Europe
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The UN Tax Convention Terms of Reference have been approved. What’s next?
In a historic moment for global fiscal justice, the United Nations General Assembly approved the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the UN Tax Convention on November 27. This decisive outcome signals a global commitment to addressing inequalities, curbing tax abuses, and ensuring a fairer distribution of resources, and promoting inclusivity worldwide.
A11 and CESR Prompt UN Committee to Scrutinize Austerity Measures in Serbia
A joint report illustrates how the austerity measures introduced by Serbia since 2014 violate the State’s human rights obligations.
COVID economic recovery: can Europe's National Human Rights Institutions play a bigger role?
Our Director of Strategy and Learning, Allison Corkery, presented at a training workshop on how national human rights institutions can monitor States' responses to COVID-19.
Sharing Tools to Track the Human Rights Impact of Fiscal Responses to COVID
On June 2, CESR continued its work with EuroMed Rights’ Economic and Social Rights Working Group, holding a skills-sharing session on evaluating how governments’ fiscal responses to COVID-19 impact people’s human rights.
Fostering new approaches to monitor COVID recovery in MENA
We shared toolkits and methods for a rights-based monitoring of COVID-19 recovery with the Oxfam FAIR-EiU Knowledge Hub forum.
Sharing Tools to Evaluate the Impact of COVID-19 Recovery Measures
On March 5th, CESR led a skill-sharing session with members of EuroMed’s Economic and Social Rights Working Group, which explored ways to assess economic responses to COVID-19 through a human rights lens.
Confronting COVID: How Civil Society is Responding Across Countries | Serbia
Danilo Ćurčić discusses how in a country where nearly one quarter of the population is at risk of poverty, the pandemic has had devastating consequences on already marginalized communities.
Confronting COVID: How Civil Society is Responding Across Countries | Scotland
Alison Hosie, of the Scottish Human Rights Commission, argues for using human rights principles to shape the Scottish budgetary process, in order to "build back better."
Spain: From Laggard to Leader on Social Rights?
Devastating findings of UN poverty expert’s recent visit to Spain put the new government’s commitments on social rights to the test.
When human rights triumph over austerity: Spain restores universal health care
Spain’s new government ends the exclusion of undocumented migrants from health care, an austerity measure adopted by the former government.
Death by a million cuts: what future for the right to health in Italy?
Since 2012, Italian austerity policies have slashed public health spending by billions of euros, threatening accessibility and widening health inequalities. Are there alternatives?
OPERA Stories: Using the framework to map community concerns in Scotland
Alison Hosie discusses how OPERA allowed the Scottish Human Rights Commission's diverse group of workshop participants to approach socioeconomic issues from a more human rights-based analytical perspective.
OPERA Stories: Giving indicators and benchmarks a human face in the UK
Koldo Casla and Imogen Richmond-Bishop discuss using OPERA in a national human rights context and the importance of a human element in rights advocacy work.
Overturning Austerity: Spain reestablishes universal access to healthcare
A sustained and coordinated fight by Spanish civil society and CESR obtained a promise from the new government to repeal a decree that deprived nearly one million the right to health.
OPERA in Practice: Human Rights in Ireland's Economic Meltdown
CESR analyzed Ireland’s economic crisis and subsequent austerity policies.
United Nations urges Spain to end detrimental austerity measures
Press release: UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights calls for a more redistributive fiscal system that addresses rising economic and social inequalities
Sharp data skills and strategic venue choices key to claiming ESCR
CESR workshopped with multiple European partners in Riga, Latvia to strengthen national human rights institutes' capacity to increase skills for handling ESCR complaints and monitoring socioeconomic policies.
"OPERA-tionalizing" rights in Scotland’s new social security law
A workshop in Scotland asked how human rights can help design policies that tackle economic inequality and social exclusion.
Switzerland held to account for cost of tax abuse on women’s rights
CESR and its partners have taken Switzerland to task before the UN for the harmful impact of its role as a tax haven on women’s rights.
Spain: Constitutional Court ruling on health service exclusion of undocumented migrants ignores human rights
Press release: CESR and its partners reiterate that Spain's health reform contravenes international human rights norms.
CESR's work in Spain
CESR's allies in Spain reflect on the situation in their country - particularly regarding undocumented migrants who have been excluded from universal healthcare - and the contribution the Center has made.
Switzerland's financial secrecy scrutinized under human rights spotlight
UN submission: A coalition of civil society organizations has called on CEDAW to examine the extra-territorial impacts of Switzerland’s financial legislation on women’s rights.
Spanish government gives inadequate response to UN on migrants’ right to health
Press release: As Spain appears before the Human Rights Council, CESR and its partners affirm access to health care is still not guaranteed to migrants in the country.
Spain’s austerity criticized again in UN rights review
Spain's failure to protect economic and social rights in times of economic crisis has come under stern criticism from other states at the Universal Periodic Review.
Spain under scrutiny at United Nations
Press release: On January 21 the Spanish government will be held to account for its human rights record at the Universal Periodic Review
Spain: Austerity driving poverty, inequality, human rights deterioration
Factsheet illustrates how austerity is driving violations of economic and social rights in Spain (2015).
Strengthening joint action to protect the right to health of undocumented migrants
Joint statement: Amnesty International, CESR, Medicos del Mundo and Red Acoge have issued a joint statement denouncing Spain's non-compliance with its human rights obligations.
European rights chief warns of austerity's 'lost generation'
Drawing on a recently-published issue paper commissioned from CESR, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights calls for young people's rights to be restored.
Ireland: Post-crisis Constitutional Convention calls for economic and social rights
Consultations have revealed overwhelming support for incorporation of ESCR provisions in the crisis-hit country's constitution.
Austerity undermining rights says CoE Commissioner
Publication: A new Council of Europe Issue Paper, commissioned from CESR, assesses the human rights impacts of austerity measures and sets out an agenda for change.
CESR raises austerity concerns in Spain and Europe
After five years of economic crisis and a series of austerity budgets that have served only to compound its problems, people in Spain are being pushed to the limits of resilience.
Balancing the books, but neglecting the people
Op-Ed: CESR Executive Director Ignacio Saiz, writing in the Irish Examiner, examines the parallel patterns of retrogression stemming from Ireland and Spain's respective austerity programs.
Immigrants’ rights in poor health: resisting cutbacks in Spain
Some 150,000 immigrants have lost their right to public health services under the latest cost-cutting measures implemented in Spain.
Europe moves forward on Robin Hood Tax while US balks
The 'Robin Hood Tax' has come one step closer after 11 European countries agreed to move forward with the initiative. Certain key states, including the US, remain opposed, however.
Tax and human rights: 'Robin Hood' no longer just a fairytale
Years of campaigning on the part of social justice organizations looks set to bear fruit in the near future after a group of 10 European countries agreed to move forward in implementing a regional financial transactions tax.
UN Committee calls on Spain to revise austerity measures
The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has echoed civil society demands in questioning the cuts made to social spending in response to the crisis.
CESR backs Irish civil society's call for rights in constitutional convention
Joint letter: CESR has joined Irish civil society in calling for public participation and the inclusion of ESCR in the forthcoming constitutional convention.
CESR joins letter to EU Heads of State on Financial Transactions Tax
Joint letter: CESR has joined a coalition of 20 other human rights and social justice organizations in calling for bold leadership on the much-needed financial transactions tax.
'Robin Hood' would never forget to give to the poor
Joint letter: CESR has joined a letter to European leaders calling on them to make the Financial Transactions Tax a reality and to make sure the proceeds it generates are used to help the most vulnerable.
UN calls on Spanish government to 'revise' austerity measures which are harming human rights
Press release: The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has echoed civil society demands in questioning the cuts made to social spending in response to the crisis.
Taking Spain's austerity measures to task at the UN
UN submission: As Spain appeared before the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights for the first time in eight years, CESR has presented two new documents in Geneva.
Spain Factsheet (2012)
2012 factsheet on economic, social and cultural rights in Spain since the economic crisis took hold in 2007.
Social rights; the other deficit
Op-ed Article: To whom is the Spanish state ultimately accountable, the markets or the citizenry? This article by CESR Program Director Gaby Oré was published in El País on 7 May 2012.
Spain answers to UN for rights impacts of crisis response
Spain is appearing before the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights for the first time in eight years.
Challenges for social rights litigation in Spain
Unnecessarily retrogressive expenditure cuts deployed by governments in the face of the economic crisis are exacting a devastating toll on ESCR.
Spain's austerity measures under the spotlight
CESR has coordinated a parallel report to the UN with 18 other civil society organizations.
A recovery for all? Holding Ireland's government to account
Despite repeatedly affirming its commitments to human rights, Ireland's recovery stragey has severely undermined the wellbeing of ordinary people.
Publications, Reports & Briefings
Spanish civil society submits parallel report to CESCR
CESR has coordinated a parallel report which has been submitted to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) ahead of its 48th session in May 2012.
Publications, Reports & Briefings
Mauled by the Celtic Tiger: Human rights in Ireland's economic meltdown
A new CESR report finds that human rights in Ireland are being undermined by response measures implemented in the wake of the country's financial crisis.
Austerity and retrogression: Have governments got the right?
As a fiscal compact among European leaders furthers prejudice against ESCR, CESR joins an open letter to Spain's Prime Minister.
Elections in Spain: tough choices for tough times
As voters head to the polls amidst the worst economic crisis in recent history, Ignacio Saiz warns that democracy without social rights risks becoming a 'dictatorship of the markets'.
Ireland's economic & social rights record under the spotlight at United Nations
On Thursday October 6 Ireland will face the scrutiny of her peers at the at the UPR.
Spain: Submission to UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
CESR's joint submission with Observatori DESC on economic, social and cultural rights in Spain (2011).
Spain First to Ratify New UN Protocol on ESCR
CESR and allies welcome Spain's ratification of the Optional Protocol to the ICESCR.
North Belfast Goes to the United Nations
Four residents from Belfast, Northern Ireland are among hundreds of people from across the globe that have traveled to the UN in Geneva this week.