UN CESCR, norm setting and country monitoring: General Comment No. 27 and the UK review

Join us for a discussion on the role of civil society in UN human rights monitoring, the so-called constructive dialogue between Treaty Bodies and governments, how the voices of people with lived experiences of poverty can be raised in accountability processes, and the future of the UN in these politically and financially challenging times.

In this event, we will talk about the CESCR’s role in norm setting and country monitoring. In particular, we will focus on the CESCR’s General Comment No. 27, on the environmental dimension of ‘sustainable development’, and the CESCR’s Concluding Observations about the United Kingdom, both from 2025.

In General Comment No. 27, the CESCR established that the right to a healthy environment is inherent in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Find here three submissions submitted from the Human Rights Centre to the CESCR to inform the drafting of General Comment No. 27.

The UK review was informed by a record number of submissions, a testament of the huge interest that the review generated within British civil society. Read here about the Human Rights Centre’s engagement with charities and community groups in the UK in this process.

Our panel

Join us for a conversation between Dr Joo-Young Lee (Seoul National University, South Korea), and Dr Julieta Rossi (National University of Lanus, Argentina), both members of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and Judith Bueno de Mesquita and Dr Koldo Casla, Senior Lecturers of Essex Law School and the Human Rights Centre of the University of Essex.

How to join us

• Everyone is welcome.
• To join via Zoom, please register here.