The 47^th session of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights took place in Geneva from 5 to 9 December 2011.

The following countries are due to be examined:

• Bulgaria
• Ecuador
• Ethiopia
• Mauritania
• United Republic of Tanzania

Click here for ISHR's report on the session in the Human Rights Monitor Quarterly, and here for general information on the Committee.

Creative Commons/Ben Spreng

The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) monitors the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). CESCR is composed of 18 experts, who meet twice a year for three weeks at a time. Unlike the case of the other treaty bodies, ICESCR did not provide for the creation of a committee to oversee its implementation. Instead, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the principal organ of the UN dealing with economic and social issues, was given the general mandate to monitor the implementation of the Covenant by State parties through the examination of periodic reports. ECOSOC established a sessional working group in 1985 to assist in the examination of State reports, which subsequently became the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in 1987. Other than this main difference, and the fact that the members of CESCR are elected through ECOSOC, there are no major differences between CESCR and the other treaty bodies in terms of their role or function. Nevertheless, there have been some attempts at the Human Rights Council to ‘rectify’ the legal status of CESCR in order to make it more like the other existing treaty bodies.

Further reading

Click here to access ISHR reports on individual State examinations by CESCR.

Click here to access OHCHR website on CESCR.