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Rodrigo Uprimny Yepes
Human rights are not a luxury meant for peaceful periods or for democratic normalcy, in fact, in those times they tend to be less needed. It is in moments of crisis that rights acquire more relevance, since they allow us to face greater challenges, such as this pandemic while preserving democracy and freedoms.
The adoption of a human rights approach to address COVID-19 is not just a whim from those of us who work on these topics, but rather a vital necessity.
In this context two documents by the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) published on its website on 7 March are particularly helpful for addressing the COVID-19 pandemic from a human rights perspective: i) a short and specific declaration on the subject; and ii) its General Comment No. 25 on “science and economic, social, and cultural rights”, which covers a number of issues, but acquires particular relevance in the context of the pandemic.
These two documents are important not only because of their content and the concrete recommendations they formulate, which are reasonable and relevant, but also for their legal authority. The CESCR is the main interpreter of the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, thus the CESCR’s recommendations have special legal authority as they are considered a sort of international jurisprudence or “authoritative doctrine” related to these rights.
In this blog post I will explain the recommendations adopted by the CESCR. For the sake of brevity, I will limit myself to presenting, without following strictly the language or the order of the CESCR’s documents, the 15 recommendations that in my judgement are the most relevant.
(To ensure transparency, I would like to state that I may be biased when I value these documents positively, since I have been a member of this Committee since 2015. The CESCR is composed of 18 independent experts from all over the world, who despite being nominated and elected by States Parties, have an independent status, similar to that of a judge, and as such should act independently and impartially, without receiving instructions from any State.)
Five recommendations establish the general principles for addressing the pandemic from a human rights perspective:
1) The CESCR states that States have the duty to fight COVID-19, to the extent of their capacities and based on the best scientific evidence available. This is because everyone has the human right to enjoy the benefits of scientific advancements and its application (art.27 Universal Declaration) and, as it states in General Comment No. 25, one of the essential benefits of science is that solid scientific knowledge is used in decision-making and policies.
This does not imply that political decisions should be taken by scientists, since in a democracy the elected authorities have the ultimate responsibility to make the hard choices, especially when there are unsolvable ethical dilemmas. However, governments cannot ignore scientific evidence or act contrary to clear scientific evidence.
In that sense, it would be desirable that governments establish an advisory scientific committee, that is interdisciplinary and of high credibility and technical quality, similar to the one created by President Macron. This would allow governments to adopt the best policies available and to present them to the population with transparency, in order to convey confidence and, in turn, to facilitate compliance.
2) The CESCR points out that although certain severe restrictions on rights and exceptional measures might be necessary and legitimate, States cannot abuse their emergency powers. The restrictions cannot be abusive or arbitrary, but rather must be empirically well-founded, strictly proportionate to the fight against the pandemic, and be maintained only for the necessary time period.
A restriction would thus be illegitimate if there were less restrictive measures available that could be as effective in combatting the pandemic. Even though the CESCR does not use this example, I believe that total border closures are contrary to human rights, as they prevent many nationals from returning to their country and we all have the human right to return to our own country (see article 13 of the Universal Declaration) and there are alternative measures equally effective to combat the pandemic, but less restrictive to this right, such as allowing nationals to return on the condition of a reasonable obligatory quarantine period.
3) The CESCR emphasises that this crisis has demonstrated the importance of defending the interdependence and indivisibility of all human rights. For democracies to be able to survive and for human dignity to be adequately protected, the enjoyment of civil and political rights is as important as the realisation of economic, social and cultural rights, without there being any need to establish a hierarchy between these different categories of rights.
This crisis is born from the threat to a social right, such as the right to health, but it has implied an equally strong restriction on civil rights, such as freedom of movement as a result of quarantines, and could also affect political rights, if the abuse of emergency powers are translated into the deterioration of democracies and the rule of law, as might be happening already in Hungary.
The CESCR recommends that the fight against COVID-19 assumes a holistic vision, that ensures the adequate protection of all human rights. It would be catastrophic if, using the argument of protection of health, we end up sacrificing civil and political liberties.
4) Directly linked to the latter, the CESCR emphasized that in this difficult context, the preservation of judicial independence and the access of all to effective judicial protections given the potential abuses of rights, is in itself a human right (see articles 8 and 10 of the Universal Declaration). It is not an unnecessary luxury, but rather it acquires greater relevance, precisely because there is a higher risk of these rights being violated.
For this reason, classical judicial protections for human rights, such as habeas corpus, need to be preserved, but also, it is of the utmost importance to strengthen other judicial protections. For instance, the quarantine has increased violence against women in many countries, therefore judicial and other mechanisms are necessary to address these cases, as well as the establishment of safe houses for women in danger.
5) Another recommendation has to do with the importance of transparency in the provision of information in the context of the fight against COVID-19. States should disseminate all relevant information on the evolution of the pandemic and on their decisions and they must do it in accessible formats, particularly for the most vulnerable populations.
Transparency is not only essential for citizens to exercise better control of the decisions of the State, but also, as has been demonstrated by the experience of South Korea, it is one of the central elements, along with massive testing, of the effectiveness of the fight against COVID-19. This obviously implies, particularly in quarantine contexts, the strengthening of access to the internet, which makes it crucial, for example, for States to facilitate temporary free access to the internet for low-income households.
Other recommendations have to do with the importance of the principles of equality and non-discrimination while facing COVID-19. The reason is obvious: even though coronavirus can infect anyone, it is not true that the pandemic will affect everyone equally, since it impacts disproportionately the poor and those already in vulnerable situations. Therefore COVID-19 makes visible, and exacerbates, pre-existing inequalities.
The reasons are clear: i) these people find it harder to prevent contagion since it is more difficult for them to take preventive measures. How can social distancing and hand washing be applicable for those who live in crowded households without running water?; ii) these people, due to their precarious social conditions, can suffer pre-exiting pathologies that place them at greater risk of becoming seriously ill if infected; and iii) the social impact of isolation is proportionally greater for these people in the informal sector who will see their income brutally reduced, thus affecting their right to an adequate standard of living.
Based on these principles of equality and non-discrimination, the CESCR has formulated three recommendations:
6) The CESCR emphasises that States should make greater financial efforts to combat the pandemic, since they must realise the right to health to the maximum of their available resources. Nevertheless, the mobilisation of the required financial resources to address COVID-19 should be equitable and should not fall on the most vulnerable sectors, which are the ones who have suffered the most with the pandemic and the measures undertaken to address it.
New resources should then be collected based on criteria of progressive taxation and distributive justice. Those with higher incomes and wealth should have to contribute a greater proportion to the financing of extraordinary expenses.
7) The CESCR highlights that States have the duty to take special measures in favour of the poor and the vulnerable, who suffer disproportionately due to the pandemic, such as the homeless, informal workers, rural populations, prisoners and persons with disabilities, among others.
The nature of these measures varies, and the CESCR has mentioned the following: the prohibition of evictions, the direct and targeted delivery of essential goods to cope with the pandemic, such as food and cleaning items, or the institution of timely cash transfers, etc.
These measures are necessary not only to guarantee the right to an adequate standard of living in this period, but also to ensure greater effectiveness of the policies enacted to combat the pandemic. If one of the essential measures to prevent infection is social distancing, how can people who will be mired in hunger abide by it, if the government does not provide for an alternative source of income, for at least as long as the lockdown lasts? States should think about establishing temporary basic income schemes for the most vulnerable.
8) The CESCR emphasises the importance of policies combating the COVID-19 which have a differentiated approach and which consider the diverse impact that the pandemic and the measures undertaken to address it, can have on certain populations traditionally subjected to discrimination, such as women, LGBT, persons with disabilities, migrants or ethnic groups. This is because this crisis can accentuate discrimination against these groups. For instance, quarantines mostly impact women who must assume domestic and care work - labour which in these contexts becomes even more important.
The CESCR emphasises also that in this crisis certain social rights require special attention. Therefore, it has formulated specific recommendations for three rights: health, work, and education.
9) Obviously, the protection of the right to health is central. The CESCR insists that the strengthening of public healthcare systems is essential, especially in those countries where these systems have been weakened due to austerity policies adopted as a result of the 2008 financial crisis.
As has been demonstrated by Vicenc Navarro, an element that explains the differences in mortality rates which is significantly higher in countries such as Italy and Spain and lower in Germany, despite sharing a similar population structure, is that the first two countries have in the last few years endured severe austerity policies that have negatively impacted their public health systems.
The CESCR thus recommends not only the mobilisation of resources directed to health, but also that States regulate and coordinate responses to the crisis and that the workers in the health sector be adequately protected, not only at a sanitary level, but also in terms of labour. In addition, the criteria and cautioning about the evolution of the pandemic provided to health workers must be adequately taken into consideration in the formulation and implementation of public policies concerning the pandemic.
10) Linked to the latter, the CESCR emphasises the importance of protecting the right to work. It, therefore, recommends that States adopt the necessary regulations so as to protect employees against the risks of infection in their workplaces and to prohibit the sanctioning of employees for refusing to work without such protections.
In addition, it is essential to establish mechanisms to protect employment, or at least workers’ incomes, through different mechanisms such as subsidized salaries, tax relief to employees, and the strengthening of social protection policies.
11) The CESCR emphasises the special challenges that this pandemic implies for the right to education, as most primary and higher education centres have had to suspend in-person classes and speedily move towards virtual forms of education to prevent contagion.
This timely transition to virtual education might seem necessary and justified, but it might increase inequalities between rich and poor in relation to the right to education, due to the unequal access to the internet and to equipment, such as computers and tablets. States and education centres have thus the obligation to monitor these negative impacts on the poor and marginalized and provide for the necessary measures to mitigate adverse effects.
The CESCR highlights the importance of international cooperation in relation to COVID-19. The reason is obvious: SARS-COV-2 and other similar pathogens do not respect borders and can represent transnational or even global threats. Fragmented national responses are not only insufficient but also, can be counter-productive.
For example, the competition between States, or even between local governments, for certain sanitary resources, such as masks or respirators, has increased the prices of these products, even though they could have been obtained at lower cost, if there were better international cooperation schemes in relation to the pandemic.
The CESCR has thus three recommendations in this regard that are based on the duty, in accordance with articles 55 and 56 of the United Nations Charter, of all States to cooperate internationally for the universal respect of human rights.
12) The CESCR highlights recommendations that are relatively natural, but which are no less important, such as the following: the need to share the results of medical research, and the best practices to combat the pandemic; cooperative efforts to address the economic impacts, especially in low-income States, and to achieve economic recovery as soon as possible, etc.
13) On the other hand, and perhaps more importantly, the CESCR refers to the so-called extra-territorial obligations of the State in relation to COVID-19. The extra-territorial obligations, which in doctrine have been synthesised in the Maastricht Principles, make reference to the actions and omissions which States are obliged to enact due to the negative and positive impacts on the enjoyment of human rights in other States.
The CESCR highlights, in particular, the following extra-territorial obligations: i) Unilateral economic sanctions should be lifted so that affected States can obtain new resources to combat the pandemic; ii) developed States should ensure that certain measures (such as restrictions on exports and border controls) do not impair access to vital sanitary equipment for the most vulnerable in other countries; iii) States should use their voting powers in international institutions to relieve the financial situation of low-income countries with measures such as debt relief or reduction; iv) States should promote more flexibility in intellectual property regimes to allow universal access to scientific advancements related to diagnoses, treatment, and development of COVID-19 vaccines.
14) In both documents the CESCR has placed a particular emphasis on scientific cooperation, which could help prevent local epidemic outbreaks from evolving into devastating pandemics that the world is ill-prepared to address, as happened with COVID-19.
Better scientific international cooperation could enable more solid and transparent early warning mechanisms on epidemic outbreaks that could facilitate the concerted and swift interventions of the international community, based on the best available scientific evidence, to prevent local outbreaks from becoming international threats or even pandemics.
All evidence indicates that in relation to COVID-19, China postponed for several weeks informing the WHO about this outbreak and taking appropriate measures to address the situation. These delays could be the reason why we had a pandemic instead of a locally-managed epidemic.
International cooperation would also ensure that, once the pandemic is under control, there can be concerted, robust, academic research that could allow us to learn how best to prepare in the future for threats like these.
15) The last recommendation of the CESCR will serve to conclude this blog post and it offers the possibility of seeing this difficult crisis unleashed by COVID-19, not only as a threat to human rights, which it is, but also as an opportunity for a better future for human rights, which is also a possibility.
The best analysts, such as Harari have emphasized that the world will not be the same after COVID-19, since the impact of this pandemic will be very profound. Equally, they have also highlighted that we do not really know how the new world is going to turn out as we are at a real crossroads.
We do not know whether the world will be a more just one, with increased solidarity among individuals and nations, with greater respect for human rights and science, and with governments keener to open to international cooperation, which is the most desirable option. Or if instead, we will be facing more authoritarian, arbitrary, and chauvinistic governments with selfish and enclosed elites, which is certainly a terrifying but likely alternative too.
The path that we take at this crossroads will depend largely on how we behave during the pandemic. The estimation of the CESCR, which I share, is that if we make an effort to mobilise resources to face the COVID-19 from a perspective based on solidarity, human rights, and international cooperation we would be creating the impetus and the energy to propel a more just world where according to the beautiful ideal proclaimed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights “human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want”.
Rodrigo Uprimny Yepes is a lawyer, with a Master’s degree (DEA) in sociology of development from the University Paris I (IEDES) and a PhD in Economy from Amiens University. He is a member of the International Commission of Jurists and the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (2015-2022). He has also served as a Consultant for the United Nations Development Programme on subjects of violence, citizen participation, conflict resolution, and justice. Rodrigo Uprimny was co-founder and Director of the Colombian research and advocacy organization Dejusticia and is currently Member of the Board of Directors of Dejusticia and coordinator of the Drug Policy Line. Twitter: @RodrigoUprimny
PROGRAMME OFFICER -PUBLIC SERVICES
Ana Clara works as a Programme Officer on Public Services with the Global Initiative for Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights. She holds a master’s degree in Human Rights and Humanitarian Action from Sciences Po in Paris, where she focused on economic, social, and cultural Rights, and Latin American and gender studies. She holds a Bachelor of Laws from Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso in Brazil.
Ana Clara previously worked on litigation claims concerning the right to social security and the right to health at the Public Defender’s Office and Federal Court of Justice in Brazil. She also supported the work of the Special Rapporteur on Economic, Social, Cultural, and Environmental Rights of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Recently, she worked on strategic litigation before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights as part of the team of the Center for Justice and International Law.
Ana Clara, country is Brazil (Based in Paris).
PROGRAMME OFFICER -PUBLIC SERVICES & REPRESENTATIVE FOR AFRICA
Ashina works as the Programme Officer for Public Services and Representative for Africa with the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. She is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya, with an LL.B degree from the University of Nairobi, Kenya, and an LL.M (with distinction) in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa from the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, South Africa.
Passionate about social justice, she has worked in the human rights sector for over six years at the intersection of global and national struggles for just systems of public service delivery to ensure everyone can enjoy their socio-economic rights, first at the Economic and Social Rights Centre-Hakijamii in Kenya and then at GI-ESCR. In particular, she has led and supported research and advocacy at local, national and global research and advocacy focused on the human rights legal framework relating to the rights to land, housing, education, health and water, for marginalised communities. Her research interests also include human rights and economic policy and the contribution that human rights obligations can make to the formulation and implementation of economic policy.
Ashina is based in Nairobi, Kenya.
SENIOR COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER
Belén has a BA in International Relations. She lived in India and the Philippines just after graduating where she volunteered for three years in health and education projects. Upon her return to Argentina, where she is native from, she joined Red Solidaria as volunteer and international aid coordinator. She worked as a journalist and program manager at La Nación newspaper foundation in Buenos Aires, to later become Social Media information specialist at the US Embassy in Buenos Aires. She acted there as Liaison Officer with other sections and became Grant Officer representative. She was selected to become HelpArgentina's Executive Director to help expand fundraising opportunities abroad for NGOs from other Latin American countries, and successfully transitioned the organization into PILAS, Portal for Investment in the Latin American Social Sector. From there she moved on to working at a new media startup, RED/ACCION, as Engagement Editor and Membership coordinator before joining us as Communications Officer.
Belén is based in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
RESEARCH ASSOCIATE
Lorena Zenteno is a PhD student at the University of Edinburgh. Her primary research interests include the human rights dimensions of climate change and environmental impacts, climate change justice, gender, and the judiciary’s role in the climate change crisis. Lorena has worked for several years in Chile, as a judge, as a law clerk, in the Court of Appeal of Concepcion, Santiago and in the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Chile. She is a member of the Environment and Human Rights Commission of the National Association of the Chilean Judiciary, dedicated to study and discuss climate change and environmental impacts on human rights. Lorena is the Chilean National Rapporteur on Global Climate Litigation database for the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law of Columbia University.
She was a senior researcher for the former UN Special Rapporteur on Cultural Rights, Karima Bennoune, from September 2018 until September 2021. Supported and assisted the UN Special Rapporteur to fulfil his mandate to the UN General Assembly and UN Human Rights Council.
She holds an LL.B. from Universidad de Concepcion, a LL.M. in Environmental Law from the University of Davis, California, and a Master in Business Law from the University Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain. Lorena is a member of the the Global Network for the Study of Human Rights and the Environment.
Lorena is based in Geneva, Swiss.
PROGRAMME OFFICER -RIGHT TO EDUCATION
Zsuzsanna works as Right to Education Officer with the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Prior to joining GI-ESCR, she assisted in the drafting process of the Abidjan Principles on the Right to Education and the development and publication process of the Commentary of the Abidjan Principles as a consultant. Previously, she has worked with the Open Society Justice Initiative as an Aryeh Neier Fellow on issues such as equality and non-discrimination, Roma rights, the right to education, economic justice, access to justice and the rule of law. She has also worked as a lawyer with the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union on educational segregation, Roma rights and hate crimes. She holds an LL.M in Public International Law from the University of Edinburgh and a Law Degree from the Eötvös Loránd University Budapest.
Zsuzsanna is based in Budapest, Hungary.
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OFICIAL DE PROGRAMA - SERVICIOS PÚBLICOS Y REPRESENTANTE PARA ÁFRICA
Ashina es oficial del Programa para los Servicios Públicos y Representante para África de la Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Es abogada de la Corte Suprema de Kenia, egresada (LL.B) de la Universidad de Nairobi, Kenia, y con un máster (LL.M) en derechos humanos y democratización en África, completado con honores, en el Centro para los Derechos Humanos de la Universidad de Pretoria en Sudáfrica.
Ashina es una apasionada de la justicia social, y ha trabajado en el área de los derechos humanos en el marco de las luchas nacionales y mundiales por sistemas más justos de prestación de servicios públicos, que garanticen a todos el disfrute de sus derechos socioeconómicos. Primero trabajó en el Economic and Social Rights Centre de Hakijamii, Kenia, y luego, en el GI-ESCR. Concretamente, ha dirigido y apoyado la investigación y la defensa, a nivel local, nacional y mundial, del marco legal de derechos humanos para los derechos de las comunidades marginadas a la tierra, la vivienda, la educación, la salud y el agua. Sus intereses en la investigación se orientan también a los derechos humanos y las políticas económicas, así como a la contribución que el cumplimiento de los derechos humanos hace a la formulación y ejecución de las políticas económicas.
Ashina reside en Nairobi, Kenia.
OFICIAL DE PROGRAMA - DERECHO A LA EDUCACIÓN
Zsuzsanna es oficial del Programa de Derecho a la Educación de la Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Antes de unirse a GI-ESCR, colaboró, como consultora, en la redacción de los Principios de Abiyán sobre el derecho a la educación, así como en la elaboración y publicación del Comentario de los Principios de Abiyán. Previamente, Zsuzsanna trabajó con la Open Society Justice Initiative como becaria de la Aryeh Neier Fellowship, en temas como la igualdad y la no discriminación, los derechos de los romaníes (Roma Rights), el derecho a la educación, la justicia económica, el acceso a la justicia y el estado de derecho. También ha trabajado como abogada con la Hungarian Civil Liberties en la segregación educativa, los derechos de los Romaníes y los crímenes de odio. Tiene un máster (LL.M) en derecho público Internacional por la Universidad de Edimburgo y una licenciatura en Derecho por la Universidad Eötvös Loránd, Budapest.
Zsuzsanna reside en Budapest, Hungría.
SENIOR AGENT DE COMMUNICATION
Belén est titulaire d’un BA en relations internationales. Juste après avoir obtenu son diplôme, elle a vécu en Inde et aux Philippines, où elle s'est portée volontaire pendant trois ans pour des projets de santé et d'éducation. À son retour en Argentine, d'où elle est originaire, elle a rejoint Red Solidaria en tant que volontaire et coordinatrice de l'aide internationale. Elle a travaillé comme journaliste et responsable de programme à la fondation du journal La Nación à Buenos Aires, pour devenir ensuite spécialiste de l'information sur les médias sociaux à l'ambassade des États-Unis à Buenos Aires. Elle y a joué le rôle d'agent de liaison avec les autres sections et est devenue représentante des agents de subvention. Elle a été choisie pour devenir la directrice exécutive de HelpArgentina afin d'aider à développer les possibilités de collecte de fonds à l'étranger pour les ONG d'autres pays d'Amérique latine, et a réussi la transition de l'organisation vers PILAS, le portail d'investissement dans le secteur social latino-américain. Elle a ensuite travaillé pour une start-up de nouveaux médias, RED/ACCION, en tant que rédactrice chargée de l'engagement et coordinatrice des membres, avant de nous rejoindre en tant que responsable de la communication.
Belén vit à Buenos Aires, en Argentine.
OFICIAL ASOCIADO DE PROGRAMA- SERVICIOS PÚBLICOS
Ana Clara Cathalat colabora como socia en la Global Initiative for Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, mientras prosigue con su máster en derechos humanos y acción humanitaria en la Universidad Sciences Po, París. Allí centra su interés en los derechos económicos, sociales y culturales y en estudios de género en América Latina. Tiene una licenciatura en derecho por la Universidad Federal de Mato Grosso, Brasil.
Previamente, Ana Clara trabajó en reclamaciones judiciales relacionadas con el derecho a la seguridad social y el derecho a la salud en la Oficina del Defensor Público y el Tribunal Federal de Brasil. Asimismo, apoyó la labor del Relator Especial en Derechos Económicos, Sociales, Culturales y Ambientales de la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos. Recientemente, trabajó en litigios estratégicos ante la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos, como miembro del equipo del Centro por la Justicia y el Derecho Internacional.
Ana Clara, Brasil. (Reside en París).
INVESTIGADORA ASOCIADA
Lorena Zenteno es estudiante de doctorado en la Universidad de Edimburgo. Entre sus principales intereses de investigación se encuentran el impacto del cambio climático y su efecto ambiental sobre los derechos humanos, la justicia ambiental, el género y el papel del sistema de justicia en la crisis por el cambio climático. Trabajó varios años en Chile como jueza y como asistente jurídico en la Corte de Apelaciones de Concepción, Santiago, y en la Sala Constitucional de la Corte Suprema de Chile. Es miembro de la Comisión de los Derechos Humanos y Ambientales de la Asociación Nacional de Magistrados y Magistradas de Chile, la cual se dedica a estudiar el impacto del cambio climático y su efecto ambiental sobre los derechos humanos. Lorena es la relatora nacional chilena de la base de datos de los litigios por el cambio climático del Sabin Center for Climate Change Law de la Universidad de Columbia.
Trabajó como investigadora principal para la Relatora Especial sobre los Derechos Culturales de las Naciones Unidas, Karina Bennoune, desde septiembre de 2018 hasta septiembre de 2021. Apoyó y asistió al Relator Especial de las Naciones Unidas en sus labores ante la Asamblea General y el Consejo de Derechos Humanos de las Naciones Unidas.
Tiene una licenciatura en derecho por la Universidad de Concepción, un máster en derecho ambiental por la Universidad de Davis, California, y un máster en derecho empresarial por la Universidad Pompeu Fabra en Barcelona, España. Lorena es miembro de la Global Network for the Study of Human Rights and the Environment.
Lorena reside en Ginebra, Suiza.
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OFICIAL DE PROGRAMA - SERVICIOS PÚBLICOS Y REPRESENTANTE PARA ÁFRICA
Ashina es oficial del Programa para los Servicios Públicos y Representante para África de la Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Es abogada de la Corte Suprema de Kenia, egresada (LL.B) de la Universidad de Nairobi, Kenia, y con un máster (LL.M) en derechos humanos y democratización en África, completado con honores, en el Centro para los Derechos Humanos de la Universidad de Pretoria en Sudáfrica.
Ashina es una apasionada de la justicia social, y ha trabajado en el área de los derechos humanos en el marco de las luchas nacionales y mundiales por sistemas más justos de prestación de servicios públicos, que garanticen a todos el disfrute de sus derechos socioeconómicos. Primero trabajó en el Economic and Social Rights Centre de Hakijamii, Kenia, y luego, en el GI-ESCR. Concretamente, ha dirigido y apoyado la investigación y la defensa, a nivel local, nacional y mundial, del marco legal de derechos humanos para los derechos de las comunidades marginadas a la tierra, la vivienda, la educación, la salud y el agua. Sus intereses en la investigación se orientan también a los derechos humanos y las políticas económicas, así como a la contribución que el cumplimiento de los derechos humanos hace a la formulación y ejecución de las políticas económicas.
Ashina reside en Nairobi, Kenia.
RESPONSABLE DE PROGRAMME - DROIT À l’ÉDUCATION
Zsuzsanna travaille actuellement en tant que responsable du droit à l'éducation pour l'Initiative mondiale pour les droits économiques, sociaux et culturels. Avant de rejoindre GI-ESCR, elle a participé, en tant que consultante, au processus de rédaction des Principes d'Abidjan sur le droit à l'éducation et au développement et à la publication du Commentaire des Principes d'Abidjan. Auparavant, elle a travaillé avec l'Open Society Justice Initiative en tant que boursière Aryeh Neier sur des questions telles que l'égalité et la non-discrimination, les droits des Roms, le droit à l'éducation, la justice économique, l'accès à la justice et l'État de droit. Elle a également travaillé en tant qu'avocate pour l'Union hongroise des libertés civiles sur la ségrégation scolaire, les droits des Roms et les crimes haineux. Elle est titulaire d'un master en droit international public de l'Université d'Édimbourg et d'un diplôme de droit de l'Université Eötvös Loránd de Budapest.
Zsuzsanna vit à Budapest, en Hongrie.
CHARGÉE DE PROGRAMME ASSOCIÉE – SERVICES PUBLICS
Ana Clara Cathalat collabore actuellement, dans le cadre d’une bourse, à l’Initiative mondiale pour les droits économiques, sociaux et culturels, tout en préparant un master en droits de l'Homme et action humanitaire à Sciences Po Paris, où elle se spécialise en droits économiques, sociaux et culturels, ainsi qu’en études de genre et latino-américaines. Elle a une licence de droit de l’Université Fédérale du Mato Grosso au Brésil.
Ana Clara a auparavant travaillé sur des actions en justice relatives au droit à la sécurité sociale et au droit à la santé auprès du Bureau de l’aide juridictionnelle et de la Cour de justice fédérale du Brésil. Elle a également appuyé les travaux de la Rapporteuse spéciale sur les droits économiques, sociaux, culturels et environnementaux de la Commission interaméricaine des droits de l'Homme. Elle a récemment travaillé sur des actions en justice dans des cas stratégiques auprès de la Cour interaméricaine des droits de l'Homme, au sein de l’équipe du Centre pour la Justice et le Droit International (CEJIL).
Ana Clara, le pays est le Brésil (Basée à Paris).
ASSOCIÉE DE RECHERCHE
Lorena Zenteno est doctorante à l’Université d’Édimbourg. Ses principaux thèmes de recherche sont les dimensions du changement climatique et des problèmes écologiques relatives aux droits de l'Homme, la justice climatique, le genre, et le rôle de la Justice dans la crise du changement climatique. Lorena a travaillé pendant plusieurs années au Chili, comme juge et comme légiste, auprès des Cours d’appel de Concepción et Santiago et de la Chambre constitutionnelle de la Cour suprême du Chili. Elle fait partie de la Commission de l’environnement et des droits de l'Homme de l’Association nationale de la magistrature chilienne, dont la mission est d’étudier et de débattre des conséquences du changement climatique et des problèmes écologiques sur les droits de l'Homme. Lorena est la Rapporteuse nationale chilienne sur la base mondiale des actions en justice climatiques pour le Centre Sabin pour le droit du changement climatique de l’Université de Columbia.
Elle a occupé le rôle de chercheuse principale pour l’ancienne Rapporteuse spéciale sur les droits culturels de l’ONU, Karima Bennoune, entre septembre 2018 et septembre 2021. Elle a appuyé et soutenu la Rapporteuse spéciale de l’ONU dans l’accomplissement de son mandat conféré par l’Assemblée générale de l’ONU et le Conseil des droits de l'Homme de l’ONU.
Elle a une licence de droit de l’Université de Concepción, un master en droit de l’environnement de l’Université de Davis (California) et un master en droit des affaires de l’Université Pompeu Fabra de Barcelone (Espagne). Lorena fait partie du Réseau mondiale pour l’étude des droits de l'Homme et de l’environnement.
Lorena vit à le Chili, basé à Genève.
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SENIOR OFICIAL DE COMUNICACIONES
Belén es licenciada en Relaciones Internacionales. Apenas se graduó, vivió en la India y en Filipinas, donde fue voluntaria durante tres años en proyectos de salud y educación. Al regresar a su nativa Argentina se incorporó a la Red Solidaria como voluntaria y coordinadora de ayuda internacional. Trabajó como periodista y gestora de programas de la fundación del diario La Nación en Buenos Aires, para luego convertirse en especialista en información de medios sociales en la Embajada de Estados Unidos en Buenos Aires. Allí actuó como oficial de enlace con otras secciones y se convirtió en oficial representante de los programas de subvenciones. Fue seleccionada como Directora Ejecutiva de HelpArgentina con la función de ampliar las oportunidades de recaudación de fondos internacionales de las ONG de otros países latinoamericanos, y logró la transición exitosa de la organización hacia PILAS, Portal para la Inversión Social en Latinoamérica. De allí pasó a trabajar en una nueva empresa de medios de comunicación, RED/ACCION, como editora y coordinadora de membresías, antes de unirse al equipo de la GI-ESCR como oficial de comunicaciones.
Belén reside en Buenos Aires, Argentina.