Civil society campaign for the Ratification of: The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and its Optional Protocol

The South African Constitution enshrines socio-economic rights- such as the right of access to healthcare services and social security, sufficient food and water, as well as to adequate housing-alongside civil and political rights. While South Africa has made notable progress in promoting and protecting human rights, particularly civil and political rights, as acknowledge by the government,1 there are still real problems with the full realisation of socio-economic rights The language and obligations of the Constitution echo the standards and norms of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and its Optional Protocol (OP-CESCR). Yet, to date, the South African government has not ratified the ICESCR and the OP-CESCR. This campaign calls on the government to ratify both the ICESCR and the OP-CESCR.

Full document: ICESCR Booklet (Jan2013)