Conference on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights with National Human Rights Institutions in Copenhagen

This month I was fortunate to attend a conference in Copenhagen hosted by the Danish Institute for Human Rights, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), European Network of National Human Rights Institutions (ENNHRI), and other partners. The purpose of the two-day event was to bring together NHRIs and similar bodies across Europe, as well as academics, practitioners, and the UN itself to strengthen partnerships and capacity to address some of the most wide-spread and pressing economic, social and cultural rights issues of the day.

Economic, social and cultural (ESC) rights encompass fundamental aspects of human well-being, and they enable our societies to flourish. They cover areas we know are essential for a good life, such as rights to work, health, education, family life, housing, food, and so much more. Crucially, ESC rights are important for all people, regardless of their States’ economic situation or level of development.

In the UK, our ESC rights are enshrined in different international human rights documents. Such as the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), which is a UN treaty. The UK agreed to follow this in 1979. Together with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICESCR), these are known collectively as the ‘international bill of rights.’ Another is a regional, Council of Europe treaty - the European Social Charter. The UK agreed to follow this for the first time in 1962, and then a second time in 1997 after it was revised. You might have heard less about the Social Charter in favour of its very famous sister treaty, the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

Despite the frequent focus on civil and political rights in the human rights sphere, ESC rights have come into sharp relief in recent years. For instance, the COVID-19 pandemic had rights impacts in the areas such as health, livelihoods, and stable economies which help enable fulfilment of rights. Another example is climate change, the impacts of which we already witness around the world – including on housing, water, food, and so many other areas which are fundamental to human rights.

Although we face our own unique set of ESC rights challenges here in the UK, this conference was a striking reminder of how countries and NHRIs across Europe face similar issues. Our conversations were wide-ranging, from sessions on the importance of NHRIs building their capacity to engage in conversations about public budgets and taxation, to case studies on how human rights can be mainstreamed in health and education settings. We had the privilege of hearing talks from Olivier De Schutter (UN Special Rapporteur, Extreme Poverty and Human Rights), Aoife Nolan (President, European Committee of Social Rights, Council of Europe) among many other speakers.

If you are interested in our work related to economic, social and cultural rights, please note that the UK’s next examination under ICESCR will take place in February 2025.

Rowen McKinnon Guy

Senior Associate, Human Rights Monitoring