Introduction

Abstract

Abstract The International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) entered into force on 3 January 1976, following the deposit of the 35th instrument of ratification. Together with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR) it forms part of the ‘International Bill of Rights’ which was intended to form the basis of freedom, justice, and world peace following the Second World War. Despite the ambition of the United Nations to secure the foundations of the new world order upon a respect for human rights, it took nearly twenty years to finalize the text of the Covenant. A further decade lapsed before the Covenant entered into force and yet another before the Covenant was provided with a supervisory body that was worthy of the name.