Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

COVID-19 affected the right to education. The lack of strategic planning often made states’ response ineffective, harming the education process. It is necessary to develop a roadmap to ensure the state positive obligations to safeguard the right to education during crises.

The right to education in Argentina has been a constitutional paramount since 1853 in all its territories. However, many children and adolescents find themselves forgotten by the national education system. The UNSAM Technical High School is an inspiring educational place that follows from the premise of not leaving any child and adolescent behind.

15,000 small schools in Thailand are at risk of being dissolved by the government to reduce public expenditure. Millions of children would face a violation of their right to education. Thailand must terminate this policy for the best interests of all children.

The COVID-19 pandemic was a large-scale human disaster on all fronts. It is worth identifying four structural defects in the governance response, ten lessons that need to be imbibed and a five point agenda for change.

COVID-19 exacerbated prevailing structural power inequalities and worsened fundamental human rights of vulnerable groups. Three sets of priorities are identified for the future. They concern ‘old normal’ prevention, lessons sharing, and mobilisation promotion, in order to advance rights-based changes.

Is the post-pandemic era the momentum for mainstreaming a cultural rights-based approach, given the undeniable recovery qualities of culture creation and enjoyment, along with an increased attention to cultural rights defenders as human rights defenders?

Overweight people can experience discrimination in many settings including healthcare. The World Health Organisation is calling for a de-stigmatising approach in public policies to address obesity. How can human rights law help?

In Argentina the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the consequences that irregular migration brings in terms of access to housing, labour and social assistance. Regularisation policies have impacted on migrants’ lives in a context where xenophobic discourses dominate the agenda. Existing initiatives to mitigate this scenario should be accompanied by state actions to reverse such a trend.

People working in the sex industry have been severely affected by the social and economic crisis stemming from COVID-19. As a business generating immense profits worldwide, whether in person or online, it is time to bring this industry into the global debate over business and human rights, with a focus on gender and intersectional perspectives.

Food is a fundamental human right, yet it remains the most violated right of all. Despite UN efforts to end world hunger, the Russia-Ukraine crisis has led to sanctions and export restrictions, making food security all the more precarious.