INCIDE social

Hilario Pérez de León No. 80

Col. Niños Héroes de Chapultepec

Delegación Benito Juárez

C.P. 03440, México, D.F.

 Tel. y fax: (5255) 55 90 87 54 y (5255) 55 79 74 13

 observatoriopoliticasocial@incidesocial.org

C O N T A C T

M É X I C Owww.observatoriopoliticasocial.org

Alida BernalFernando CortésDaptnhe CuevasMario Luis FuentesClara JusidmanOliva LópezEnrique ProvencioRosa María RubalcavaCarlos SalasGonzalo SaravíGerardo SauriEnrique ValenciaAlberto SerdánJavier Gutiérrez

 Héctor Nájera

Olivia RodríguezSara Eny CurielOsiris MarínIngrith CarreónYacotzin Bravo

This material was produced thanks to the support of the Ford Foundation.

CITIZEN COUNCIL

COORDINATOR

TECHNICAL GROUP

ArtworkDiego Manuel Rodriguez, Looking at the Stars,

Fantastical Cities Collection, 2005.Acrylic on fabric, 97 x 130 cm.

Graphic designMiguel Angel Leyva R.

What are Human Rights?They are the attributes which originate from the inherent dignity of all people and that, when exercised; allow us to enjoy the goods and freedoms necessary for a full and free life.

All human beings have these rights regardless of place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language or any other condition.

Human rights are political, civil, economic, social, and cultural.

Human rights are: universal - they correspond to all people; inalienable – they cannot be taken away, lost or renounced; indivisible – they cannot be divided and one cannot be promoted at the expense of others; and interde-pendent – they are interrelated in such a way as that the enjoyment of one depends on the enjoyment of the rest and that if one is violated, the rest are also violated.

The international instruments have defined the following State obligations in terms of human rights:

a. To Respect. To abstain from adopting measures that impede the enjoy-ment of human rights.b. To Protect. To guarantee that non-state actors respect human rights and, in case they do not, to provide legal means for their defense.c. To Promote. To adopt measures –legislative, policy and public program-mes, to the maximize resource allocation – that make it possible for the entire population to enjoy their human rights. d. To Guarantee. To ensure access to a given right for the bearer who is unable in to access the good for him or herself.

Economic, social and cultural rights (ESCR) are those rights that make it possible for a person and their family to enjoy an adequate standard of living.

The international instruments that protect ESCR are:

Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948

The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), 1966

Additional Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights in the Area of Economic,

Social and Cultural Rights "Protocol of San Salvador", 1988

The Social Policy and Human Rights ObservatoryThe Social Policy and Human Rights Observatory is a Social Development and Citizens’ Initiative (INCIDE Social, A.C.) project.

It’s creation arose from the need to develop public scrutiny mechanisms that would oblige state powers to formulate public policies which lead towards the respect for and guarantee of human rights.

The Observatory obtains, systematises and makes available information on the decisions and actions of the Mexican state that relate to the following economic, social and cultural rights:

• Health, • Nutrition, • Education, • Work, work conditions, • Housing, • Adequate standard of living, • Environment, • Culture

In addition, it presents information relating to the rights of population groups such as children, adolescents, women, senior adults, disabled, migrants and indigenous people.

The Social Policy and Human Rights Observatory can be accessed at the web-page www.observatoriopoliticasocial.org

What type of information can be found here?Qualitative Information • Information on the monitoring of the three powers of the Mexican state:1. Executive power– this includes the monitoring of social policy based on the National Development Plan: social programmes are analysed in order to identify if the objectives, strategies and action plans promote the fulfillment of ESCR.2. Legislative power– the proposals and rulings in relation to legal initiatives are revised and systematised in order to identify the normative adjustments that could have an effect on the protection and recognition of ESCR.3. Judicial power– monitoring is done based on the legal decisions delivered by the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation that are related to ESCR as well as of informative notes and relevant news on the latest issues discussed by the Court.

• Monitoring of the pressA revision of five of the principal newspapers in the country in order to observe what is happening on a state, national and international level, in respect to ESCR.

• Virtual LibraryInformation related to the ESCR national and international legal framework, the related national policy instruments: National Develop-ment Plan, sectorial and special programmes as well as the historical archive of documents analysed by the Observatory.

Indicators and statistics• System of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Indicators (SIDESC)

The SIDESC presents quantitative indicators since the year 2000 that allow the observation and monitoring of the level of fulfilment of ESCR at the national, state and local government levels.Within the SIDESC information is organised by right and within each of these, indicators are organised according to the following criteria:

• Accessibility: Those that make reference to the fact that public establish-ments, goods and/or services in the area of ESCR are within reach of the community.

• Availability: This includes indicators that offer information on available public infrastructure, goods and services that act as basic determinants of ESCR.

• Quality: Those indicators that relate to the quality of services received or enjoyed by the population.

• Attainability: These are the indicators related to principles of access for populations in less favourable conditions such as: rural areas, indigenous groups, lower income earners, and those who suffer marginalisation and social disparity.

The SIDESC contains charts, maps and graphs for comparing information.

What can you learn from the Social Policy and Human Rights Observatory?• What your economic, social and cultural rights are; • What instruments and laws protect them; • Verify the degree to which the Mexican State is fulfilling their obligations to

protect, respect, promote and guarantee those rights; • The observable differences in which these rights are carried out within the

national territory using information from the state and local governments; • If the diverse Federal Government policies, programmes and actions, the

legislation passed by the Congress, and the decisions of the Supreme Court of Justice promote or work against the fulfilment of human rights.