A/HRC/7/32
page 15
88. The Government of Switzerland stressed that the poorest have not only the right to access
to culture but also have the right to protect their culture and identities.
89. The Equal Opportunity Commission suggested that the draft guiding principles should
specifically require that education policy take into account the different situation of women and
men living in extreme poverty and rectify inequalities between girls and boys with regards to the
use of resources and access to rights.
J. Right to employment
90. The Government of Belgium noted that paragraphs 36 and 38 contain provisions that are
not achievable in the short term.
91. The Government of Georgia disagreed with the existing wording in paragraph 38, arguing
that States may not have the possibility to oblige private legal or natural persons to pay higher
wages than they are willing or able to pay. Imposing such an obligation on the private sector
might decrease or delay employment of the population, as entrepreneurs would likely hire fewer
people due to unnaturally raised salaries.
92. The Government of the Philippines stated that the right to employment be complemented
by a reference to the right to livelihood, since not all the labour force can be accommodated in
the labour market.
93.
Care International suggested expanding paragraph 38 to include social security.
94. Care International also recommended that the draft guiding principles focus on the duty
to protect all children against harmful work rather than to seek a blanket ban on all child labour.
95. The Equal Opportunity Commission suggested that the draft guiding principles stress the
importance of the removal of physical barriers for people with disabilities, as a major hindrance
faced by such people in seeking employment.
96. HelpAge International and Sightsavers International and the South African Human
Rights Commission suggested expanding the list of forms of discrimination in employment
which States and society must strive to abolish to include discrimination based on gender, age,
and disability.
K. Right to justice
97. The Government of Belgium observed that only limited attention is given to the right to
information in the context of an increasing digital divide and to the need for adequate
distribution of information to people living in poverty.
98. The Government of Belgium proposed that the reference to legal assistance in
paragraph 40 be complemented by an explicit reference to the obligation of the State and the
judicial administration to provide the possibility of legal redress.
99. The NGO Committee for Social Development noted that there is no mention of torture,
corruption and extreme measures by Governments in the draft guiding principles.
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