A/HRC/32/31 Report of the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights Contents Page I. Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 4 A. Paradoxical status of economic and social rights ..................................................................... 4 B. Treating economic and social rights as human rights .............................................................. 6 C. Structure of the report .............................................................................................................. 6 II. Consequences of neglecting economic and social rights .................................................................. 7 III. Understanding and acting upon States’ economic and social rights obligations .............................. 9 A. Legal recognition ..................................................................................................................... 9 B. Obligation to establish institutions........................................................................................... 11 C. Obligation to promote accountability ...................................................................................... 11 Applying these obligations to economic and social rights ............................................................... 11 A. Legal recognition ..................................................................................................................... 12 B. Institutionalization ................................................................................................................... 13 C. Accountability.......................................................................................................................... 14 International monitoring of economic and social rights recognition, institutionalization and accountability .............................................................................................. 16 A. Universal periodic review ........................................................................................................ 16 B. Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights ............................................................. 17 C. Non-governmental organizations ............................................................................................. 18 Conclusions ...................................................................................................................................... 19 IV. V. VI. 3