Activist's Manual on the International Convenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (An)

This 303-page manual is a detailed effort to support the work of local human rights activists by providing guidance on how to communicate with (report to) the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. In the words of the Foreword's author (Mario Gomez), the manual is based on the premise that "The relationship between international processes and domestic advocacy is a two-way relationship. As much as the international processes impact on domestic protection, local activism and scholarship also impacts on the international process." In that sense, the manual is meant to strengthen the work of practical advocacy at the local level, so that it might more effectively effect human-rights-related change at the international level - and vice versa.

This manual emerged from a project undertaken by Jeff King, who spent the summer of 2001 in Sri Lanka as an intern with the Law & Society Trust. King intends for the book to be a resource for both established and emerging (e.g., student) activists, particularly those in remote locations with limited access either to the Internet or to English-language libraries. In addition, King hopes that it can serve as an educational tool in training workshops, particularly those focusing on practical advocacy and human rights topics.

King envisions this manual as the first part of a fluid, participatory process in which he invites fellow activists and students to take part; he "invites comments, criticisms, suggestion, information on new publications, practical pamphlets, anecdotes, activist techniques and any other information that may be shared as a collective wisdom on advocating and implementing social rights. This work must be of real use to activists in order to achieve its goal. Addenda to this manual shall be made available from the Law & Society Trust and the Center for Economic and Social Rights as new information comes to light."

Excerpts from the Foreword follow:
"...The human rights treaties and their monitoring procedures form an essential component of the international human rights system. The Treaty Monitoring Bodies rely a great deal on the information that activists and governments are able to provide, in making their periodic assessments of how States have complied with the provisions of the treaties. This manual is aimed at improving the quality of the information that is provided to the Treaty Monitoring Bodies, especially the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural rights.

At the international level the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights is the best-known benchmark of these standards. The Covenant is monitored by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and in this manual Jeff King looks in detail at how this monitoring process takes places. The thrust of the manual is on showing human rights activists how they could use the reporting process under the ICESCR to support their domestic struggles.

This manual walks us, step by step, through the process of developing a shadow or alternative report and then the procedures involved in making this report available to the Committee...

The author also looks at the concept of ICESCR obligations...and deals with the different types of obligations of the States under the Covenant. Most of the rights in the ICESCR are examined in detail and the obligations under these rights analysed. The relationship that certain vulnerable groups have with economic, social and cultural rights is considered and issues pertaining to justiciability are looked at. The author concludes by looking at some recent developments in the area of economic, social and cultural rights..."

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