PHA-Exch> Sign the letter to support the Optional Protocol (send/sign as individuals)

[Claudio Schuftan]

From: ESCR-Net escr-net at escr-net.org

*English*

*Please send your  support by Friday May 30th, 2008*!

Dear colleagues,

We are approaching another key moment for the Optional Protocol to the
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (OP) and we
again need your support.   After the final session of the *UN Open-Ended
Working Group on an Optional Protocol to the ICESCR* held in March-April,
2008, a final text for the Optional Protocol was adopted partly thanks to
the overwhelming support that many of you provided.  The text will be
presented to the Human Rights Council for its adoption and transmission to
the UN General Assembly.

Even though the text adopted for the OP is not perfect, it does represent an
important compromise and is the result of 5 years of negotiations.  It is of
the essence that it is not reopened for renegotiation as this could lead to
a weaker OP and will delay its creation.

The Optional Protocol will make it possible for individuals, groups or
organizations acting on their behalf to seek justice at the international
level for violations of economic, social and cultural rights by submitting
complaints to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The
adoption of the Optional Protocol will also provide support to efforts to
get greater recognition of economic, social and cultural rights in domestic
law and before courts, and it will strengthen our monitoring role, as civil
society organizations.

The *NGO Coalition for the Optional Protocol on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights *has prepared a letter (attached with this e-mail) for
supportive States to request them to adopt the OP draft without changes.
It is essential for the success of our lobbying that we can demonstrate that
this appeal and the Optional Protocol have wide support. *We would therefore
request you to sign on to this appeal either as an individual or an
organization by May 30th, 2008*.* *



If you are willing to sign it, please send an email to escr-net at escr-net.org,
indicating your *name, country and organization (if applicable).  *

We ask you to seriously consider being part of this initiative as well as
taking further action in the next and crucial steps for the adoption of the
Optional Protocol.  Last time we gathered more than 500 signatures in less
than a week.  We hope we will receive even more support this time!

We look forward to hearing from you,

*The Steering Committee of the NGO Coalition for the Optional Protocol *

* **

[Insert name and address]

XX May 2008

Dear [insert name],



This letter is sent to you on behalf of members and supporters of the NGO
Coalition for an Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

We, the undersigned organisations and individuals, welcome the draft
Optional Protocol that has been agreed upon at the last session of the
Open-Ended Working Group. We note and welcome the fact that [country] has
constructively engaged in the negotiation process. We consider the agreed
text to be a compromise by all sides and hope that there will be no further
attempts to limit or weaken the text, which could hinder individuals from
having access to an effective remedy.

The Optional Protocol presents a historic opportunity for the international
community to rectify the imbalance between civil and political rights and
economic, social and cultural rights, which has particularly denied the
poorest and most marginalized the ability to demand respect for and
protection of their rights. As the High Commissioner for Human Rights noted,
the optional protocol will send a strong and unequivocal message about the
equal value and importance of all human rights.

We urge [country] to consider supporting the resolution of the Human Rights
Council on the Optional Protocol as a co-sponsor in order to ensure the
swift transmission of the Optional Protocol to the General Assembly.

In the year of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights, we call on the international community to live up to the pledges of
that historic document and give greater effect to the right to a remedy for
violations of economic, social and cultural rights. To this end, we urge
[country] to support the adoption of the draft OP as transmitted by the
Working Group recognising the significant achievement in coming to an agreed
text.



Sincerely,

Steering Committee of the NGO Coalition for an Optional Protocol to the
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
*
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://phm.phmovement.org/pipermail/phm-exchange-phmovement.org/attachments/20080528/2b99b429/attachment-0001.html>