Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

The most important document for economic and social human rights is the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) adopted by the UN General Assembly in Res. 2200A (XXI) of December 16, 1966 and entered into force on January 3, 1976. By 2008 the ICESCR had been ratified by 159 countries. The ICESCR transforms the provisions on economic and social human rights recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) into legally binding obligations. The document recognizes the right of peoples to self-determination, defines the general nature of states’ parties obligations, enumerates specific substantive rights, and discusses international implementation.Although the ICESCR does not make an explicit differentiation between economic rights and social rights, the international diplomatic community after World War II made the following distinction:Economic rights refer to the right to property, the right to work, and the right to social security. The right to work stands for the opportunity to earn a living wage in a safe environment and affirms the freedom to organize and bargain collectively (UDHR, articles 17, 22, 23, 25; ICESCR, articles 6, 7, 8, 9; Convention on the Rights of the Child [CRC], article 26; Eide 1995:31).Social rights are those entitlements necessary for an adequate standard of living, including rights to food, housing, health, ... log in or subscribe to read full text