The Social Forum of the Human Rights Council was held in Geneva on 8 and 9 October 2020 on the topic of “Good Practices, Success Stories, Lessons Learned and Current Challenges in Combating Poverty and Inequalities”. We as GI-ESCR welcome the report of the event made available recently, and most particularly the recommendations regarding public services, echoing our contribution on the issue.

Magdalena Sepúlveda Carmona, GI-ESCR’s Executive Director, had addressed the 2020 Human Rights Council Social Forum on the topic of “Feminization of poverty, unpaid care work and women’s empowerment”. She had explained that if COVID-19 had pushed even more people – and primarily women - into poverty, it had also shown that robustly funded public services with an explicit gender approach were vital political choices to be made immediately. Read our related news on the issue.

The report, which contains the discussions, conclusions and recommendations of the Forum, will be presented to the Human Rights Council during its 46th Regular Session (22 February 2021 to 19 March 2021). we are particularly glad to read acknowledgement of our contribution in paragraphs 16, 61 and 63:

[Summary of proceedings] 16. The Executive Director of the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Magdalena Sepúlveda Carmona, said that COVID-19 had widened gender inequalities, increasing poverty among women and girls. She presented factors that explained its disproportionate effects on women. First, most front-line health-care workers were women, and women were overrepresented at the lowest levels of the health-care response. Second, confinement measures had threatened the security of women, with an increase in gender-based domestic violence. Third, gains in labour market inclusion of women could be reversed in sectors such as retail and tourism. Fourth, quarantines and public health measures adversely affected informal work and small businesses, wherein women were overrepresented. Fifth, the working conditions of domestic workers had become even more precarious. Lastly, the pandemic had exposed the unjust social organization of care and exacerbated the disproportionate burden of unpaid care and domestic work on women and girls. However, it had also opened up opportunities for progressive reforms: first, expanding social protection coverage, including through gender-effective social protection measures; second, advancing gender equality in taxation measures by eliminating the gender biases therein and combating tax evasion; and, third, increasing investment in public services, notably the care sector.

[Conclusion] 61. Noting that neoliberal policies, structural adjustment and privatization had undermined States’ capacity to deliver public services, which violated minimum core standards, commitment to the principle of non-retrogression and the progressive realization of socioeconomic rights, panellists called for greater policy and fiscal space.

[Recommendation] 63. Urgent and bold action was key in the fight against and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and its ripple effects. The response package and related policies should aim at a more resilient, equal and sustainable world with justice in all dimensions, including economic, social, gender, racial, fiscal, redistributive, climate and environmental.

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The 2020 Human Rights Council Social Forum

The Social Forum is an annual meeting convened by the Human Rights Council. It is defined as a unique space for open and interactive dialogue between civil society actors, representatives of Member States, and intergovernmental organizations, on a theme chosen by the Council each year.

See more information on the 2020 Human Rights Council Social Forum.