A/HRC/11/32
page 11
C. Section 2
Indivisibility and interdependence of rights
32. Light for the World remarked that paragraph 14 should include a reference to all human
rights also being “interrelated”, as spelled out in the Vienna Declaration and Programme of
Action. Arne Tostensen noted that, while recognizing the coherence of the human rights regime,
it should not be overlooked that in real life situations difficult trade-offs have to be made. The
draft guiding principles should offer guidance on how such trade-offs can be made.
Civil and political rights
33. At the seminar, the Government of France stated that the subsection on civil and political
rights needs to be further elaborated, in order to avoid creating the impression that the fight
against extreme poverty has to do mainly with addressing economic and social rights. The
independent expert on foreign debt stressed that the uneven treatment diminishes the significance
of the principle of indivisibility. The International Labour Organization (ILO) and Joseph Ingram
stated that freedom of association needs to be elaborated and specific guidance should be
provided on how to remove obstacles that prevent the creation of advocacy organization and self
advocacy.
34. In the consultation with people living in extreme poverty on the draft guiding principles,
among the rights deemed of particular importance was the “right to possess official citizenship
documents”. A more elaborate section on the right to identity was also suggested by the
International Federation of Social Workers, HelpAge International and Sightsavers International,
with specific reference made to the right of women in cases of female-headed households and of
abandoned or unaccompanied children.
35. In the consultation with people living in extreme poverty on the draft guiding principles,
the participants asked that the right to live as a family receive stronger emphasis in the draft
guiding principles. Similarly, the Government of Belgium considered that paragraph 16 could be
fleshed out in more detail to address better the rights described therein (respect for privacy and
family life).
Right to justice
36. The independent expert on human rights and extreme poverty recommended amending the
heading of the subsection on the right to justice to read “Access to justice, administration of
justice and equality before the law”.
37. The National Consultative Commission on Human Rights (France) noted the recently
adopted Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights as a very significant development in reinforcing the justiciability of all human rights. The
need to include a reference to the Optional Protocol in the draft guiding principles was
mentioned at the seminar by ATD and the independent expert on human rights and extreme
poverty. The Government of Finland similarly suggested placing further emphasis in the draft
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