On March 29, 2019, the Center for Constitutional Rights joined with the Human Rights in the U.S. Project of the Columbia Law School Human Rights Institute (HRI) to send a submission to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights in response to his request for input regarding the Recognition, Institutionalization and Accountability Framework for Economic and Social Rights.

Our submission (1) highlights how the lack of legal recognition and institutionalization of economic and social rights, as well as the dearth of any national-level accountability mechanisms perpetuates inequality and marginalizes individuals living in poverty; (2) uses recent federal efforts to penalize and, ultimately, deny permanent immigration status to individuals who seek basic social protections as one example of the harms that result from the failure to recognize and protect economic and social rights; (3) shines a spotlight on some promising initiatives emerging at the state and local level as a result of grassroots organizing to demonstrate that alternative rights-based approaches are possible; and (4) provides initial suggestions for concrete actions that the Special Rapporteur can promote to improve recognition and protection of economic and social rights, even in the absence of constitutional and legal recognition of these fundamental rights.

Read our  full submission below.