Report of the Special Mechanism on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ECOSOC)
The Commission established the working group on ECOSOC after the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights (the Commission) adopted a resolution 8.ACHPR/Res.73 (XXXVI) 04 on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in Africa at its 36th Ordinary session held from 23 November to 7 December 2004 in Dakar, Senegal. In this Resolution the Commission adopted the Declaration of the Pretoria Seminar on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The Commission also decided to establish a working group on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (the working group).
As part of its mandate the working group was established to develop draft Principles and Guidelines on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and draft revised guidelines pertaining to economic, social and cultural rights, for State reporting. The working group has made great progress in the preparation of these guidelines.
As a member, I attended a meeting in Abuja between 6 – 7 November 2008 of the working group on ECOSOC. The draft guidelines will soon be ready for presentation to the Commission.
On 1st September 2008, I presented a paper in Lagos, Nigeria on the invitation of Social Economic Rights and Project (SERAP) on corruption, ECOSOC and the role of the ACHPR. The presentation will form part of a regular publication of the organization aimed at sensitizing the public on the challenges of enforcing ECOSOC rights. In the presentation, I highlighted the need for NGOs to take up litigation using the African Charter as a tool to ensure compliance with ECOSOC rights.
