HUMAN RIGHTS BASED APPROACHES TO INTERNATIONAL …



Challenging Poverty and Inequality through Human Rights:

International Strategy Meeting on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and ESCR-NET General Assembly

Nairobi, Kenya

December 1 - 4, 2008

Working Session Agendas

Content

I. INTRODUCTION

II. ADJUDICATION OF ESCR

III. OPTIONAL PROTOCOL TO THE ICESCR

IV. BUDGET ANALYSIS AND ESCR

V. CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY

VI. TRADE, INVESTMENT, FINANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS

VII. HUMAN RIGHT TO HEALTH

VIII. WOMEN AND ESCR

Introduction

One of the main goals of the International Strategy Meeting is to provide the space for its Members to create new and more systematic pathways for greater collective global action on social and economic justice through human rights. Participants in ESCR-Net’s different areas of work will benefit significantly from meeting together—in one location with interpretation and preparation—to network, strategize and advance their collective agendas as well as to explore the intersections of their work. Additionally, the meeting will provide the occasion to explore the development of new areas of collective work or the reactivation of others that respond to identified gaps and emerging challenges in the field or work done in the past within ESCR-Net.[1]

The International Strategy Meeting is comprised of three morning plenary sessions, a number of afternoon working sessions, a General Assembly to debate governance issues and open spaces organized by participants to discuss issues not included on the main agenda. Site-visits will also be organized. Please refer to the calendar for more detail.

The three morning plenary sessions will be held to share the collective work done to date by ESCR-Net members in each area, to reflect on the difficulties and challenges ahead, to explore building a more effective, collective effort that responds to the needs of social movement and grassroots groups, and to discuss conceptual developments that have occurred in the field in recent years.

The afternoon working sessions, for its part, will revolve around the five thematic areas members of the Network have been working on and two potential new (or renewed) areas of work for ESCR-Net identified through the applications process:

• Adjudication of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR)

• Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

• Budget Analysis and ESCR

• Corporate Accountability

• Trade, Investment, Finance and Human Rights

• The Human Right to Health

• Women and ESCR

In this context and considering that the agenda of each area has been developed as a coherent and cohesive set of sessions to prepare strategic discussions on collective work plans, we highly encouraged participants throughout the sign-up process – and we again encourage them – to choose ONE area of work and closely follow its discussions. We request all participants to respect the choice of working sessions they made during the sign up process as we have assigned interpretation and room sizes according to those choices. Please note that the sessions of each area of work will take place simultaneously and that some sessions will be co-hosted by two or more groups.

The following agendas have been designed using a constantly collaborative process, based on the input of a number of involved organizations and individual activists. We greatly appreciate their time and thank them especially for the effort they devoted to helping to develop these working session agendas.

Please Note: All sessions indicate which languages will be available. When an asterisk (*) is next to the language, this indicates only “whispering” interpretation is available during this session. If there is no asterisk, it means there will be full simultaneous interpretation available.

Agendas

Adjudication of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

This area of work was created to facilitate communication between and develop tools for organizations and individuals interested in defending ESCR through legal mechanisms. The Meeting will provide a forum for the exchange of strategies and updated information on the development of case law related to ESCR, thereby contributing to the continuous development and update of the ESCR-Net Caselaw Database and other projects of this group. 

DAY ONE

Monday, December 1st 2008

Session 1: 1:15-3:15pm

Justiciability of ESC Rights: Stories and Lessons from the Ground

Location: Main Meeting Hall (across from Hotel)

Languages: English, Spanish, French*

This introductory session aims at sharing different experiences of domestic and international justiciability of ESC rights from four regions of the world (Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe). Presenters will reflect particularly on general lessons learned from their experience.

Presentations

• Brief presentation of the history of the Working Group, goals of the meeting and the case law database - Julieta Rossi, ESCR-Net Secretariat

• Out from the shadows: South Asian courts take on ESC rights - Sara Hossain, Barrister, Supreme Court of Bangladesh

• A model of comprehensive enforcement? The Colombian Constitutional Court - Cesar Rodriguez, DeJusticia, Colombia

• Building an effective litigation strategy: The case of the right to water in South Africa - Jackie Dugard, Centre for Applied Legal Studies, South Africa

• Social rights of Roma: Lessons learned from a decade of European litigation - Andi Dobrushi, European Roma Rights Centre, Romania

• Moderator: Julieta Rossi, ESCR-Net Secretariat

Session 2: 3:30-5:00pm

Round table: Making the Connection – Lawyers, Social Movements and Claimants

Location: Main Meeting Hall (across from Hotel)

Languages: English, Spanish, French*

Co-hosted with the Optional Protocol to the ICESCR Group, this roundtable aims at generating a lively discussion on the relationship between lawyers and professional organizations, social movements and claimants in litigation. The debate will be preceded by brief presentations by various stakeholders: a claimant, a representative of a social movement, a representative of a community-based organization and a lawyer.

Presentations

• Social Movement - Marlon Santi, Sarayaku, Ecuador

• Social Movement - Regis Mtutu, Treatment Action Campaign, South Africa

• Lawyer - Odindo Opiata, Hakijamii, Kenya

• Moderator: Bruce Porter, Social Rights Action Centre, Canada

Session 3: 5:15-6:45pm

Current Conceptual Issues in ESC Rights Litigation

Location: Main Meeting Hall (across from Hotel)

Languages: English, Spanish, French*

Co-hosted with the Optional Protocol to the ICESCR Group, this session aims at discussing trends and challenges to current core issues that litigators are facing in the national and international spheres, namely, the challenges in litigating positive obligations, the reasonableness test, the limitations of claiming economic and social rights through civil and political rights and the difficulties in getting effective remedies.

Presentations

• Litigating Positive Obligations: From Resources to Collective Standing - Mario Gomez, International Commission of Jurists, Nepal and Sri Lanka

• How Far Can Civil and Political Rights Take Us? - Aoife Nolan, Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions, Ireland

• Getting Effective Remedies - Geoff Budlender, Legal advocate and Co-director of the Sigrid Rausing Trust, South Africa

• International and Domestic Adjudication of Social Rights: Making the Connection. The Challenge of the New OP-ICESCR - Bruce Porter, SRAC, Canada

• Litigating Social Rights in Latin America: Challenges and Opportunities Regarding Positive Obligations - Cesar Rodriguez, DeJusticia, Colombia

• Moderator: Nicolás Espejo, Corporación Derechos Humanos, Chile

DAY TWO

Tuesday, December 2nd 2008

Session 4: 11:45-1:15pm

Equality Rights and Social Rights: Litigation and Advocacy Strategies

Location: Main Meeting Hall (across from Hotel)

Languages: English, Spanish, French

Co-hosted with the Optional Protocol to the ICESCR and the Women and ESCR Groups, the purpose of this session is to examine litigation experiences on equality rights and the type of ESCR claims they generate, utilizing different international instruments. The session will focus on the differing views of equality articulated by women, indigenous people, migrants, people with disabilities, in particular in the context of increasing privatization and economic globalization.

Presentations

• Litigating Women’s Social Rights - Leilani Farha, Centre for Equality Rights and Accommodation, Canada

• The Rights of Women in the South African Courts - Noluthando Ntlokwana, Women’s Legal Centre, South Africa

• Intersections Between Claiming Social Rights and Fighting Discrimination Based on Poverty - Nuria Becú, Asociación Civil por Igualdad y Justicia (ACIJ), Argentina

• Accommodating ESC Rights in Disability Rights Case Law - Janet E. Lord, Harvard Project on Disability and BlueLaw International LLP, USA

• Moderator: Priiti Darooka, Program on Women´s Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, India

Session 5: 2:15-3:45pm

Globalization and Litigation Strategies

Location: Main Meeting Hall (across from Hotel)

Languages: English, Spanish, French*

Co-hosted with the ESCR-Net’s Corporale Accountability and Trade, Investment, Finance & Human Rights Groups, this session aims to explore the challenges of litigating and protecting ESCR in the global economy in traditional and non-traditional fora, like ICSID, the WTO dispute settlement panel, the Inspection Panel of the World Bank, etc. Presenters will focus on the strategies they have utilized and reflect on the strengths, weaknesses and limitations of using the law and its different mechanisms to uphold rights in the global economy. The open discussion of this panel will be oriented to identifying needs and developing channels for collective action in the area of human rights strategic litigation as related to the global economy.

Presentations

• World Bank Inspection Panel and Other International Human Rights Mechanisms - Bret Thiele, Center on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE), USA

• Civil Society Intervention Before ICSID: The Case of Suez v Argentina - Carolina Fairstein, Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales (CELS), Argentina

• Joining State and Civil Society Efforts Before the WTO: The Brazilian experience in the Tyres case - Marcela Vieira, Conectas, Brazil

• Challenging EU Partnership Agreements in the National Courts - Loiuza Kabiru, Kenya Human Rights Commission, Kenya

• Graniti v South Africa: A Multi-Pronged Strategy - Steve Kahanovitz, Legal Resources Centre, South Africa

• Challenging TRIPS in the National Courts – Colin Gonsalves, Human Rights Law Network, India

• Moderator: Judith Akot Oder, Interights, United Kingdom

Session 6: 4:00-5:30pm

Strategy Session: Setting a Future Agenda of Collaborative Work (Part I)

Location: Main Meeting Hall (across from Hotel)

Languages: English, Spanish, French*

Building on the work that has been done up to now by the Adjudication of ESCR group (such as the case law database and the discussion group), the aim of this session is twofold: 1) to explore barriers and challenges in the work to date on national and international adjudication of ESCR and determine how collaborative action could address them; and 2) to consolidate a common working agenda or action plan for the years ahead.

• Moderator: Malcolm Langford, Hakijamii, Kenya (Economic and Social Rights Centre) and the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights, Norway

DAY THREE

Wednesday, December 3rd 2008

Site-visit and ESCR-Net General Assembly.

DAY FOUR

Thursday, December 4th 2008

Session 7: 8:30-11:00am

Strategy Session: Setting a Future Agenda of Collaborative Work (Part II)

Location: Main Meeting Hall (across from Hotel)

Languages: English, Spanish, French*

• Moderator: Malcolm Langford, Hakijamii, Kenya (Economic and Social Rights Centre) and the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights, Norway

Continuation of ESCR-Net General Assembly.

III. Optional Protocol to the ICESCR

ESCR-Net has worked for many years in support of the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and now works as part of the Steering Committee of the NGO Coalition for an Optional Protocol.  This Coalition leads the OP-ICESCR Now! Campaign and has developed the agenda for this area of work.   Its main goal is to foster future collective action among participants in support of this mechanism which will allow victims of ESCR violations to seek justice within the UN System. The sessions will offer members of the Network an opportunity to identify spaces for collective action and strategies to support this mechanism.

DAY ONE

Monday, December 1st 2008

Session 1: 1:15-3:15pm

The OP Current Status, Future Challenges and Next Steps

Location: Nyati Room (In Hotel building)

Languages: English, Spanish

In this first session, participants (i) will be given some introductory information about the Optional Protocol, including general information on where the OP process is and on what challenges it faces; and (ii) will jointly explore the potential of this mechanism for the defense of ESCR of different groups, especially those that might not already be involved in supporting it (labor rights groups, indigenous peoples, women’s organizations).

Presentations

• Presentation on the Objectives and Aims of the Agenda and Brief Introduction on the Coalition for the Optional Protocol to the ICESCR and Brief Introduction on the Optional Protocol Process - Lilian Chenwi, Community Law Centre, South Africa

• The OP and the Potential of International Litigation on ESCR- Felix Morka, Social and Economic Rights Action Center (SERAC), Nigeria

• Migrants and Rural Workers – How Will the OP Strengthen Their Claims - Nicolas Espejo, Corporación Derechos Humanos, Chile

• Can the OP Help in the Protection of Informal Settlement Dwellers? -Joseph Schechla, Habitat International Coaltion (HIC), Egypt

• Women’s Human Rights. What is added by the OP-ICESCR? – Brenda Campbell, International Women’s Rights Action Watch - Asia Pacific (IWRAW-AP), UK

• Indigenous People – How will the OP strengthen their claims - Oscar Ayala Amarilla, Tierraviva, Paraguay

• Moderator: Elin Wrzoncki, International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH), France

Session 2: 3:30-5:00pm

Round Table: Making the Connection - Lawyers, Social Movements and Claimants

Location: Main Meeting Hall (across from Hotel)

Languages: English, Spanish, French*

Co-hosted with the Adjudication Working Group.

Refer to Session 2 of the Adjudication of ESCR agenda.

Session 3: 5:15-6:45pm

Current Conceptual Issues in ESC Rights Litigation

Location: Main Meeting Hall (across from Hotel)

Languages: English, Spanish, French*

Co-hosted with the Adjudication Working Group.

Refer to Session 3 of the Adjudication of ESCR agenda.

DAY TWO

Tuesday, December 2nd 2008

Session 4: 11:45-1:15pm

Equality Rights and Social Rights: Litigation and Advocacy Strategies

Location: Main Meeting Hall (across from Hotel)

Languages: English, Spanish, French*

Co-hosted with the Adjudication Working Group and Women and ESCR.

Refer to Session 4 of the Adjudication of ESCR agenda.

Session 5: 2:15-3:45pm

Next Steps for the Optional Protocol

Location: Nyati Room (in Hotel Building)

Languages: English, Spanish

The purpose of this session is to discuss what are the next steps that need to be taken in support of the Optional Protocol (1) Experiences of ratification efforts of other Human Rights mechanisms will be shared (2) the group will analyze strategies used in Geneva and in the capitals to push for ratification (4) The group will finally debate strategies for the future. (3) Joint efforts for ratification of the OP-ICESCR will be discussed and procedural and substantive challenges will be addressed. Unlike the introductory session, it is important that many SC Members are present in this session as it may very well help the Coalition to define follow-up and strategy activities

Presentations

• Campaign for the Ratification of the Migrants Rights Convention - Ashley William Gois, Migrants Rights International, Philippines

• Rome Statue: Amnesty’s Campaign for Universal Ratification - Meghna Abraham, Amnesty International, UK

• Use of the Internet to Promote Grassroots Action for Ratification: DPIs Experience with the CRPD - Steven Estey, Disabled Peoples International, Canada

• CEDAW: ‘Our Rights Are Not Optional! - Clara Rita Padilla, Engenderights, Philippines

• Campaign on the OP-ICESCR – Sandra Ratjen, FIAN International, Germany

• Moderator: Sandra Ratjen, FIAN International, Germany

This session will be conducted in a roundtable format and the moderator will build on the overview of the various campaigns presented by asking questions which require speakers elaborate on (1) what where the most successful aspects of their campaign, (2) what strategies had traction, (3) what received the greatest response, and (4) those aspects which failed or did not have the impact that was hoped for or expected, (5) why they were not successful and (6) what lessons were learned.

There will also be an invitation to join the Coalition, to sign an eventual advocacy letter.

Session 6: 4:00-5:30pm

Strategy Session: Setting a Future Agenda of Collaborative Work (Part I)

Location: Main Meeting Hall (across from Hotel)

Languages: English, Spanish, French*

Co-Hosted with the Adjudication Working Group.

Refer to Session 6 of the Adjudication of ESCR agenda.

DAY THREE

Wednesday, December 3rd 2008

Site-visit and ESCR-Net General Assembly.

DAY FOUR

Thursday, December 4th 2008

Session 7: 8:30-11:00am

Strategy Session: Setting a Future Agenda of Collaborative Work(Part II)

Location: Main Meeting Hall (across from Hotel)

Languages: English, Spanish, French*

Continuation of Session 6.

Continuation of ESCR-Net General Assembly.

IV. Budget Analysis and ESCR

This area of work was created to facilitate exchange between expert and novice practitioners of human rights budgeting to build awareness, support effective advocacy and increase accountability within the national and local budgeting process. The Meeting will provide a forum for networking, the exchange of strategies and newest information on the development of budget analysis on ESCR, thereby continuing to build capacity within the human rights field to undertake effective budget work.

DAY ONE

Monday, December 1st 2008

Session 1: 1:15-3:15pm

Using Budget Analysis to Protect Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

Location: Pink Room (located behind Administrative Building)

Languages: English, Spanish*, French*

This informative and mutual-learning session will begin by sharing distinct experiences of using budget analysis as a tool to protect economic, social and cultural rights. Presenting groups will give an overview of the challenges they face to accomplish this work as well as share the strategies they have used to overcome them. This first session will be composed of (i) presentations of a couple of key organizations doing different types of budget work; and (ii) an interactive space in which other groups will discuss about common challenges and possible solutions.

Presentations

• Welcome from ESCR-Net Secretariat – Chris Grove, ESCR-Net Consultant

• Fundar's Approach to Human Rights and Budgets - Gabriel Lara, FUNDAR, Mexico

• Applying ESCR Standards to Promote the Right to Health - Aloysius Toe, FOHRD, Liberia

• Public Interest Litigation: Implementing Effective Food Support Programs in India – Colin Gonsalves, Human Rights Law Network, India

• Gender Budgeting - Lourdes Colinas Suarez, UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Mexico

• Frontloading and the Protection of Rights - Michael Windfuhr, APRODEV, Switzerland

• Moderator: Ann Blyberg, International Human Rights Internship Program (IHRIP), USA

Session 2: 3:30-5:00pm

Roundtable: How to Utilize the ESCR Framework When Undertaking Budget Work (Part I)

Location: Pink Room (located behind Administrative Building)

Languages: English, Spanish*, French*

In the second and third sessions, participants will strategize on how to integrate budget analysis in the ESCR framework. In these two sessions, there will be a very short formal presentation period to provide a context for the work each speaker is doing in this area. The moderator will then lead a discussion among presenters on how specific standards in the field of ESCR such as “progressive realization”, “the use of the maximum available resources”, “discrimination”, etc. can be utilize when analyzing budget allocations. During the discussion, the speakers will highlight the ways in which the human rights standards above can be used in conjunction with budget analysis to strengthen the argument for greater accountability on implementation of ESCR obligations. Each presenter will relate their answers to their particular area of expertise (e.g. gender, macroeconomics, children, education, etc.). The panel discussion will be followed by discussion between presenters and the audience, allowing the audience to also question and strategize with the panelists on the various areas represented.

Presentations

• How to Link Budget Work with ESCR Obligations? Proposal of a Framework, Ann Blyberg, IHRIP, USA

• Roundtable Participants:

o Jackie Dugard, Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS), South Africa

o Nuria Becú, Asociación Civil por Igualdad y Justicia (ACIJ), Argentina

o Radhika Balakrishnan, Marymount Manhattan College, USA

• Moderator: Gabriel Lara, FUNDAR, Mexico

Session 3: 5:15-6:45pm

Roundtable: How to Utilize the ESCR Framework When Undertaking Budget Work (Part II)

Location: Pink Room (located behind Administrative Building)

Languages: English, Spanish*, French*

Please refer to the description for Session 2 (above).

Presentations

• Roundtable Participants:

o Helena Hofbauer, International Budget Partnership (IBP), Mexico

o Michael Windfuhr, APRODEV, Switzerland

o Carolina Fairstein, Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales (CELS), Argentina

• Response to presenters and matrix on obligations: Ann Blyberg, IHRIP, USA

• Moderator: Joseph Gitari, Ford Foundation, Nigeria

DAY TWO

Tuesday, December 2nd 2008

Session 4: 11:45-1:15pm

Identifying and Overcoming Challenges in Budget Work for Human Rights (Part I)

Location: Pink Room (located behind Administrative Building)

Languages: English, Spanish, French*

In sessions four and five, participants will analyze more in depth the obstacles and challenges faced by groups carrying out their work. An important step will be specifically to talk about what people need to work successfully in the field of Budget Analysis and ESCR (Resources, skills, methodologies, etc.). This analysis of challenges and problems will serve as the foundation to later decide on a concrete collaborative action plan. The session will break out into several smaller groups to ensure a more focused and in depth discussion. After the sub-group discussions, the groups will come back together to share key challenges identified in their group and possible strategies for overcoming them.

Sub-topics identified by participants

• Tracking Expenditures and Human Rights—Relating the two at the Grassroots/Community Level, Gabriel Lara, FUNDAR, Mexico

• Incorporating a Human Rights Perspective into Budget Analysis, Ann Blyberg, IHRIP, USA

• Incorporating a Women’s Rights into Budget Analysis, Edewede Kadiri, Development Initiative Network, Nigeria

• Accessing the Information Necessary to Conduct Effective Budget Analysis, Aloysius Toe, FOHRD, Liberia

• Moderator: Cornelieke Keizer, Equalinrights, Netherlands

Session 5: 2:15-3:45pm

Identifying and Overcoming Challenges in Budget Work for Human Rights (Part II)

Location: Pink Room (located behind Administrative Building)

Languages: English, Spanish, French*

Please refer to the description for Session 4 (above).

All groups will report conclusions from sub-group discussions in Session 4 and an open discussion will follow.

Moderator: Helena Hofbauer, IBP, Mexico

Session 6: 4:00-5:30pm

Strategy Session: Setting a Future Agenda of Collaborative Work (Part I)

Location: Pink Room (located behind Administrative Building)

Languages: English, Spanish, French*

Based on the discussion of the prior sessions and outreach done by ESCR-Net, participants will explore the possibility of building a common agenda for future collaborative action. Participants will consider in this session how to strategically foster and coordinate collective work alliances for the future and how to get people involved.

Moderators: Nuria Becú, ACIJ, Argentina and Chris Grove, ESCR-Net Consultant

DAY THREE

Wednesday, December 3rd 2008

Site-visit and ESCR-Net General Assembly.

DAY FOUR

Thursday, December 4th 2008

Session 7: 8:30-11:00am

Strategy Session: Setting a Future Agenda of Collaborative Work(Part II)

Location: Pink Room (located behind Administrative Building)

Languages: English, Spanish, French*

We will continue here the discussion started on day 2. Please refer to the description for session 6 (above).

Moderators: Nuria Becú, ACIJ, Argentina and Chris Grove, ESCR-Net Consultant

Continuation of ESCR-Net General Assembly.

V. Corporate Accountability

This area of work aims to collectively advance its efforts in three inter-related areas: building ongoing advocacy for international standards on business and human rights; continuing to strengthen the resource and knowledge base of the Network; and furthering the Working Group’s commitment to bringing affected communities and individuals, as well as grassroots groups into leadership positions in international debates on corporate accountability. During the International Strategy Meeting this will happen through a variety of activities, including workshops, strategy sessions and the development of an action plan for future work.

DAY ONE

Monday, December 1st 2008

Session 1: 1:15-3:15pm

Working Together to Hold Companies to Account for Human Rights: Overview of Work to Date

Location: Twiga Room (located in Hotel Building)

Languages: English, Spanish, French*

The goal of this session is to provide interested participants a more detailed recap of the history of the Corporate Accountability Working Group and its current projects and activities. First, we will begin with a brief overview of the Working Group’s advocacy efforts at the UN for international standards and mechanisms as well as its related documentation, organizing and resource-creation activities. Follow-up actions to influence the UN on the issue of business and human rights will then be discussed. Finally, we will reflect on work to date and provide first impressions on possible ways forward to increase cross-sector collaboration, in particular to ensure that affected communities and individuals and grassroots groups participate in international debates on corporate accountability through more active leadership in the Working Group. This session will close with an extended open forum to exchange experiences, success, failures, opportunities, and challenges amongst all participants.

Presentations

• Informative Background of Working Group - Niko Lusiani, ESCR-Net Secretariat

• Informative Background of Collective UN Standards Campaign - Lisa Misol, Human Rights Watch, USA

• Reflection/Evaluation on Work and First Impressions on Way Forward - Tricia Feeney, Rights and Accountability in Development (RAID), UK and Joji Carino, Tebtebba, Philippines

• Informal discussion and presentations on other groups’ experiences in local and int’l—success and failures, opportunities, challenges.

• Moderator: TBA

Session 2: 3:30-5:00pm

Workshop: Accessing Justice (Part I) – Researching a Company and Assessing Its Human Rights Impacts

Location: Twiga Room (located in Hotel Building)

Languages: English, Spanish, French*

A practical skills-based workshop of 3 parts will be conducted on access to justice for business-related human right abuses. Specific cases will be discussed in which groups brought their claims to various judicial and non-judicial mechanisms to leverage company behavior. Important thematic issues, such as indigenous, women and labor rights will also be highlighted in discussions of the various mechanisms. In doing so, we will discuss the successes, pitfalls and opportunities of such efforts to feed into important strategic discussions later in the week. Each of the workshops will be open and interactive to stimulate mutual-learning.

Part I will be a general training session on basic fact-finding of companies and its financing sources, necessary evidentiary elements to build the case and campaign, power-mapping the relevant actors, spaces, opportunities and targets, and community-led human rights impact assessments of business operations. It will conclude with an open, guided discussion on other participants’ experiences monitoring company behavior, and the potential for collective research within the Working Group.

Presentations

• Basic Fact-Finding of Companies and Power Mapping – T.J. Faircloth, Corporate Accountability International, USA

• Community-Led Human Rights Impact Assessments - Caroline Brodeur, Rights & Democracy, Canada and Joji Carino, Tebtebba, Philippines

• Moderator: Alejandra Ancheita, ProDESC, Mexico

Session 3: 5:15-6:45pm

Workshop: Accessing Justice (Part II) – Bringing a Case Against a Company

Location: Twiga Room (located in Hotel Building)

Languages: English, Spanish, French*, Portuguese*

Part II of the Accessing Justice Workshop will concentrate on the challenges and opportunities in bringing cases directly against companies. The discussion will highlight various avenues, such as through corporate liability litigation and inter-governmental bodies.

Presentations

• Using Accountability Mechanisms to Leverage Company Behavior - Danwood Chirwa, University of Cape Town, South Africa

• Permanent Forum, HRC, Special Procedures, African Commission - Legborsi Saro Pyagbara, Movement for the Survival of the Ongoni People, (MOSOP), Nigeria

• Avenues to Seek Redress within the UN and Regional Human Rights Systems – Julie Cavanaugh-Bill, Western Shoshone Defense Project, USA

• Corporate Liability Litigation to hold Corporations Accountable – Jacqui Zalcberg, EarthRights International, USA & Veronique Van Der Plank, FIDH, France

• OECD National Contact Points– Tricia Feeney, RAID, UK

• Moderator: Danwood Chirwa, University of Cape Town, South Africa

DAY TWO

Tuesday, December 2nd 2008

Session 4: 11:45-1:15pm

Workshop: Accessing Justice (Part III) –Corporate Finance and Human Rights

Location: Admin Conference Room (behind Administration block)

Languages: English, Spanish, French*

Co-hosted with the Trade, Investment, Finance and Human Rights Initiative.

This third part of the Workshop will focus on corporate finance, and how bringing cases before the different global institutions that financially back business operations can provide more points of leverage for business and human rights campaigning.

We will begin with a briefing on the workings of the reigning global financial infrastructure will take place, including regional and international development banks, private banks and insurance companies, export credit agencies (ECAs), and other sources. Next, the panorama of options, strategies and specific mechanisms available to pursue to ensure that these institutions and their client businesses are consistent with human rights standards will be discussed, i.e., World Bank Inspection Panel, International Finance Corporation’s Compliance Advisor Ombudsman, mechanisms of regional development banks, the Equator Principles, and ECAs). Special reference will be made to the changing climate resulting from the global financial crisis. All discussions will be based on hands-on experience of participant groups and will focus on concrete and replicable strategies/tactics to hold institutions and their client companies to account for human rights.

Presentations

• Introduction of the Reigning Global Public and Private Financial Infrastructure—Aldo Caliari, Center of Concern, USA

• Options, strategies and specific institutions to pursue human rights in corporate finance—Daniel Taillant, Centro de Derechos Humanos y Ambiente (CEDHA), Argentina

• Export Credit Agencies (ECAs), Strategic Opportunities for Human Rights Protection—Karyn Keenan, Halifax Initiative, Canada

• Moderator: Radhika Balakrishnan, Marymount Manhattan College, USA

Sessions 5: 2:15-3:45pm

Globalization and Litigation Strategies

Location: Main Meeting Hall (across from Hotel)

Languages: English, Spanish, French*

Co-hosted with the Adjudication and ESCR and Trade, Investment, Finance and Human Rights Groups.

Refer to Session 5 of the Adjudication and ESCR agenda.

Session 6: 4:00-5:30pm

Strategy Session: Setting a Future Agenda of Collaborative Work (Part I)

Location: Twiga Room (located in Hotel Building)

Languages: English, Spanish, French*

This session will provide the space to hold a discussion on future work/projects and design a 3-year work plan for CAWG. Specifically, this session will encompass the following sections:

Lessons from Past Challenges and Gaps in the Field

We will begin by reviewing challenges encountered and issues not covered by the CAWG until now, and brainstorm challenges to be faced by the CAWG in the coming years. Building on practical capacity-building sessions and lessons learned through cases and advocacy, what are the gaps in the field that might be addressed in a collective fashion by the CAWG? How can we best prioritize them to effectively respond?

Orienting Future Work

We then plan to identify areas of future work/new directions to address these gaps through the CAWG. Are there other mechanisms which we should be lobbying, advocating or bringing cases to? Is the UN the most productive place to focus our advocacy? Should we initiate an additional collective campaign, or further refine the existing campaign on business and human rights standards? What are the gaps in terms of dissemination of information, training, etc?

Designing Future Projects

Discuss future projects and how they can address gaps and challenges. While we should not be tied to past ideas, the following activities have been discussed and partially developed:

• Engagement of Social Movements and grassroots groups in regional and int’l BHR processes

• Capacity-Building and Documentation Project – we might discuss here the project work plan.

• Collective Compendium of Situation of Human Rights Abuse involving Companies

• Access to Justice Mechanisms Tool-kit, building on the workshop given over the past days

Finalize 3-year Action Plan

• Moderators: Joji Carino, Tebtebba, Philippines; Tricia Feeney, RAID, UK; and Niko Lusiani ESCR-Net Secretariat

DAY THREE

Wednesday, December 3rd 2008

Site-visit and ESCR-Net General Assembly.

DAY FOUR

Thursday, December 4th 2008

Session 7: 8:30-11:00am

Strategy Session: Setting a Future Agenda of Collaborative Work(Part II)

Location: Twiga Room (located in Hotel Building)

Languages: English, Spanish, French*

Continuation of Session 6.

Continuation of ESCR-Net General Assembly.

• Moderators: Joji Carino, Tebtebba, Philippines; Tricia Feeney, RAID, UK; and Niko Lusiani, ESCR-Net Secretariat

VI. Trade, Investment, Finance and Human Rights

The main aims of this area of work are three-fold: to share conceptual understanding, practical experiences and useful strategies of human rights work in this area; to build some consensus on a clear, deliberate and coordinated set of goals, strategies and actions; and to consider drawing up a potential collective work alliance. This will happen through mutual-learning sessions, presentations on particular cases, as well as the facilitation of skills-based workshops and collective strategy sessions.

DAY ONE

Monday, December 1st 2008

Session 1: 1:15-3:15pm

Sharing Experiences Part I: Trade and Human Rights

Location: EG1 (Opposite Library, Ground floor)

Languages: English, Spanish*

We will begin by sharing of our distinct experiences of local, regional and international work on trade, investment and finance from a human rights perspective, which would serve as a foundation to later combine our knowledge to in discussions on concrete collaborative strategies and activities coming out of Kenya. Groups in this session will especially consider the obstacles and challenges in this work, as well as reflect on the strengths, weaknesses and limitations of the human rights approach to trade, investment, finance and human rights. Each of these short informal presentations aims to kick-start a discussion of experiences of all participants.

Presentations

• Introduction: ESCR-Net’s Human Rights in Trade, Investment and Finance Initiative – Daria Caliguire, ESCR-Net Consultant

• Human Rights Advocacy from within the World Trade Organization - Carin Smaller, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), USA

• Human Rights Advocacy from within the UN – Zoe Goodman, 3D ( Trade, Human Rights, Equitable Economy (3D), Switzerland

• Trade Agreements & Human Rights Advocacy - Javier Mujica, Centro de Asesoria Laboral del Peru (CEDAL), Peru

• Trade Liberalization, Gender and Food Security – Anni Mitin, Southeast Asian Council for Food Security and Fair Trade (SEACON), Malaysia; Sandra Ratjen, FIAN International, Germany; and Huguette Akplogan Dossa, Africa Right to Food Network, Benin

• Advocacy on TRIPS Agreements and the Right to Health - Hossam Bahgat, Egyptian Initiative on Personal Rights, Egypt

• Moderator - Miloon Kothari, Former United Nations Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing Coordinator of the South Asian Regional Programme and Habitat International Coalition's (HIC) Housing and Land Rights Network, India

Session 2: 3:30-5:00pm

Sharing Experiences on Trade, Investment, Finance and Human Rights (Part II)

Location: Nyati Room (located in Hotel building)

Languages: English, Spanish

Part II will focus on ongoing human rights strategies targetting public and private project investment and finance flows, as well as ways to work together to strengthen them.

Presentations

• Short introduction on Investment and Finance - Ravadee Prasertcharoensuk, Sustainable Development Foundation, Thailand

• Documentation, Advocacy, and Alliance-Building Around Export Credit Agencies (ECAs), Karyn Keenan, Halifax Initiative, Canada

• Litigation and Bilateral Investment Treaties: Biwater v. Tanzania – Tundu Lissu, Legal and Human Rights Centre, Tanzania

• Seeking Redress for the Impacts of Public Financing of the Brasilian Hydro-Electric Sector - Leandro Scalibrin, Movimento dos Atingidos por Barragens (MAB), Brasil

• Advocating for the forgiving of odious foreign debt: The case of Norway - Angel Bonilla, Centro de Derechos Económicos y Sociales (CDES), Ecuador

• Moderator: Ravadee Prasertcharoensuk, Sustainable Development Foundation, Thailand

Session 3: 5:15-6:45pm

Reflecting on Shared Experiences

Location: Nyati Room (located in Hotel building)

Languages: English, Spanish

Based on the morning’s discussions of work being carried out by groups around the world in this area, this session at the end of Day One will allow for an interactive roundtable discussion to explore common challenges, reflect on the obstacles and challenges, strengths and weaknesses of the human rights approach to trade, investment, finance and human rights, possibly concluding with a basic mapping of areas requiring more concerted collective action.

• Moderator(s): Aldo Caliari, Center of Concern (CoC), USA & Hossam Bahgat, EIPR, Egypt

DAY TWO

Tuesday, December 2nd 2008

Session 4: 11:45-1:15pm

Workshop: Accessing Justice – Corporate Finance and Human Rights

Location: Admin Conference Room (behind Administration block)

Languages: English, Spanish, French*

Co-hosted with the Corporate Accountability Working Group.

Refer to Session 4 of the Corporate Accountability Working Group agenda.

Session 5: 2:15-3:45pm

Workshop: Globalization & Legal Strategies

Location: Main Meeting Hall (across from Hotel)

Languages: English, Spanish, French*

Co-hosted with the Adjudication of ESCR and Corporate Accountability groups.

Refer to Session 5 of the Adjudication of ESCR agenda.

Session 6: 4:00-5:30pm

Strategy Session: Setting a Future Agenda for Collaborative Work (Part I)

Location: Nyati Room (located in Hotel building)

Languages: English, Spanish*

The final sessions will discuss the relevance of the shared experiences to building consensus on specific points of collaborative action moving ahead. Thus, it will aim at developing a common working agenda, draw up the structure of a collaborative platform for action, its objectives and design an action plan for the years ahead.

• Moderators: Aldo Caliari, CoC, USA; Areli Sandoval, DECA Equipo Pueblo, Mexico; and Daria Caliguire, ESCR-Net Consultant

DAY THREE

Wednesday, December 3rd 2008

Site-visit and ESCR-Net General Assembly meeting.

DAY FOUR

Thursday, December 4th 2008

Session 7: 8:30-11:00am

Strategy Session: Setting a Future Agenda for Collaborative Work (Part II)

Location: Nyati Room (located in Hotel building)

Languages: English, Spanish*

Continuation of Session 6.

Continuation of ESCR-Net General Assembly.

• Moderators: Aldo Caliari, CoC, USA; Areli Sandoval, DECA Equipo Pueblo, Mexico; and Daria Caliguire, ESCR-Net Consultant

VII. Human Right to Health

This area of work was highlighted as an area of interest for renewal and revitalization during the Strategy Meeting application process.  The Meeting will provide a forum to exchange updated information on the work being done on health as a human right and strategies being used to tackled health issues from a human rights perspective.  The meeting will offer members of the Network an opportunity to explore spaces for joint action and collaboration and formulate ESCR-Net’s direction and future projects for this area of work.

DAY ONE

Monday, December 1st 2008

Session 1: 1:15-3:15pm

Protecting Health as a Human Right

Location: Green Room (located behind Administrative Building)

Languages: English, Portuguese

In this first session, a short introduction will be given on the overall objectives of the sessions focusing on the right to health. Given that this is a new area of work, an overview of the field will be provided followed by an introduction to using a human rights framework to advance the right to health. Then presentations reflecting currently work internationally and domestically will be given. In addition, there will be an open discussion where participants will share the work they are doing to protect and promote the right to health. The discussion will also enable participants to share their specific interest in learning more about the right to health and how to strengthen their work.

Presentations

• Overall objectives of the sessions on the Right to Health – Suad Elías Atala, ESCR-Net Secretariat

• Overview and Introduction: Health as a Human Right - Alicia Yamin, Harvard Law School, USA

• The Perspective of a Special Rapporteur - Anand Grover, Lawyers Collective, India and UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health

• An International Campaign on the Right to Health – Michelle Kagari, Amnesty International, UK

• National-Level Perspective on the Right to Health - Raymond Onyegu, Social and Economic Rights Initiative (SERI), Nigeria

• Moderator - Alicia Yamin, Harvard Law School, USA

Session 2: 3:30-5:00pm

Advancing the Right to Health: From Monitoring to Implementation

Location: Green Room (located behind Administrative Building)

Languages: English, Portuguese

Building on the introduction, this session takes as its focus the different ways that groups have advanced the right to health, highlighting new tools and methodologies that are being developed. The session aims to provide a solid overview of the range of tools available to move from monitoring to implementation of the right to health.

Presentations

• Monitoring the Adequacy of Policy Efforts to Realize the Right to Health - Eitan Felner, Center for Economic and Social Rights (CESR), Spain

• Assessing the Right to Health for Women in Kenya - Grace Maingi-Kimani, Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Kenya

• Developing Indicators: Applying International Human Rights Standards to Advance the Right to Health at the National Level - Juana Sotomayor, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva

• Using Budget Analysis to Support the Implementation of the Right to Health - Helena Hofbauer, International Budget Partnership, Mexico

• Moderator - Mutuma Ruteere, Hakijamii Board Member, Kenya

Session 3: 5:15-6:45pm

Using a Human Rights Approach to Critical Health Problems

Location: Green Room (located behind Administrative Building)

Languages: English, Portuguese

In this session, the human rights framework will be applied to two critical global health problems, HIV/AIDS and maternal mortality, with the aim of showing how it changes both the analysis of the problem and the outcomes required. The targeted purpose is to show how a human rights approach can be applied concretely to HIV/Aids and maternal mortality – and make a difference in outcomes and in peoples’ lives.

Although HIV/AIDS has gained critical momentum as a human rights issue in recent years, it remains a global crisis with upwards of 33 million people living with HIV/AIDS. An effective global response to HIV/Aids requires prevention, treatment, care and support. However, the high cost of treatment coupled with a range of human rights violations, including discrimination, present significant barriers to both prevention efforts as well as treatment and care. Furthermore, the impact on women is devastating and disproportionate. In this session, we will examine how applying a human rights approach to health clarifies our understanding of the problems presented by HIV/AIDS and in turn makes them actionable. We will look specifically at strategies and tools that have been used to respect, protect and fulfill the right to health of those living with HIV/AIDS.

Whereas HIV/AIDS has gained recognition as a human rights issue, maternal mortality – which claims almost a half million women’s lives each year and disproportionately impacts poor women – has largely gone unaddressed by human rights until recently. With the launch of the International Initiative on Maternal Mortality and Human Rights in 2007, there is a concerted effort to expose maternal mortality as a human rights crisis. Moreover, a primary objective of this initiative is to explore how the integration of human rights into health policies and health systems - including the use of indicators, budget analysis and constructive forms of accountability – can reduce maternal mortality and strengthen health systems. In this session, we hope to explore these new directions and look at specific steps taken.

Presentations

• Fighting HIV/Aids from a Human Rights Perspective

o Regis Mtutu, Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), South Africa

o Nicolas Espejo, Corporación Derechos Humanos, Chile

• A Human Rights Approach to Reducing Maternal Mortality

o Mala Naidoo, Masimanyane Women’s Support Centre, South Africa

o Elisa Slattery, Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR), USA

• Moderator: Alicia Yamin, Harvard Law School, USA

DAY TWO

Tuesday, December 2nd 2008

Session 4: 11:45-1:15pm

Access to Medicine as a Human Rights Issue

Location: Green Room (located behind Administrative Building)

Languages: English, Portuguese, Spanish, French*

The purpose of this session is to provide a briefing on the current state of access to medicine, gain insight into the key impediments, and to explore ways of strengthening access. Country cases will be explored where groups have undertaken strategies to implement TRIPS flexibilities. In addition, a presentation on the newly developed Human Rights Guidelines for Pharmaceutical Companies will open up space for groups to explore how to engage with the larger process.

Presentations

• Prioritizing the Human Right to Health over Economic Interests: the Tyres Case - Marcela Vieira, Conectas Human Rights, Brazil

• Human Rights Guidelines for Pharmaceutical Companies - Gunilla Backman, Consultant, Sweden (former researcher w/ Paul Hunt at the Human Rights Centre, Univ. of Essex)

• TRIPS Agreements and the Right to Health in Egypt - Hossam Baghat, Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, Egypt

• Litigating the Right to Medicines in India – Colin Gonsalves, Human Rights Law Network, India

• Moderator: Anand Grover, Lawyers Collective, India & UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health

Session 5: 2:15-3:45pm

Health Care Systems and Programs: Assessment for Action

Location: Green Room (located behind Administrative Building)

Languages: English, Portuguese, French*

This session will focus on the monitoring of one key element of the right to health: an effective, integrated, accessible, accountable and people-centered (instead of disease-centered) health system. This has been a top thematic priority for the work of the Former Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health, Paul Hunt, and his research team. It raises important questions such as: How can we assess whether or not a health system is effective? How (or in which ways) is one to prioritize interventions in light of limited budgets? Is it possible to have universal indicators?

To complement this overview of the broader issue of health systems, the Peoples Health Movement will present a tool they have developed for groups to perform a national assessment of the right to health and how it can be used to address their specific advocacy needs. Harvard Project on Disabilities will then present on ensuring accessibility of healthcare systems and programs, specifically HIV/AIDS treatment programs, for persons with disabilities.

Presentations

• Strengthening Health Systems - Gunilla Backman, Consultant, Sweden (former researcher w/ Paul Hunt’s Office at the Univ. of Essex, UK)

• National Assessment Tool: the Right to Health - Claudio Schuftan, Vietnam, People’s Health Movement

• Accessibility for All:  Ensuring the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Health Systems – Janet Lord, Harvard Project on Disabilities and Blue Law International, LLP, USA

• Moderator - Caroline Kerubo Okioga, Center on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE), Kenya

Session 6: 4:00-5:30pm

Strategy Session: Setting a Future Agenda for Collaborative Work (Part I)

Location: Green Room (located behind Administrative Building)

Languages: English, Portuguese

Based on the discussion of the prior sessions and outreach done by ESCR-Net, participants will explore the possibility of building a common agenda for future collaborative action. Participants will consider in this session a specific set of joint actions to take up; how to strategically foster and coordinate collective work alliances for the future; and how to get groups involved.

Moderators - Alicia Yamin, Harvard Law School, USA; Raymond Onyegu, Social and Economic Rights Initiative, Nigeria; and Suad Elías Atala, ESCR-Net Secretariat

DAY THREE

Wednesday, December 3rd 2008

Site-visit and ESCR-Net General Assembly.

DAY FOUR

Thursday, December 4th 2008

Session 7: 8:30-11:00am

Strategy Session: Setting a Future Agenda for Collaborative Work

(Part II)

Location: Green Room (located behind Administrative Building)

Languages: English, Portuguese

Continuation of the discussion from Session 6.

Moderators - Alicia Yamin, Harvard Law School, USA and Raymond Onyegu, Social and Economic Rights Initiative, Nigeria; and Suad Elías Atala, ESCR-Net Secretariat

(Continuation of ESCR-Net General Assembly.

VIII. Women and Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

This area of work was highlighted as an area of interest for renewal and revitalization during consultations leading to the Strategy Meeting. The Meeting will provide a forum for the exchange of strategies and updated information on the development of ESCR related to women, and offer members of the Network an opportunity to collaboratively formulate the direction and projects for this area.

DAY ONE

Monday, December 1st 2008

Session 1: 1:15-3:15pm

National Level Litigation and Action on Women and ESCR

Location: Admin Conference Room (behind Administration Building)

Languages: English, Spanish, French

In the first three sessions, the presentations will focus on recent developments on women and ESCR at the national, regional and international level. Groups will share the work they are doing in the field; reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of the women and ESCR movement in their region/field; and discuss the challenges they face to accomplish this work as well as share the strategies they have used to overcome them. Session 1 will focus on relevant litigation and jurisprudence from domestic courts, campaigns and other significant activities.

Presentations

• Welcome and Goals of the Meeting – Rebecca Brown, ESCR-Net Secretariat

• History of the Women’s Working Group of ESCR-Net - Leilani Farha, Center on Housing Rights and Accommodations (CERA), Canada

• Peru’s Experience of Tribunals on Women’s ESCR Organized by Civil Society - Diana Portal, Estudio para la Defensa de los Derechos de la Mujer (DEMUS), Peru

• Women and ESCR in India and South Asia - Priiti Darooka, Programme on Women’s Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (PWESCR), India

• Women and ESCR in Nigeria – Chibogu Odinwa, Baobab for Women’s Human Rights, Nigeria

• Women as Domestic Employees in Trinidad and Tobago - Ida Le Blanc, National Union of Domestic Employees, Trinidad y Tobago

• Moderator: Emem Okon, Kebetkache Women Development & Resource Centre, Nigeria

Session 2: 3:30-5:00pm

Development of Women’s ESC Rights in Regional Human Rights Systems

Location: Admin Conference Room (behind Administration Building)

Languages: English, Spanish, French

Session 2 will focus on developments at the regional level, namely, the Inter-american System of Human Rights, the African System of Human Rights and the European System of Human Rights.

Presentations

• Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women - Faiza Mohamed, Equality Now, Kenya

• Strengthening the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights and the African Court to Support Women’s Economic, Social and Cultural Rights – Judith Akot Oder, Interights, United Kingdom

• Jurisprudence of Women and ESCR in the Inter-American System - Esperanza Giraldo, Comité de América Latina y el Caribe para la Defensa de los Derechos de la Mujer, (CLADEM), Guatemala

• Women and ESCR in the European Human Rights System - Brenda Campbell, International Women’s Rights Action Watch – Asia Pacific (IWRAW-AP), UK

• Development of Women and ESCR at the Regional Level in Asia - Clara Rita Padilla, EngendeRights, Philippines

• Moderator: Caroline Kerubo Okioga, Center on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE), Kenya

Session 3: 5:15-6:45pm

Promotion of Women and ESCR Internationally

Location: Admin Conference Room (behind Administration Building)

Languages: English, Spanish, French

Session 3 will aim at exploring developments at the international level, focusing on case law and reports from different international human rights bodies, particularly CEDAW, CESCR, CERD and the HRC as well as emerging issues impacting women and ESCR globally.

Presentations

• Using the Optional Protocol to the ICESCR to Protect Women’s Human Rights - Leilani Farha, Centre for Equality Rights and Accommodation (CERA), Canada

• Making the Connection: Lack of Implementation on ESCR and Violence Against Women - Juana Sotomayor, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva

• Litigation under the Optional Protocol to CEDAW - Shanthi Dairiam, IWRAW-AP, Malaysia

• Impact of Climate Change-Related Disasters on Women’s ESC Rights - Ravadee Prasertcharoensuk, Sustainable Development Foundation, Thailand

• Moderator: Niti Saxena, Association for Advocacy and Legal Initiatives, India

DAY TWO

Tuesday, December 2nd 2008

Session 4: 11:45-1:15pm

Equality Rights and Social Rights: Litigation and Advocacy Strategies

Location: Main Meeting Hall (across from Hotel)

Languages: English, Spanish, French

Co-hosted with the Adjudication and ESCR Working Group.

Refer to Session 4 of the Adjudication of ESCR agenda.

Session 5: 2:15-3:45pm

Addressing Obstacles, Barriers and Challenges in the Women and ESCR Work

Location: Admin Conference Room (behind Administration Building)

Languages: English, Spanish, French

This session aims at providing a space for participants to discuss the obstacles and challenges to their work on women’s ESC rights in the past few years, find common ground between organizations and regions and begin to conceptualize the ways in which they might want to begin to strategize together and how an ESCR-Net group on Women and ESCR could facilitate their work and contribute to overcoming these barriers.

Questions that will be discussed in this session include:

• What are the barriers, obstacles to working on Women’s ESCR?

• What are the omissions, needs, etc. in the work to date on Women’s ESCR?

• Could a network and collaborative activities assist us in overcoming these barriers/obstacles/omissions and in addressing challenges? If so, how?

Moderator - Patricia Ramirez Parra, Instituto de Estudios Regionales, Colombia

Sessions 6: 4:00-5:30pm

Strategy Session: Setting a Future Agenda for Collaborative Work (Part I)

Location: Admin Conference Room (behind Administration Building)

Languages: English, Spanish, French

This will be an open discussion on how to move forward from the Strategy Meeting and renew the work on Women and ESCR within the Network. We will also discuss possible joint projects.

Discussion Questions

• Building a common agenda – What can we work on together? What strategies might we use? What resources do we have? What do we need? How do we get them?

• What role groups want the network to play to advance women’s ESC rights?

Moderators - Priiti Darooka, PWESCR, India; Chibogu Odinwa, Baobab, Nigeria; and Rebecca Brown, ESCR-Net Secretariat

DAY THREE

Wednesday, December 3rd 2008

Site-visits and ESCR-Net General Assembly.

DAY FOUR

Thursday, December 4th 2008

Session 7: 8:30-11:00am

Strategy session: Setting a Future Agenda for Collaborative Work

(Part II)

Location: Admin Conference Room (behind Administration Building)

Languages: English, Spanish, French

Continuation of Session 6.

Moderators - Priiti Darooka, PWESCR, India; Chibogu Odinwa, Baobab, Nigeria; and Rebecca Brown, ESCR-Net Secretariat

(Continuation of ESCR-Net General Assembly.

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[1] Please refer to the Briefing Document for complete background on the International Strategy Meeting and the ESCR-Net General Assembly sent out with the Application Form. You can download it at .

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