Dignity and Human Rights: The Implementation of Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights

Abstract

This book has been created by a collective of authors who belong to different (inter)national networks in the field of human rights. All were present at the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre. All are committed to the implementation of economic, social and cultural rights. Their contributions try to capture the dynamism and richness of the dialogues. Fundamental and operational issues are taken up, global alternatives and practical recommendations are presented. In the context of economic globalisation, no task other than the implementation of economic, social and cultural rights could be more urgent. From the side of the human rights community, the primacy of human rights obligations over economic policies has been reiterated on several occasions. The authors present the view that human dignity and human rights need to be brought to the centre of the current debate on globalisation. Indeed, whereas human dignity is the core and the foundation of human rights, it is through the implementation of rights that dignity is protected.