Moeckli, Keller, & Heri: The Human Rights Covenants at 50: Their Past, Present, and Future

Daniel Moeckli (Univ. of Zurich - Law), Helen Keller (Univ. of Zurich - Law), & Corina Heri (Univ. of Amsterdam - Law) have published The Human Rights Covenants at 50: Their Past, Present, and Future (Oxford Univ. Press 2018). Contents include:

• Helen Keller & Daniel Moeckli, Introduction
• Maya Hertig Randall, The History of the Covenants: Looking Back Half a Century and Beyond
• Gerald Neuman, Giving Meaning and Effect to Human Rights: The Contributions of Human Rights Committee Members
• Daniel Moeckli, Interpretation of the ICESCR: Between Morality and State Consent
• Patrick Mutzenberg, The Role of NGOs in the Implementation of the Covenants
• Manisuli Ssenyonjo, Influence of the ICESCR in Africa
• Basak Çali, Influence of the ICCPR in the Middle East
• Mónica Pinto & Martin Sigal, Influence of the ICESCR in the Americas
• Yogesh Tyagi, Influence of the ICCPR in Asia
• Amrei Müller, Influence of the ICESCR in Europe
• Samantha Besson, The Influence of the Two Covenants on States Parties Across Regions: Lessons for the Role of Comparative Law and of Regions in International Human Rights Law
• Stephen Humphreys, The Covenants in the Light of Anthropogenic Climate Change
• Christine Kaufmann, The Covenants and Financial Crises
• Felice Gaer, The Institutional Future of the Covenants: A World Court for Human Rights?

Conference: Challenging Human Rights Disenchantment 50 years on from the ICCPR and ICESCR

On January 27, 2017, the Sussex Centre for Human Rights Research at the University of Sussex will host a conference on "Challenging Human Rights Disenchantment 50 years on from the ICCPR and ICESCR." The program is here. Here's the idea:

This international and interdisciplinary academic conference will involve a series of sessions linked together by the common theme of considering different forms (political, legal, social) of disenchantment with the state of human rights 50 years after the adoption of the International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights and on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; and whether and how any such disillusionment is being, or can be, challenged.

Saul: The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights: Travaux Preparatoires

Ben Saul (Univ. of Sydney - Law) has published The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights: Travaux Preparatoires (Oxford Univ. Press 2016). Here's the abstract:

This book is the first collection of the drafting records of the one of the world's two foremost human rights treaties, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) of 1966. It makes an important contribution to understanding the origins and meaning of economic and social rights, which were drafted over almost two decades years between 1947 and 1966. There is increasing global interest in the stronger protection of economic, social, and cultural rights, which are vital to the survival, dignity, and prosperity of everyone. Since 2013, individuals have been able to complain to the United Nations about violations of their rights, and action can also often be taken through regional and national human rights procedures. In this context, many of the current debates surrounding economic and social rights can be best understood in the light of their drafting history.

This book judiciously selects, and chronologically presents, the most important drafting documents or extracts thereof between 1947 and 1966. The book contains an extensive annotated table of documents, allowing researchers to track the progress of the key rights and issues in the drafting. It also includes an original analytical introductory essay, which summarises and analyses the main procedural and substantive developments during the drafting. The essay charts the many influences on the recognition of economic and social rights at a key moment in history: the aftermath of the Second World War, which demonstrated the need to eliminate the economic and social causes of threats to global peace and security.

Symposium: 50th Anniversary of the Adoption of the ICCPR and the ICESCR

On April 14-15, 2016, Institute for Public International Law at the University of Zurich and the European Society of International Law will co-host a symposium on the "50th Anniversary of the Adoption of the ICCPR and the ICESCR." The program is here. Here's the idea:

On 16 December 2016 it will be 50 years since the UN General Assembly adopted the two human rights covenants, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). Not unlike with human beings, the 50th birthday of a treaty offers a good opportunity to reflect on what has been achieved in the years that have passed, to assess the present situation and to look to the future. This symposium aims to provide a forum for reflection on these issues by bringing together experts and stakeholders from a range of disciplines and world regions.