Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Economic, social and cultural rights (ESCR) include the rights to adequate food, housing, education, health, social security, participation in cultural life, water and sanitation, and work. These rights were codified as legally binding obligations through the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and further elaborated in human rights treaties dedicated to specific groups.
UN Human Rights works to protect and promote ESCR through research and analysis, technical guidance, policy support and capacity-building for Member States, national institutions, civil society and UN partners. The Office also supports UN human rights mechanisms and engages in key intergovernmental processes related to ESCR, while building partnerships with UN agencies, local governments, national human rights institutions and civil society.
UN Human Rights has developed a range of guidance and tools on ESCR, available through the ESCR Knowledge Hub.
Our work on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
While social policy is primarily the responsibility of Member States, the European Union has increased its focus on social rights in recent years, including through the European Pillar of Social Rights and initiatives aimed at social inclusion, housing affordability and poverty reduction.
UN Human Rights Europe engages closely with EU institutions, UN partners, civil society organizations and National Human Rights Institutions to promote human rights-based social and housing policies, drawing from international human rights law and mechanisms.
Our work in this area focuses on the following priorities:
- Contributing to the formulation and implementation of EU strategies and action plans on economic and social rights grounded in human rights
- Advocating for leveraging the EU budget to advance economic, social and cultural rights
- Promoting a human rights-based approach to housing
- Supporting the development of anti-poverty strategies grounded in human rights
- Integrating recommendations from UN human rights bodies into key EU social policy frameworks
- Supporting engagement of UN human rights mechanisms with European institutions
