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==Current Projects== |
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==Economic and Social Rights== |
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The CESR is currently working on many projects across the world and is operating in 21 countries. |
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===International Law=== |
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One of the major projects taken on by the CESR in Latin America is the case of Guatemala Although Guatemala is a mid-income country it has some of the worst social indicators and uneven distributions of wealth in Latin America. Despite having fairly ore resources than many other countries in the region, progress in the area of economic and social rights has been stunted and successful outcomes have been minimal. Through research and analysis, the CESR determined that it is the state's fiscal policy that has been a driving factor in the denials and violations of economic and social rights in the country. The CESR sought to facilitate and promote changes in Guatemala through exposing the problems with the state's fiscal policy and make human rights an integral part of the debate and reform of the nations' budgets and taxes. As is typical of the CESR, the organization partnered with a local think tank of fiscal policy known as the [http://www.icefi.org/ Instituto Centroamericano de Estudios Fiscales] as well as with other local advocacy groups of a wide range of topics including health, education, human rights, development, etc. <ref>[Saiz, Ignacio. Derechos o Privilegios?. CESR and ICEFI, 2011.]</ref> |
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Established and adopted in 1948, the [[Universal Declaration of Human Rights]] [http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml (UDHR)] states that "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights." <ref> [http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml]</ref> The UDHR, the [[International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights]] [http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/ccpr.htm (ICCPR)] and its two optional protocols, and the [[International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights]] [http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/cescr.htm (ICESCR)] and its optional protocols form what is known as the [[International Bill of Human Rights]]. [http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/] The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights was adopted on December 16, 1966 and entered into force in 1976. Its implementation and adherence by State participants is monitored by the [[Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights]] [http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cescr/ (CESCR)], a body of eighteen international experts established in 1985 and regulated by the [[United Nations Economic and Social Council]] or [http://www.un.org/en/ecosoc/ ECOSOC].<ref>[http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Pages/WelcomePage.aspx]</ref> |
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===Evolution and Validity of Economic and Social Rights=== |
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In addition to bringing human rights into fiscal debate and tax reforms and seeking government comitment on social spending in areas such as women's health, child malnourishment and ethnic and rural/urban inequalities, the CESR has also stated its official advocacy goals as the following |
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Economic and social rights are considered the second wave of rights behind civil and political rights. It is argued by many scholars that economic and social rights originally started to evolve out of the industrialization of countries and the growth of a working class that began to mobilize and demand worker rights. Economic and social hardship and recognition continued to grow and become apparent in the later years following World War I and II, the Cold War, the Great Depression and significantly today, with the expansion of capitalism and development, typically of "third world" countries. Although the UDHR of 1948 includes economic and social rights in Articles 22-27, civil and political rights are the main focus of the document. It is suggested that this lack of original representation in the UDHR is due to a lack of consensus on what economic and social rights are, their universality and their validity in international law. The creation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural rights was also met with much criticism surrounding the implementation of these rights into international law. First, critics argued, and some still exist today, that economic and social rights could not and should not be put into international law because they were incapable of being assessed by a court of law. Second, critics state that economic and social rights suffer from an inability to be immediately implemented. Finally, critics argue that unlike civil and political rights that can be more easily provided, economic and social rights require much positive action significantly with resources and time. |
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*engage donor community |
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<ref>[King]</ref> |
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*promote national and local level human rights monitoring capacity |
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Yet, although the debate on the validity of economic and social rights is still present, the existence and status of economic and social rights in international law has been consolidated and is unquestionable. It is now consistently stressed in international human rights law, though not always enforced in practice by states, that economic, social and cultural rights are indivisible from civil and political rights whereby one right cannot be enjoyed without the others. Most importantly, the world will only continue to move into an era of globalization and development that will put economic and social rights at the forefront of international and national law.<ref>[King]</ref> |
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*counter media and business discourses |
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*urge and pressure for accountability at international human rights and development forums<ref>[Saiz, Ignacio. Derechos o Privilegios?. CESR and ICEFI, 2011.]</ref> |
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Revision as of 13:54, 28 April 2011
I am a senior International Relations and Geography major at Syracuse University. [1]
Current Projects
The CESR is currently working on many projects across the world and is operating in 21 countries. One of the major projects taken on by the CESR in Latin America is the case of Guatemala Although Guatemala is a mid-income country it has some of the worst social indicators and uneven distributions of wealth in Latin America. Despite having fairly ore resources than many other countries in the region, progress in the area of economic and social rights has been stunted and successful outcomes have been minimal. Through research and analysis, the CESR determined that it is the state's fiscal policy that has been a driving factor in the denials and violations of economic and social rights in the country. The CESR sought to facilitate and promote changes in Guatemala through exposing the problems with the state's fiscal policy and make human rights an integral part of the debate and reform of the nations' budgets and taxes. As is typical of the CESR, the organization partnered with a local think tank of fiscal policy known as the Instituto Centroamericano de Estudios Fiscales as well as with other local advocacy groups of a wide range of topics including health, education, human rights, development, etc. [2]
In addition to bringing human rights into fiscal debate and tax reforms and seeking government comitment on social spending in areas such as women's health, child malnourishment and ethnic and rural/urban inequalities, the CESR has also stated its official advocacy goals as the following
- engage donor community
- promote national and local level human rights monitoring capacity
- counter media and business discourses
- urge and pressure for accountability at international human rights and development forums[3]