Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (CESCR)
The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR), monitors implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966). It recently adopted an Optional Protocol providing for an individual communications mechanism which has not yet entered into force.
The CESCR Committee has produced guidelines for the participation of NGOs in their work.
IDA monitors the work of the CESCR Committe to ensure that the rights of persons with disabilities as they relate to economic, social and cultural rights are given due attention by the Committee. Additionally, IDA provides input into the elaboration of General Comments by the CESCR Committee.
Here below you can find information about the recent session of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. For detailed information on past sessions of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, please click the link "View All Sessions" at the bottom of this page.
49th Session (November 2012)
The Committee on the Economic, Social and Cultural Rights held its 49th session from 12- 30 November 2012.
More information on this session
Live webcasts of these reviews were conducted by the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) and will soon been archived and available for download and viewing.
Related documents:
- IDA´s disability-relevant analysis of the adopted Concluding Observations
- IDA´s proposed recommendations for the Concluding Observations
- Joint OBI, EDF & IDA submission on Iceland
- IDA´s disability analysis of state reports under review
Pre-Sessional Working Group
The Committee also adopted lists of issues on Albania, Denmark, Kuwait, Lithuania, Rwanda, Togo, and Niger in the absence of a state report.
More information on this Pre-Sessional Working Group
Related documents:
- IDA´s disability analysis of list of issues
- IDA´s proposed questions for the list of issues
- IDA´s disability analysis of state reports of Albania, Denmark, Kuwait, Lithuania, Rwanda, Togo, and Niger
Other Issues
In addition during this session, the Committee adopted its Provisional Rules of Procedure under the Optional Protocol to the ICESCR which sets out the procedures for the consideration of individual communications received and the inquiry procedure under the Optional Protocol. The Chair of the CESCR Committee also issued a letter to States concerning the UN’s post 2015 development agenda. The letter highlights the need for States to link their legal obligations to uphold economic, social and cultural rights under the ICESCR to development goals, and calls on States to place the individual at the centre of the post 2015 development agenda in order for the new development goals to be aligned with human rights principles and treaty standards, and in particular to be cognisant of the importance of accountability and of disaggregating data, focusing on disadvantaged and marginalized groups.
Related documents:
- CESCR Committee Provisional Rules of Procedure under the Optional Protocol to the ICESCR
- CESCR Committee Chair´s letter to States on the elaboration of the UN´s post 2015 development agenda
