Human Rights Council Appoints New Mandate Holders

Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights welcomes the appointment of 19 new Special Procedures mandate holders during the 43rd session of the Human Rights Council.

The new mandates holders include:

  • Mr Olivier De Schutter (Belgium), Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights;

  • Mr Balakrishnan Rajagopal (United States of America), Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination in this context;

  • Mr Michael Fakhri (Lebanon), Special Rapporteur on the right to food;

  • Mr José Francisco Calí Tzay (Guatemala), Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples;

  • Five new members of the Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development;

  • Two new members of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples;

  • Ms Yuefen Li (China), Independent Expert on the effects of foreign debt and other related international financial obligations of States on the full enjoyment of all human rights, particularly economic, social and cultural rights; and

  • Mr Tomoya Obokata (Japan), Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and its consequences.

The United Nations Special Procedures mandate holders are independent human rights experts who report to the Human Rights Council on thematic or country-specific issues, including many economic, social and cultural rights. They play an important role in the promotion and protection of economic, social and cultural rights, through providing guidance to States on implementation of their obligations and good practices and raising awareness of rights violations and pushing for accountability.

GI-ESCR congratulations the new mandate holders and looks forward to working with them to bridge the distance between international human rights monitoring bodies and rights holders and advance economic, social and cultural rights on the ground.

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