Basic facts about the ICESCR
Stages of monitoring states’ obligation with the ICESCR
Guidance for NGO submissions on the ICESCR
Useful guides & links
Basic facts about the ICESCR
- The ICESCR is monitored by the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR).
- The CESCR was established under the ECOSOC Resolution 1985/17 of 28 May 1985
- State reports are submitted to the CESCR every five years
- Click here to read The Manual of Human Rights Monitoring: Monitoring Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
- CESCR last monitored the UK’s implementation of the treaty in 2016.
- The UK’s next reporting cycle is currently underway; the UK Government and stakeholders have submitted their reports, and the UN will adopt its List of Issues between the 6th-10th March 2023.
Stages of monitoring states’ obligations with the ICESCR
- Phase 1:
- Preparation of the state report at the national
level
- Broad consultation and input from civil society
- NGO submissions and reports
- Pre-sessional preparation by the treaty bodies
for the examination of the report
- Adoption of a List of Issues (LOI) or a List of Issue Prior to Reporting (LOIPR)
- pre-sessional working group of CESCR is public and open to NGO participation.
- Preparation of the state report at the national
level
- Phase 2:
- Consideration of the report in a public meeting through a constructive dialogue with the state party
- Issuing of concluding observations and recommendations
- Phase 3:
- Follow-up on implementation of the concluding
observations
- NGOs also play an important role in this process (pressure states into acting)
- Follow-up on implementation of the concluding
observations
Guidance for NGO submissions on the ICESCR
- UN Information Note for civil society and national human rights institutions
- Submission should be submitted in English, French or Spanish
- Should be concise, not exceed 10 pages for individual and 15 pages for coalition submissions
- Paragraphs should be numbered for ease of reference
- Deadlines:
- For the session: preferably 6 weeks and latest 3 weeks before the beginning of the session.
- The UK state party’s report for Cycle 7 was submitted on 4th May 2022.
- For the Pre-sessional working groups: preferably 10 weeks and latest 8 weeks before the beginning.
- For the session: preferably 6 weeks and latest 3 weeks before the beginning of the session.
- How submission should be made:
- to the CESCR Secretariat electronically in word format to the following email address: cescr@ohchr.org
Useful guides & links
Cycle 7 (2022-2023)
- Click here to read the UK Government’s submission to the Committee in 2022
- Click here to read the Scottish Government’s 2022 Position Statement on the implementation of ICESCR in Scotland
- Click here to read the Consortium’s joint submission to the Committee, January 2023
- Click here to read the Scottish Human Rights Commission’s submission to the Committee, December 2022
- Click here to read Engender’s joint report, signed by 18 other organisations
- Click here to read the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (the ALLIANCE)’s report
- Click here to read the Campaign for Freedom of Information in Scotland’s report
- Click here to read the Hong King Scots CIC’s report
- Click here to read Nourish Scotland’s report
- Click here to read the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s report
Cycle 6 (2016)
- Click here to read the UK’s submission to the CESCR in 2016: Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under articles 16 and 17 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
- Click here to read the UK’s 2016 state report: Concluding observations on the sixth periodic report of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland adopted by the CESCR at its fifty-eighth session (June 2016)
Useful Guides