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Activities
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
2022
May 2022 Olivier De Schutter visited Kyrgyzstan from 23 May to 3 June 2022 to examine the Government’s efforts to eradicate poverty. All documents related to this visit can be found on the country visits webpage.
May 2022 Replies were received by Indonesia, Accor, Vinci Constructions and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to the Special Rapporteur’s communication of 8 March 2022.
11 May 2022 Press Release: Lebanon: UN expert warns of ‘failing State’ amid widespread poverty.
11 May 2022 Op-ed: A message to Lebanon’s next government: recover stolen wealth, build accountability.
8 March 2022 The Special Rapporteur sent a follow-up communication to Indonesia, various private companies (Accor, Club Med and Vinci Constructions) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank regarding the human rights violations and abuses allegedly committed in the implementation of the Mandalika urban development and tourism project.
23 February 2022 The Special Rapporteur sent a follow-up communication to Spain on the serious situation faced by the people living in the Cañada Real Galiana.
22 January 2022 The Special Rapporteur received a reply from the United Kingdom to his communication from 13 September 2022.
2021
November 2021 The Special Rapporteur visited Nepal from 29 November to 9 December 2021 to examine the Government’s efforts to alleviate poverty. All documents related to this visit can be found on the country visits webpage.
November 2021 The UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Olivier De Schutter, undertook a human rights fact-finding mission to Lebanon from 1 to 12 November 2021. All documents related to this visit can be found on the country visits webpage.
20 October 2021 Op-ed: To end poverty, invest in children.
20 October 2021 Olivier De Schutter presents his thematic report on the persistence of poverty to the General Assembly in New York. In an accompanying press release, he states: “Poverty and privilege continue to reproduce themselves in vicious cycles, driven by unacceptable levels of inequality. But with political will, we can break these cycles, and move from fate to opportunity.
15 October 2021 Op-ed: Inclusive education to break the cycles of poverty, jointly written by Olivier De Schutter and Donald Lee.
8 October 2021 The Special Rapporteur addresses to the plenary session of the World Human Rights Cities Forum, focusing on the importance of cities and local governments in the implementation of economic and social rights.
6 October 2021 Olivier De Schutter features in a new film about discrimination experienced by people in poverty, in which he participates in a round table engaging with people living in poverty who are involved in the ATD Fourth World movement, discussing discrimination and how it can be fought.
13 September 2021 A communication was sent to the United Kingdom on its plan to cut an uplift to Universal Credit by £20 per week at the end of September 2021
10 September 2021 The Special Rapporteur was interviewed by Global Citizen on global efforts to create a social protection floor, stating: “From cradle to grave, people should be guaranteed access to essential health care and basic income security. This is the basic idea behind social protection floors, a set of basic social security guarantees defined at national level, to make sure that everybody can reach what is considered as necessary in a particular society.”
July 2021 Op-Ed: Preparing the Economy to Face the Next Shock: the New Global Fund for Social Protection
July 2021 Launch of new animated video: 5 myths about social protection
1 July 2021 Olivier De Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights held a press conference on July 1 at 11 am CET following up on the presentation of his report at the Human Right Council
30 June 2021 Presentation of the UN Special Rapporteur’s new thematic report: "Global fund for Social Protection: international solidarity in the service of poverty eradication" to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva
16 June 2021 Special Rapporteur published an artile on the 10th Anniversary of the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights: Towards a social economy: The next generation of the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights - Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (business-humanrights.org)
June 2021 The UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights launched a long-term video project to support the campaign for global social protection. It is meant to gather momentum and to support exchanges between civil society groups around the world.
May 2021 Publication of the Report on the Mandate’s activities (May 2020-May 2021)
20 May 2021 The UN Special Rapporteur participated at the 2021 HLPF Thematic Review Expert Group Meeting.
29 January 2021 Press Conference at the end of the SR's visit to the EU
2020
November 2020 - January 2021 Visit to the EU institutions
October 2020 Presentation to the GA of the SR’s Tematic report on the “just transition” in the economic recovery: Eradicating poverty within planetary boundaries
Video message: Eradicating poverty within planetary boundaries (English | Français)
8-9 October 2020 Social Forum – Presentation of the poverty matrix
13 July 2020 Webinar: COVID-19 and the human rights of people living in poverty (PDF)
July 2020 Presentation to the HRC 44th session of the SR’s thematic report on the parlous state of poverty eradication and his country visit report to Spain
June 2020 Launch of a special report on the impact of COVID-19 on people living in poverty
1 May 2020 Presentation of key challenges facing the fight against poverty and thematic priorities for the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights at the beginning of his mandate.
January 2020 Visit to Spain
2019
September 2019
- Amicus brief in the case of NJCM c.s./De Staat der Nederlanden (SyRI): Implications of the use of digital technologies in welfare states
- Reply of the Government of the Netherlands to the SyRI case
August 2019 Visit to Malaysia
March 2019 Visit to Lao PDR
2018
22 February 2018 UN expert on extreme poverty and human rights to visit Ghana
31 January 2018 Special Rapporteur sends a reply to the Australian Government on Social Services Legislation Amendment Act and Cashless Bill (See the Australian Government's reply, 15 January 2018)
2017
15 December 2017 Press conference at the end of the SR's visit to the USA
1-15 December 2017 UN expert on extreme poverty and human rights to visit the United States (Spanish version)
25 October 2017 The Special Rapporteur sends a follow-up letter to the Government of Saudi Arabia on women's rights (25 October 2017)
17 October 2017 Information Note: "UN expert denounces Australia plan to drug-test benefit claimants as "cheap shot" at most vulnerable" (17 October 2017) (See the full letter to the Government)
2016
5 October 2016 "The UN's lawyers are effectively defending impunity, rather than immunity" - Letter to the Deputy Secretary-General on the UN responsibility for the cholera outbreak in Haiti and
12 October 2016 his reply
2015
29 September 2015, The approach of the World Bank is incoherent and unsustainable": Special Rapporteur publishes report on World Bank and human rights
2014
12 December 2014, the Special Procedures mandate holders issue a letter to the World Bank concerning the review of its Safeguards policies
7 November 2014, Special Rapporteur publishes an op-ed in the Washington Post on the World Bank's long-standing aversion to discussing human rights
24 October 2014, Special Rapporteur presents his first report to the General Assembly