On Economic, Social And Cultural Rights, The International Convention On The Supervision Mechanism

The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights depends solely on a reporting system for its implementation under which reports from states parties are submitted and examined. With the principle of state sovereignty as its backdrop, the reporting system under the Covenant operates to ensure the protection of economic, social and cultural rights without impairing the sovereignty of states parties through a constructive dialogue between the supervisory body and the states parties. As a subsidiary organ of ECOSOC, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which undertakes the supervision of the Covenant, derives all its authority from, and is responsible to, ECOSOC instead of states parties. As a result, the supervisory body has been able to develop its working methods flexibly on the one hand; but the on the other it is uncertain whether its decisions are binding upon states parties.It is a great development in the cause of international human rights for a special global system of supervision to be instituted to facilitate the realization of economic, social and cultural rights. The reporting system under the Covenant proves effective and fruitful as a whole. But there still exist some limits to the system of supervision because: the Covenant has too many vague provisions; the Committee has insufficient resources at its disposal; and the states parties are overburdened by reporting.We must keep our promises in the Covenant as the principle of pacta sunt servanda requires. By submitting reports, we will be giving more publicity to our efforts and achievements in respect of economic, social and cultural rights and expanding our influence and reputation at the international level. At present greater efforts should be made to study the Covenant. We must also raise the social awareness of economic, social and cultural rights and take effective measures to ensure the progressive realization of those rights.