unfamiliar with, and often intimidated by, regulations regarding dress codes, the hierarchy of the court system, confrontational courtroom design, and traditions about when to sit, stand and address the judge. As a result, they are in an unequal and disadvantaged position before they even walk into the courtroom.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Poverty
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 71

Paragraph text
Those barriers are particularly damaging in areas of law that frequently have an impact on the most marginalized, including property disputes, welfare claims and immigration proceedings, and have the effect of preventing the commencement of claims to enforce rights and seek remedies. Even when they do not bar engagement with the judicial system altogether, cumbersome and complex procedural requirements may still obstruct access to justice by increasing the financial and time costs.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 69

Paragraph text
While those problems affect all people seeking justice through the formal justice system, they have a disproportionate impact on the poor, for whom a long process is not only a denial of justice but also unaffordable and may aggravate their situation. Often their cases are underprioritized owing to biased preferential treatment of the wealthy or lack of sensitivity or understanding of the impact of the delay on the poorest claimants.
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
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 68

Paragraph text
Owing to lack of adequate resources and qualified staff, limited budgets and inadequate infrastructure and logistical support, there are often unnecessary delays in adjudicating cases and enforcing judgements. In some jurisdictions, millions of legal cases are pending and civil and criminal cases take up to a decade to be completed.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 60

Paragraph text
The right to legal assistance, enshrined in many major global and regional human rights instruments, is essential for ensuring due process and equality before the courts. The provision of free and competent legal advice and assistance to those who are otherwise unable to afford it is a fundamental prerequisite for ensuring that all individuals have fair and equal access to judicial and adjudicatory mechanisms.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 56

Paragraph text
Those costs are particularly severe for persons who live in rural areas, who may have to travel for days to access the justice system. Individuals who have informal or precarious work are unlikely to obtain their employer's permission to take time off to attend a hearing, even if they are willing to forego pay. Attendance would mean they risk losing their jobs and income altogether. Caregivers, the majority of whom are women, may not be able to leave home to submit a claim or to attend a court hearing.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • Women
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 52

Paragraph text
Costs are particularly burdensome in criminal cases, where defendants must often put up large sums of money to be granted bail, or risk long periods of pretrial detention, during which they may have to pay for food or telephone use. Those fees can have the effect of prolonging an individual's detention and exacerbating the conditions in which he or she is detained. Moreover, they result in a situation in which criminal defendants with financial means are in a much more favourable position than those without.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 48

Paragraph text
Across developing and developed countries, incarceration rates are extremely high for persons living in poverty. Disproportionately high numbers of them are arrested, detained and imprisoned as a result of law enforcement officials' frequent use of poverty, homelessness or disadvantage as an indicator of criminality, and they encounter considerable obstacles in manoeuvring within or exiting the criminal justice system.
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
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 47

Paragraph text
Police forces are the primary and most common interface with the justice system for persons living in poverty. All too often, however, police actions and procedures act as a barrier to meaningful access to justice for persons living in poverty and they are treated as potential criminals, rather than as rights-holders whose access to justice must be supported and facilitated.
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
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 46

Paragraph text
The background and daily experience of justice sector staff, especially judges, are often very different from those of persons living in poverty, and this often means that, without proper training and sensitization, they do not understand and value their views, choices, behaviours or problems. Persons living in poverty may be denied access to impartial justice owing to negative stigma and stereotyping from judges, prosecutors and police.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Poverty
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 38

Paragraph text
Such factors often act as a persuasive deterrent against seeking redress from judicial or adjudicatory mechanisms, or may indeed represent an insurmountable obstacle for the poorest and most marginalized. This is especially so for those who have limited mobility, such as older persons or persons with disabilities, or those for whom travel is more difficult or dangerous, including women and children.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Health
  • Movement
  • Poverty
Person(s) affected
  • Children
  • Older persons
  • Persons with disabilities
  • Women
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 34

Paragraph text
Persons living in poverty face greater and disproportionate barriers and disincentives in accessing registration services, which are often geographically distant for them, time-consuming and unaffordable. The travel costs to access registration services are added to relatively high fees charged for the issuance of identity documents and to the working time lost. These costs are more burdensome for the poor.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Movement
  • Poverty
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 24

Paragraph text
Awareness and understanding of the existence of legal rights, and of the ways in which such rights can be invoked before and enforced by judicial and adjudicatory mechanisms, is fundamental to enjoying the full range of civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights, and for remedying violations thereof.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 23

Paragraph text
Another social barrier relates to the powerlessness and dependence of persons living in poverty or their subordination to other groups or persons. For example, in some societies, poor women may be unable to approach justice systems without the assistance of a male relative, while in very hierarchical societies those who are economically dependent on other groups are unlikely to pursue justice claims against them.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Poverty
Person(s) affected
  • Women
Year
2012
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. 88

Paragraph text
The sheer surprise with which the most recent crises took the international community is telling not only of the rapidity of transmission of the crises, but of the inability of States to predict and prepare for shocks and to understand the multiple dimensions of poverty. In order to better inform policy debates on how best to prioritize the human rights of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged, States need to be able to identify them more accurately and efficiently and to assess their needs. To this end, States should work towards creating mechanisms that provide better information about the incidence and substance of deprivation and inequality. This includes instituting means of gathering larger quantities of better quality disaggregated data on the impact of the crises and of recovery policies. Data should be disaggregated according to several dimensions, such as gender, age, geographical location, ethnicity and health status. It is also crucial that, in the face of rising food prices, States monitor in a timely manner the development of local food prices in order to ensure prompt and appropriate policy responses.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Food & Nutrition
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Humanitarian
  • Poverty
Person(s) affected
  • All
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. 81

Paragraph text
When contemplating widening the tax base, human rights principles require careful consideration to be given to rebalancing the tax contributions of corporations and those in high-income brackets. The introduction of new or higher taxes should not have a detrimental impact on those living in poverty. Improving the efficiency of tax collection requires reconsidering ineffective tax holidays, exemptions and waivers that disproportionally benefit better-off segments of society. A human rights approach also requires States to take steps to eliminate the prevalence of tax evasion, a problem that reduces the resources available for measures to realize human rights. Consideration should also be given to reprioritizing spending on social sectors (such as education and health) over, for example, military expenditures in order to ensure the maximum use of available resources for the realization of economic, social and cultural rights. As discussed below, a human rights approach requires States to debate fiscal options openly, avoiding technocratic decisions being made behind closed doors, and instead allowing for greater transparency and participation.
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

Human rights based approach to recovery from the global economic and financial crises, with a focus on those living in poverty 2011, para. 68

Paragraph text
Social protection systems must also incorporate effective and meaningful participatory mechanisms that ensure the effectiveness and sustainability of the programmes and compliance with the fundamental right to participate.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • All
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. 63

Paragraph text
Acknowledging that no one policy recommendation is a panacea for recovery, the Independent Expert recommends a number of innovative measures to which States should lend serious consideration when formulating their vision for recovery. These are outlined from a human rights perspective below.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Humanitarian
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. 57

Paragraph text
There is no space in human rights for a trickle-down approach to the achievement of minimum essential levels of rights. From a human rights perspective, recovery must start with the most vulnerable and disadvantaged. Those who are living in poverty must be seen as rights-holders, not as burdensome or as passive recipients of charity.
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
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. 52

Paragraph text
A considerable proportion of States has indicated that they plan to limit or eliminate food subsidies as part of their response to the crises. From a human rights perspective, the decision to limit food subsidies at a time when food prices are escalating drastically and there is still a pressing need for public food and nutrition support is extremely worrying.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Food & Nutrition
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Humanitarian
Person(s) affected
  • All
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. 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

Human rights based approach to recovery from the global economic and financial crises, with a focus on those living in poverty 2011, para. 39

Paragraph text
The section below looks through a human rights lens at some of the specific measures that States are designing and implementing, and highlights the ways in which they may pose a threat to the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights of the most vulnerable sectors of societies.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • All
  • 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. 28

Paragraph text
Governments should encourage independent organizations and academic institutions to develop alternative policy options and to carry out assessments of the social impact of all options and proposed measures. Recovery measures should also be open to oversight, including judicial scrutiny, and public officials involved in economic policy should be accountable for any policy decisions that endanger the enjoyment of human rights.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • All
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. 27

Paragraph text
To allow the public to participate democratically in discussions and decision-making, information about proposed policy measures must be disseminated widely and in a way that is easily understood. Participatory mechanisms should be established and the capacity of rights-holders to know their rights must be strengthened.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • All
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. 26

Paragraph text
In formulating policies in response to the crises, such as reductions in public expenditure, increases in taxation or entering into conditional loans with donors or financial institutions, States must allow for the broadest possible national dialogue, with effective and meaningful participation of civil society, including those who will be directly affected by such policies.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Humanitarian
Person(s) affected
  • All
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. 21

Paragraph text
The requirement that a State must ensure enjoyment of human rights equally and without discrimination of any kind is a fundamental pillar of the human rights framework. The scarcity of resources in times of economic hardship is not an acceptable justification for discriminatory measures or failing to implement anti-discrimination policies.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • All
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. 20

Paragraph text
If a State uses "resource constraints" as an explanation for any retrogressive measure, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights will assess the situation considering, inter alia, the country's level of development, the severity of the breach, whether the situation concerned the enjoyment of the minimum core content and whether the State had identified low-cost options, or had sought international assistance.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • All
  • 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. 11

Paragraph text
International human rights law stipulates concrete obligations to ensure the realization of economic, social and cultural rights. These obligations are enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in a number of human rights treaties at the regional and universal levels. The most direct obligations are those set forth in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, with which 160 States must comply. Several other treaties also establish compulsory obligations regarding economic, social and cultural rights, such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, among others. These international treaties, in conjunction with a great number of universally agreed declarations and soft law instruments, determine the legal framework that States must comply with at the domestic level, even in time of crisis. The Expert's evaluation in the present report is based primarily, but not exclusively, on the obligations enshrined in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Persons with disabilities
Year
2011
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Penalization of people living in poverty 2011, para. 82d

Paragraph text
[In this context, the Special Rapporteur wishes to present the following recommendations:] States shall create an enabling environment to facilitate the participation of persons living in poverty in public life and in the decisions affecting their lives. To this end, States must identify and address the institutional impediments which prevent vulnerable and marginalized groups from fully participating in decision-making processes;
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
2011
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Penalization of people living in poverty 2011, para. 82c (i)

Paragraph text
[In this context, the Special Rapporteur wishes to present the following recommendations:] States shall take special measures to protect those living in poverty from the violation of their rights by third parties. To this end, States shall: Carry out educational programmes and campaigns to sensitize the population to the multiple obstacles that persons living in poverty face in overcoming their situation;
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Education
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Poverty
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2011
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Penalization of people living in poverty 2011, para. 82b

Paragraph text
[In this context, the Special Rapporteur wishes to present the following recommendations:] In order to deter future discrimination, comprehensive anti discrimination legislation in relation to persons living in poverty must be adopted. States shall ensure that discrimination on the basis of economic and social status is prohibited by law and the law applied by courts;
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Poverty
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2011
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Penalization of people living in poverty 2011, para. 80

Paragraph text
While preventing fraud is a legitimate aim, measures such as invasive surveillance policies, onerous conditionalities, excessive disclosure requirements and extensive policing in social benefit systems are disproportionate to their aim, stem from overt and covert discriminatory attitudes and practices, and only serve to reinforce the poverty experienced by beneficiaries.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Health
  • Poverty
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2011
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Penalization of people living in poverty 2011, para. 76

Paragraph text
Rather than penalizing the poorest for their situation, States must take positive measures to bring down the legal, economic, social and administrative barriers that persons living in poverty face in gaining access to food, shelter, employment, education and health services, and which prevent them from enjoying their economic, social and cultural rights on an equal footing with the rest of the population and as part of an inclusive community.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Poverty
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2011
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Penalization of people living in poverty 2011, para. 75

Paragraph text
Measures that result in the penalization of those living in poverty do nothing to tackle the root causes of poverty and social exclusion. They serve only to entrench further the multiple deprivations faced by those living in poverty and create barriers to poverty reduction and social inclusion. Consequently, they greatly undermine the ability of States to comply with their obligations to respect, protect and fulfil human rights.
Body
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Poverty
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2011
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

330 shown of 1276 entities

30 more 300 more

  • Uwazi is developed by Human Rights Information and Documentation Systems

  •  
  • Plan International - Girls' Rights Platform - Girls' rights are human rights: Positioning girls at the heart of the international agenda
  •  
  • Database
  • Admin Login