Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Handbook for National Human Rights Institutions Human Rights Professional Training Series No. UNITED NATIONS New York and Geneva, 2005 12 NOTE The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Material contained in this publication may be freely quoted or reprinted, provided credit is given and a copy of the publication containing the reprinted material is sent to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Palais des Nations, 8-14 avenue de la Paix, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland. HR/P/PT/12 UNITED NATIONS PUBLICATION Sales No. E.04.XIV.8 ISBN 92-1-154163-8 ISSN 1020-1688 Cover photographs: United Nations, Department of Public Information Michael Mogensen / Still Pictures Fiji Human Rights Commission CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION............................................................................................ vii I. THE NATURE OF ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS ... 1 A. THE NORMATIVE FRAMEWORK .......................................................... 3 Human rights as a single body of law ............................................................. 3 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights ..................... 5 General comments ......................................................................................... 6 Other sources of guidance on State obligations relating to economic, social and cultural rights ................................................................................................. 7 B. STATE OBLIGATIONS............................................................................. 9 “undertakes to take steps ... by all appropriate means, including particularly the adoption of legislative measures” ............................................................. 9 “with a view to achieving progressively the full realization of the rights” ........ 10 “to the maximum of its available resources”................................................... 12 “without discrimination”................................................................................ 13 “through international assistance and cooperation” ....................................... 14 The obligation to respect ................................................................................ 15 The obligation to protect ................................................................................ 17 The obligation to fulfil .................................................................................... 18 C. SOME CENTRAL CONCEPTS.................................................................. 22 Minimum core obligations .............................................................................. 22 Justiciability and the domestic application of economic, social and cultural rights ............................................................................................................. 25 Avoiding retrogressive measures .................................................................... 28 II. THE NATURE OF NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS ..... 29 A. IMPORTANCE OF A BROAD AND CLEARLY DEFINED MANDATE BASED ON INTERNATIONAL INSTRUMENTS..................... 31 The Paris Principles ......................................................................................... 31 B. ELEMENTS FOR EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION OF A MANDATE ON ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS............................... 34 Interpreting the mandate................................................................................ 34 Independence................................................................................................. 36 Functions........................................................................................................ 36 Powers ........................................................................................................... 36 Accessibility .................................................................................................... 37 Cooperation ................................................................................................... 38 Operational efficiency and capacity................................................................. 38 Accountability ................................................................................................ 39 iii Page C. CHALLENGES FOR NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS INSITUTIONS IN ADDRESSING ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS.............. 40 Internal factors ............................................................................................... 40 External factors............................................................................................... 40 III. THE ROLE OF NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS IN PROTECTING AND PROMOTING ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL........................................................................................... 43 A. DEALING WITH VIOLATIONS OF ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS................................................................................ 45 Why deal with violations of economic, social and cultural rights?.................... 45 Investigative principles .................................................................................... 47 A complaints-based framework for dealing with violations of economic, social and cultural rights .......................................................................................... 48 The steps in investigating individual violations................................................. 49 Investigating systemic violations...................................................................... 54 B. MONITORING ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS ............. 57 Why monitor economic, social and cultural rights? ......................................... 57 Principles ........................................................................................................ 58 A framework for monitoring........................................................................... 60 C. PROMOTING ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS............... 74 Why promote economic, social and cultural rights? ........................................ 74 Principles ........................................................................................................ 75 A framework for promotion............................................................................ 76 Promoting State recognition of obligations relating to economic, social and cultural rights ................................................................................................. 83 Promoting judicial recognition of the justiciability of economic, social and cultural rights ................................................................................................. 86 Promoting awareness and empowerment through public education ............... 88 Promoting observance of economic, social and cultural rights by non-State actors ............................................................................................................. 89 Training small groups in economic, social and cultural rights ........................... 89 CONCLUSION ......................................................................................... 93 BOXES Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Standards - 1. The indivisibility and interdependence of all rights.................................... 4 2. The main human rights bodies................................................................. 7 3. Basic postulates proposed by Danilo Türk................................................. 8 4. General comments and forced evictions................................................... 16 5. Disaggregating State obligations—housing rights .................................... 21 iv Page 6. International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights - reporting guidelines............................................................................... 68-69 Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in Practice - 01. Affordable measures to promote and protect economic, social and cultural rights ........................................................................................ 24 02. The courts and economic, social and cultural rights in South Africa: the national human rights institution as a judicial monitor ........................... 27 03. Mandate of the Fiji Human Rights Commission...................................... 32 04. Mandate of the National Human Rights Commission of India ................ 35 05. Uganda Human Rights Commission....................................................... 37 06. Investigative monitoring in the Philippines ............................................. 47 07. Ontario Human Rights Commission, Canada ......................................... 54 08. Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission................ 56 09. South African Human Rights Commission.............................................. 59 10. Quantitative health indicators ................................................................ 62 11. Promoting the independence and indivisibility of rights.......................... 75 12. Setting goals and formulating objectives...............................................