Rights & Democracy welcomes adoption of an Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

Montreal, December 10, 2008 - The UN General Assembly today, on International Human Rights Day, is expected to adopt a new procedure that will allow individuals to bring complaints of violations of their economic, social and cultural rights to a special monitoring body in Geneva. A similar procedure already exists for civil and political rights.

"Adoption of the optional protocol marks the end of a double-standard in human rights protection and the beginning of a new era in which all human rights have equal standing before the law," said Rémy M. Beauregard, President of Rights & Democracy (the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development). "Member states of the United Nations have now clearly indicated that individuals suffering deprivation of the human rights to work, to an adequate standard of living, to housing, to health, to food, to education and to social security may now claim those rights as inherent entitlements."

At a meeting in Nairobi last week, more than 250 civil society organizations and social movements from around the world, called upon governments to ratify the Optional Protocol without delay.

Adoption of the protocol is recognized as a momentous step forward for the protection of human rights. It marks the end of a fifteen-year campaign initiated shortly after the 1993 Vienna World Conference on Human Rights. The final text of the Optional Protocol results from lengthy negotiations between governments and civil society and is a reflection of the good faith demonstrated by all parties in the process. Rights & Democracy extends its congratulations to all those who worked so tirelessly to reach this successful outcome.

See the text of the Optional Protocol at: http://ap.ohchr.org/documents/E/HRC/resolutions/A_HRC_RES_8_2.pdf

For background and commentary, see: http://www.opicescr-coalition.org/

Rights & Democracy is a non-partisan, independent Canadian institution created by an Act of Parliament in 1988 to promote democratic development and to advocate for and defend human rights set out in the International Bill of Human Rights. In cooperation with civil society and governments in Canada and abroad, Rights & Democracy initiates and supports programmes to strengthen laws and democratic institutions, principally in developing countries.