ESCR-Net launches 2015 Annual Report

The International Network for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR-Net) has recently released its Annual Report, highlighting collective activities carried out in 2015. The eight-page report is available in Spanish, English and French. 

The Annual Report documents key impacts advanced by ESCR-Net in 2015, as a result of the collective work of over 270 Members across 76 countries. Notable examples include the positive decision on the right to housing in the first case under the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on ESCR (OP-ICESCR), the realization of regional consultations and strategy meetings with civil society to guide advocacy for a binding treaty that can effectively address corporate human rights abuses, and collective mobilizations to advance justice for human rights defenders around the world, as well as many others.

The Annual Report begins with a letter of introduction written by Chris Grove, Executive Director of ESCR-Net, and affirmed by the new Board of ESCR-Net (2016-2018). The point of departure for the greeting is the vital collective work of ESCR-Net Members, united by human rights as a vital source of political, moral, and legal legitimacy in our ongoing pursuits of justice, equality, self-determination and shared well-being. Chris also recognizes the exceptional leadership of the previous ESCR-Net Board in these efforts and highlights the new Board for 2016-2018, recently elected from and by Members based on core principles of regional and gender balance and the centrality of social movements.

The letter also advocates for a “reorientation of our economic and political models led by the analysis of affected communities” and voices serious concern regarding the defamation, repression, and criminalization used to silence the resistance of communities around the world, including ESCR-Net members. Significantly, two members of ESCR-Net’s Board were detained in 2015, and many others experienced repression because of their advocacy for human rights.

The Annual Report also offers information on ESCR-Net’s member-led model of work, financial information, and a list of ESCR-Net’s funders.