ESCR-Net May/June 2014 Newsletter

The International Network for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR-Net) involves over 250 Members in 70 countries, together building “a global movement to make human rights and social justice a reality for all”.

• 25 grassroots leaders from 16 countries gathered between May 26-30, 2014 in Pachacámac (Peru) for a meeting of ESCR-Net’s Working Group of Social Movements and Grassroots Groups, in collaboration with the Peasant Confederation of Peru (CCP).

• On June 11, 2014, the President of Paraguay signed a bill approving the restitution of the Sawhoyamaxa lands. On May 21, the Paraguayan House of Representatives approved the law, affirming that the 2006 decision of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ordering the land restitution must be enforced.

• Members and partners of the Corporate Accountability Working Group have engaged in national-level activities in several countries calling for a binding international instrument to address corporate human rights abuse following a Joint Statement on this issue, which has now collected over 500 organizational signatures.

• Between May and June 2014, ESCR-Net issued two collective Urgent Action letters on behalf of its Members in response to threats facing human rights defenders in Egypt and the Philippines and coordinated a Member-initiated sign-on letter about an imminent human rights violation in Mexico.

• Amnesty International and ESCR-Net intervene in a constitutional case on homelessness in Canada to ensure the application of the Charter in light of International Human Rights Law and demanding the implementation of a rights-based national housing strategy.

• On the first anniversary of the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (OP-ICESCR)´s Entry into Force, Members of the NGO Coalition for the OP-ICESCR —from Latin America to Africa—called on their governments to ratify and implement the treaty while celebrating the ratifications of Belgium and Gabon.

• ESCR-Net Working Group on Strategic Litigation launches the new publication "Claiming ESCR at the United Nations: a manual on utilizing the OP-ICESCR in strategic litigation" in order to provide information for lawyers and other advocates interested in utilizing the OP-ICESCR as a means to enforce economic, social and cultural rights.

• ESCR-Net launches the Spanish version of the Guide "Claiming Women’s ESC Rights using OP-CEDAW and OP-ICESCR".

Upcoming events and activities

• Preparations have begun for the 2014 Peoples’ Forum on Human Rights & Business, that will take place this year in Bogotá, Colombia, from September 29 to October 2, co-hosted by DeJusticia.

• On June 23 the Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta will open its doors. ESCR-Net is participating in the exhibit by displaying information about the Network’s goals and areas of work.