International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights is a treaty adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in December 1966, together with the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and it entered into force in 1976. It turns into binding obligations the rights set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, such as the rights to work, fair wages, social security, health, education and an adequate standard of living. States agree to work progressively toward the full realization of these rights, using their available resources, rather than to guarantee them immediately. A UN committee monitors compliance, and an optional protocol since 2008 allows complaints.

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