Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

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Do you have the Constitution for this?

We are working to strengthen the protection of economic, social and cultural (ESC) rights, like the rights to health, housing and to an adequate standard of living in Ireland. By putting ESC rights into Irish law the Government would be guaranteeing everyone in Ireland a life of dignity to the extent that our resources allow. It would mean decisions made by the Government must contribute to the delivery of these rights. This includes a guarantee that every single one of us can access, at the very least, an adequate standard of living.

Ireland committed to uphold these rights in international law, when it ratified the United Nations International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) in 1989. In 23 February 2014, the Constitutional Convention recommended that the Irish Constitution be amended to further protect ESC rights.

Our work on the ESC rights campaign was thanks to the generous support of the Atlantic Philanthropies foundation.

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