Training on Monitoring ESC Rights

The Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights organizes every May the Advanced Training on Monitoring Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. This course  interests professionals with a solid background on ESC Rights.


Advanced Training on Monitoring ESC Rights, Geneva, May 2011
– Copyright Ivona Truscan

The knowledge and skills emphasized during this training enable participants to become:

  • Familiar with the different techniques to monitor ESC rights;
  • Familiar with the monitoring mechanisms for ESC rights, in particular within the UN system;
  • Able to document cases of violation/realisation of an ESC right of particular concern to them or their organization;
  • Able to present findings effectively, and devise an advocacy strategy which makes use of the international human rights mechanisms.

The sessions comprised in this training delve particularly on:

  • The scope of the obligations prescribed in relation to ESC rights in international law, with a focus on the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights;
  • Monitoring tools and the use of international mechanisms: UN Human Rights Council, UN Special Rapporteurs, UN Committee on ESC Rights;
  • Approaches to monitoring ESC rights: violations approach, indicators approach, human rights impact assessments, litigating ESC rights, budget monitoring;
  • Strategies to build advocacy policies, data visualisation;

Discussions with experts, including UN Treaty Body members; visit to a session of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

Dynamic combinations of lectures, working groups, and hands-on work on country situations, facilitated by experts experienced in ESC rights work at both UN and grassroots levels give illustrations of how to bring concepts into practice.

Be inspired by former participants’ feedback given below and join this Advanced Training.

This training has been one of the most relevant training opportunities in my life and career as a human rights practitioner. This is because it has exposed me to several approaches to monitoring economic social and cultural rights and particularly special procedures on specific economic, social and cultural rights and the use of benchmarks and indicators in monitoring ESC rights.
- Patricia Achan-Okiria, Uganda Human Rights Commission, participant in 2009

It has been very useful course for me regarding the Understanding of ESC rights. Even if I have been in the area of human rights education and training for some years, I am able to understand the importance of ESC rights after attending this course. The most useful thing is focusing on international human rights mechanisms available to address some grave human rights violations and bringing the issues at this level. I definitely find myself to use international human rights mechanisms in my work after attending this course.
- Abdul Hameed Gondal, Programme Coordinator, South Asia Partnership, Pakistan, participant in 2010

As a participant from Ministry of Health, [the course] gave me an opportunity to understand the concept of ESCR within the framework of health care delivery. More importantly the course empowered me as a health planner who is also involved in policy development and strategic planning to appreciate the complementary role of human rights approach to health care and the support of various stakeholders, i.e. NGOs, NHRI, UN agencies.
- Aliyi Walimbwa, Ministry of Health – Uganda, participant in 2011

This was a truly great experience that covered something new for everyone in the field of Human Rights. The link between rights, indicators, budget analyses, the UN system and national constitutions and institutions is nicely highlighted in its complexity.
- Stephanie Brockerhoff, Studies in Poverty and Inequality Institute, South Africa, participant in 2012.

To find more details about this training and the application procedure visit the Geneva Academy webpage.

For further information contact the organizers at escrtraining@geneva-academy.ch.

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