From: <b class="gmail_sendername">Rebecca Brown</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:rbrown@escr-net.org">rbrown@escr-net.org</a>></span><br><div class="gmail_quote">From: Rolf Künnemann [<a href="mailto:kuennemann@fian.org">kuennemann@fian.org</a>]<br>
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We are very pleased to announce that the Maastricht Principles on Extraterritorial Obligations of States in the area of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights have been adopted and are now public. You will find below the Press Release as well as the URL for the final version of the Principles. The conference in Maastricht during which 40 experts discussed and adopted these Principles could draw on the tremendous work of the Consortium and its members over the last years.<br>
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In terms of the work specifically on the Principles, they will be translated into Arabic, French and Spanish in the coming weeks. The work on the Commentary on the Maastricht Principles will continue and both the Principles and Commentary will be formally launched in Geneva during the 19th session of the Human Rights Council.<br>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:TimesNewRomanPSMT;mso-bidi-font-family:TimesNewRomanPSMT;
color:black"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-family:Arial-BoldMT;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial-BoldMT;color:black">Press
Release</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:ArialMT;mso-bidi-font-family:ArialMT;color:black">Maastricht/Geneva,
17 October 2011</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style=""><b><span style="font-family: Arial-BoldMT; color: black;"><br></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-family:Arial-BoldMT;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial-BoldMT;color:black">Principles
on Extra-Territorial Human Rights Obligations Adopted</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: ArialMT; color: black;"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:ArialMT;mso-bidi-font-family:ArialMT;color:black">The Maastricht Centre for Human Rights of Maastricht University
and the</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:ArialMT;mso-bidi-font-family:ArialMT;color:black">International
Commission of Jurists are pleased to announce the adoption of the</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-family:Arial-BoldMT;
mso-bidi-font-family:Arial-BoldMT;color:black">Maastricht</span></b><b><span style="font-family:Arial-BoldMT;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial-BoldMT;color:black">
Principles on Extra-Territorial Obligations (ETOs) of States in</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style=""><b><span style="font-family:Arial-BoldMT;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial-BoldMT;color:black">the
area of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights</span></b><span style="font-family: ArialMT; color: black;">. <br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: ArialMT; color: black;"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">
<span style="font-family:ArialMT;mso-bidi-font-family:ArialMT;color:black">These international legal principles
clarify the human rights obligations of States beyond their own borders.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: ArialMT; color: black;"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:ArialMT;mso-bidi-font-family:ArialMT;color:black">The
Principles cover all economic, social and cultural rights, including among</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:ArialMT;mso-bidi-font-family:ArialMT;color:black">others the
right to just and favourable conditions of work, social security, an</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:ArialMT;mso-bidi-font-family:ArialMT;color:black">adequate
standard of living, food, housing, water, sanitation, health, education</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:ArialMT;mso-bidi-font-family:ArialMT;color:black">and
participation in cultural life.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: ArialMT; color: black;"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:ArialMT;mso-bidi-font-family:ArialMT;color:black">The
Maastricht Principles constitute the outcome of the deliberations of a group</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:ArialMT;mso-bidi-font-family:ArialMT;color:black">of 40
distinguished experts in international law and human rights from all regions</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:ArialMT;mso-bidi-font-family:ArialMT;color:black">of the
world. The expert group includes present and former members of</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:ArialMT;mso-bidi-font-family:ArialMT;color:black">international
human rights treaty bodies; present and former special procedures</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:ArialMT;mso-bidi-font-family:ArialMT;color:black">mandate
holders of the United Nations Human Rights Council; and leading</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:ArialMT;mso-bidi-font-family:ArialMT;color:black">academic
and civil society legal experts. The experts met in Maastricht from 26</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:ArialMT;mso-bidi-font-family:ArialMT;color:black">to 28
September 2011 at a conference co-convened by the Maastricht University</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:ArialMT;mso-bidi-font-family:ArialMT;color:black">and the
ICJ and considered legal analysis conducted over a period of four years</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:ArialMT;mso-bidi-font-family:ArialMT;color:black">by the ETO
Consortium, consisting of academic, civil society and other</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:ArialMT;mso-bidi-font-family:ArialMT;color:black">independent
experts on economic, social and cultural rights.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: ArialMT; color: black;"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:ArialMT;mso-bidi-font-family:ArialMT;color:black">The
Principles take as their starting point the conviction that the human rights of</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:ArialMT;mso-bidi-font-family:ArialMT;color:black">individuals
and peoples are necessarily impacted substantially in both negative</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:ArialMT;mso-bidi-font-family:ArialMT;color:black">and
positive ways by the conduct of States other than their own. The Principles</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:ArialMT;mso-bidi-font-family:ArialMT;color:black">affirm
that States are obliged to cooperate and assist other states in realizing</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:ArialMT;mso-bidi-font-family:ArialMT;color:black">economic,
social and cultural rights of all people. They also make clear that</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:ArialMT;mso-bidi-font-family:ArialMT;color:black">States may
be held responsible for the adverse effects that their conduct brings</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:ArialMT;mso-bidi-font-family:ArialMT;color:black">to the
enjoyment of rights beyond their own borders.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:TimesNewRomanPSMT;mso-bidi-font-family:TimesNewRomanPSMT;
color:black"><br></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:ArialMT;mso-bidi-font-family:ArialMT;color:black">The
experts stressed that economic globalization and the increasing shift in</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:ArialMT;mso-bidi-font-family:ArialMT;color:black">decision-making
competency and authority to international bodies were placing</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:ArialMT;mso-bidi-font-family:ArialMT;color:black">great
strain on the capacity of each State to realize human rights of their own</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:ArialMT;mso-bidi-font-family:ArialMT;color:black">nationals
and residents, and that all States acting singly or jointly must act to</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:ArialMT;mso-bidi-font-family:ArialMT;color:black">ensure
that human rights do not become a casualty of this trend.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:ArialMT;mso-bidi-font-family:ArialMT;color:black">The
Maastricht Principles complement and build on the 1986 Limburg Principles</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:ArialMT;mso-bidi-font-family:ArialMT;color:black">for the
implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:ArialMT;mso-bidi-font-family:ArialMT;color:black">Cultural
Rights and on the 1997 Maastricht
Guidelines on Violations of</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:ArialMT;mso-bidi-font-family:ArialMT;color:black">Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights. They constitute a significant contribution</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:ArialMT;mso-bidi-font-family:ArialMT;color:black">towards
the achievement of the historic promise made by States in the Charter of</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:ArialMT;mso-bidi-font-family:ArialMT;color:black">the United
Nations to promote universal respect for, and observance of, human</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:ArialMT;mso-bidi-font-family:ArialMT;color:black">rights and
fundamental freedoms for all.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: ArialMT; color: black;"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:ArialMT;mso-bidi-font-family:ArialMT;color:black">The text
of the Maastricht Principles is available at:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:ArialMT;mso-bidi-font-family:ArialMT;
color:blue">www.maastrichtuniversity/humanrights </span><span style="font-family:
ArialMT;mso-bidi-font-family:ArialMT;color:black">and </span><span style="font-family:ArialMT;mso-bidi-font-family:ArialMT;color:blue"><a href="http://www.icj.org">www.icj.org</a></span></p>
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URL: <*> 2 of 2 File(s) <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ESCR-Right-to-Health/attachments/folder/1667457055/item/list" target="_blank">http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ESCR-Right-to-Health/attachments/folder/1667457055/item/list</a><br>
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