In the present report, the Independent Expert on human rights and international solidarity, examines the role of the expression of international solidarity for the fuller realization of human rights within the context of economic security and insecurity. The availability or absence of economic security is inherently intertwined with the rights of individuals and peoples to pursue a decent standard of living, maximize their capabilities and live a life of dignity. Analyses of the role of international solidarity in the advancement of economic security, and thus in the amelioration of economic insecurity, are critical in the current era, marked as it is by globalization, interconnected supply chains, the increasing deployment of technology in production and the corresponding displacement of traditional labour patterns.

In recent times, economic insecurity has also been induced by a myriad of factors, including the crash in oil prices and the rise of precarious employment, propelled partly by growth in the sharing economy. In addition, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has left many people without adequate sources of income and with limited prospects of finding stable and secure employment, at least in the near term. These events occur against the backdrop of heightened trade tensions and uncertainties within the international trade regime, which serve as an added layer of pressure, eliciting unpredictable reactions from States and private actors.

The report is divided into nine sections:

1. Introduction
2. Understanding economic security in the context of the expression of international solidarity for the realization of human rights
3. Guarantees of international solidarity for the realization of economic security under international human rights law
4. Positive expressions of international solidarity for the fuller realization of human rights within the context of economic security
5. International solidarity gaps in the context of economic security that can have a negative impact on the enjoyment of certain human rights
6. Conclusions and recommendations