The undersigned 300 civil society organisations, and 33.713 individuals from 111 countries, have signed a global petition calling on all UN Members to take the necessary steps to become a party to the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (Optional Protocol) when it opens for signature at a ceremony to be held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 24 September 2009. The NGO Coalition for an Optional Protocol (NGO Coalition) , together with these individuals and organisations from around the world, call on governments to help ensure that access to justice and the right to an effective remedy become a reality for all victims of human rights violations.

The NGO Coalition has welcomed the adoption by consensus of the Optional Protocol and repeats its appreciation of the efforts of all those who contributed to this great advancement in the pursuit of the realization of economic, social and cultural rights. We will continue to advocate for the early entry into force of the Optional Protocol and its full implementation.

The Optional Protocol reaffirms the universality, indivisibility and inter-dependence of all human rights, and is a much needed and concrete step to rectify the imbalance in international protection for victims of violations of economic, social and cultural rights. It also reinforces the justiciability of economic, social and cultural rights by providing victims of violations of these rights who are unable to obtain an effective remedy in their domestic legal system, an opportunity to seek redress at the international level.

We call on all states to ratify the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and its Optional Protocol without reservations, and to ensure the Optional Protocol enters into force as soon as possible and fully implemented without delay. We also ask all states to make a declaration recognizing the competence of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to undertake inquiry and interstate procedures under this Optional Protocol.

We commend the decision of those states that have publicly committed to sign the Optional Protocol on September 24 and look forward to its ratification and implementation. We call on all States that have not yet taken a decision to sign the Optional Protocol to also participate in the ceremony and to affirm their commitment to ensuring the human rights in their countries by signing and ratifying it on Sept. 24th.

Becoming a party to the Optional Protocol will reinforce the commitment of States to develop and ensure effective remedies for victims of violations of economic, social and cultural rights at both the domestic and international levels. Signing the Optional Protocol will be a tangible demonstration of States’ commitment to bring this important legal instrument into force as soon as possible and to create an effective avenue of redress for victims.

The petition

The petition calling on states to sign and ratify the Optional Protocol was launched by the NGO Coalition on 13 July 2009. Signatures are being collected online and in person by members of the NGO Coalition. The petition is available at www.protectallhumanrights.org and will remain open until 30 September. It reads as follows: “We, the undersigned organisations and individuals, call on all States of the world to ensure that access to justice and the right to an effective remedy become a reality for all victims of human rights violations. We urge all States to become a party to the Optional Protocol when it opens for signature on September 24, 2009; to ensure that it enters into force as soon as possible; and to take all necessary steps to fully implement the Optional Protocol without delay. We call on those countries that are not yet a party to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to ratify or accede to this treaty immediately and to also sign to the Optional Protocol on September 24.”

Background

The Steering Committee of the International NGO Coalition for an Optional Protocol to the ICESCR is composed by the following organisations: Amnesty International; Community Law Centre, South Africa; Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE), Switzerland; International Network for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR-Net), USA; Food First Information and Action Network (FIAN) International Secretariat, Germany; International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), Switzerland; International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), France; International Women’s Rights Action Watch Asia-Pacific (IWRAW Asia-Pacific), Malaysia; Inter-American Platform of Human Rights, Democracy and Development (PIDHDD), Paraguay; Social Rights Action Centre, (SRAC), Canada.