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Caselaw Database

This is a database of positive domestic, regional and international legal decisions from around the world regarding economic, social, cultural, and environmental rights (ESCER). These case summaries provide greater awareness about ESCER issues globally, effective litigation strategies, progressive jurisprudence, and enforcement efforts. Our case summaries are available in English and Spanish, with more recent entries also available in French and Arabic. 

The caselaw database is made possible by the support of ESCR-Net members, many of whom have contributed or reviewed cases, as well as several allies. ESCR-Net expresses its special appreciation to the Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy at Northeastern University (PHRGE), which provides ongoing support to the case database. To suggest additional cases for inclusion, contact Felipe Mesel, Strategic Litigation Working Group Program Coordinator, at fmesel@escr-net.org.

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03/01/2023
Case Law
On May 26, 2017, the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the Court) issued the historic judgment that the Kenyan government (the State) had violated seven articles of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the Charter) by evicting the indigenous Ogiek people from their ancestral land in...
01/30/2023
Ashghar Leghari, a farmer and lawyer, sued the Pakistani government for inaction vis-a-vis climate change, claiming that this inaction, “delay, and lack of seriousness” violated the fundamental rights of life provided by the Constitution, since climate change posed a serious threat to water, food, and energy security in Pakistan. Further,...
01/30/2023
Case Law
Luisa Neubauer along with other nine youth climate activists brought a case against the German federal government for its failure to enact adequate climate legislation in the country. The plaintiffs argued that the existing climate legislation– the 2019 German Federal Climate Change Act (Bundes-Klimaschutzgesetz– hereinafter KSG)– not only violated Germany’s...