New York, 16 December 1966
Objectives
Economic, social and cultural rights are designed to ensure the protection of
people as full persons, based on a perspective in which people can enjoy rights,
freedoms and social justice simultaneously. In a world where, according to the
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), "a fifth of the developing world's
population goes hungry every night, a quarter lacks access to even a basic
necessity like safe drinking water, and a third lives in a state of abject
poverty at such a margin of human existence that words simply fail to describe
it" (UNDP, Human Development Report 1994, Oxford University Press, 1994,
p. 2) the importance of renewed attention and commitment to the full realization
of economic, social and cultural rights is self-evident.
Despite significant progress since the establishment of the United Nations in
addressing problems of human deprivation, well over 1 billion people live in
circumstances of extreme poverty, homelessness, hunger and malnutrition,
unemployment, illiteracy and chronic ill-health. More than 1.5 billion people
lack access to clean drinking water and sanitation: some 500 million children
don't have access to even primary education; and more than 1 billion adults
cannot read and write. This massive scale of marginalization, in spite of
continued global economic growth and development, raises serious questions, not
only in relation to development, but also in relation to basic human
rights.
Of all the basic human rights standards, the International Covenant on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights provides the most important international legal
framework for protecting basic human rights.
Key Provisions
The Covenant contains some of the most significant international legal
provisions establishing economic, social and cultural rights, including rights
relating to work in just and favourable conditions, to social protection, to an
adequate standard of living, to the highest attainable standards of physical and
mental health, to education and to enjoyment of the benefits of cultural freedom
and scientific progress. It also provides for the right of self-determination;
equal rights for men and women; the right to work; the right to just and
favourable conditions of work; the right to form and join trade unions; the
right to social security and social insurance; protection and assistance to the
family; the right to adequate standard of living; the right to the highest
attainable standard of physical and mental health; the right to education; the
right to take part in cultural life; and the right to enjoy the benefits of
scientific progress and its applications.
Compliance by States parties with their obligations under the Covenant and the
level of implementation of the rights and duties in question is monitored by the
Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights which submits annual reports
on its activities to the Economic and Social Council.
The Committee works on the basis of many sources of information, including
reports submitted by States parties and information from United Nations
specialized agencies including the International Labour Organisation, the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the World Health
Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the
World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. In addition, information is
submitted from the United Nations Development Programme, the Office of the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the United Nations Centre for
Human Settlements (Habitat) and others. It also makes use of information from
other United Nations treaty bodies, from national non-governmental and
community-based organizations working in States which have ratified the
Covenant, from international human rights and other non-governmental
organizations, and from generally available literature.