Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

It is becoming increasingly clear that the COVID-19 pandemic is both a consequence and cause of deepening social inequalities. An effective human rights-based response requires us to firmly prioritise the realisation of economic, social and cultural (ESC) rights and to envisage global solidarity mechanisms that will render this possible.

A number of human rights issues have emerged regarding how African states went about declaring states of emergency and implementing emergency measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Do states have human rights obligations beyond borders to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic? This post argues that states have extraterritorial obligations grounded in international human rights law to respond to a pandemic.

You might be familiar with the old proverb about the butterfly effect. It’s the idea that tiny, unstoppable actions, like a butterfly flapping its wings, can cause a chain reaction in places on the other side of the world.

Preparedness means more than being good at planning or having processes in place. It also means being good at predictions.

In this contribution I would like to take look at the response to the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspective of a UN human rights treaty body, namely the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which, because of its mandate, has a particular responsibility in this respect.

#BuildBackBetter is one of the hashtags from the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It speaks to hope, and to history too.