A/HRC/10/46
page 10
32. Field presences have helped with the development and implementation of national public
policies relevant to economic, social and cultural rights. UNMIS-Human Rights organized a
two-day workshop on the human rights-based approach to budgeting for 40 parliamentarians in
Khartoum from 8-9 November 2008. Since parliamentarians had already received two general
trainings on this issue in 2006 and 2007, the workshop - at the request of Parliament’s Human
Rights Committee - focused on the rights to health and education. Participants were sensitized to
their responsibilities vis-à-vis the realization of economic, social and cultural rights by ensuring
the adequate allocation of funds in the budget. After analysing the 2008 budget, parliamentarians
pledged for a higher allocation of funds to education and health and also for a fair and adequate
distribution of funds within these segments of the budget. In Colombia, OHCHR provided advice
to the Minister on Education on the National Plan for Education in Human Rights.
33. Many human rights field presences continued to provide support for capacity-building in
the area of economic, social and cultural rights, notably through training workshops. Participants
in the workshops included government officials, local authorities, parliamentarians, national
human rights institutions, non-governmental and community-based organizations,
United Nations staff, representatives of the private sector and the media, human rights defenders,
legal and health professionals, academia, trade unions and students. In Colombia, OHCHR
implemented a programme aimed at incorporating the rights to health, water, work and education
in municipal development plans, advising local authorities and civil society organizations in
20 municipalities and 2 districts of Bogota. The Office in Nepal conducted workshops for
government officials, the National Commission on Human Rights and civil society organizations
addressing discrimination and the protection of economic, social and cultural rights, as well as
on indicators and the monitoring of economic, social and cultural rights. These workshops
focused on human rights indicators, human rights-based approaches to development, and the
right to food. The Office in Guatemala continued to train and build capacity of government
officials, the justice sector, and non-governmental organizations on the promotion and protection
of economic, social and cultural rights. The field presence in Kyrgyzstan conducted a one-day
seminar on human rights and the right to health for State authorities, United Nations agencies
and civil society organizations. In Ecuador, OHCHR organized with WHO a training session for
journalists on the right to health. The Human Rights Unit of the United Nations Assistance
Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has been supporting, together with UNHCR, UNIFEM and
UNICEF, the economic and social rights project of the Afghan Independent Human Rights
Commission. In Kyrgyzstan, the Regional Office for Central Asia held a workshop for the
Ombudsman on the handling of complaints, with a specific focus on complaints related to the
enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights. The United Nations Subregional Centre for
Human Rights and Democracy in Central Africa integrated the protection of economic, social
and cultural rights in all its training activities for journalists and parliamentarians.
34. Field presences have also worked to raise awareness of economic, social and cultural rights
among various stakeholders. In the framework of the sixtieth anniversary of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, OHCHR in Mexico organized a film festival addressing
economic, social and cultural rights issues. OHCHR in Nepal developed a questions and answers
on economic, social and cultural rights in Nepali, aimed at responding to frequently asked
questions related to the enjoyment of these rights.
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents