The International Convenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

« This book will quickly become an essential companion to anyone interested in this field. It offers a comprehensive and nuanced account of the rights set out in the Covenant, explaining their historical and jurisprudential context and how they have been and might be deployed. It unpacks the concept of 'progressive realisation' of economic, social and cultural rights. The book transcends the rather static debates between supporters and critics of the Covenant by focussing on how its rights have been protected in practice and the authors emphasise the limits of a narrow legal approach in this area. This is a book packed with important information and sophisticated analyses and it will change the way that the Covenant is understood. » Hilary Charlesworth, Professor, Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow, and Director of the Centre for International Governance and Justice, Australian National University College of Asia and the Pacific « In brief, scholarly contributions are crucial for the development of a coherent, systematic, and persuasive jurisprudence relating to economic, social and cultural rights. This volume performs a formidable service by providing such an insightful synthesis of the most important elements of this emerging jurisprudence. It also helps to expose the relative paucity in the literature of engaged but critical analyses of this jurisprudence, and thus highlights the need for the next generation of scholars to engage in a more robust and challenging way with the materials brought together in this volume. » Philip Alston, John Norton Pomeroy Professor of Law, New York University School of Law; Chairperson, UN Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights 1991-98 « Treaty bodies terribly need the input from the research carried out by academia and other institutions, including non-governmental ones. [This] Commentary [is] highly valuable, up-to-date, comprehensive, and rooted in the global expertise input. I am sure that it will serve individuals and groups, the Committee and regional and national human rights bodies, government officials, judges and lawyers, researchers, NGOs and the wider civil society. At the launch of Manfred Nowak's similar commentary on the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, a great specialist and human rights advocate, Professor Felix Ermacora wished the author that his commentary would be quoted just as "Nowak" since this is the expression of the highest recognition for and a prove of actual importance of a legal commentary. I am convinced [this commentary will be known henceforth as] Saul, Kinley, and Mowbray. » Zdzislaw Kedzia, Chairperson, UN Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights 2012-14; Professor and Chair of Constitutional Law, Adam-Mickiewicz-University of Poznan, Poland Ben Saul is Challis Chair of International Law at Sydney Law School, The University of Sydney. David Kinley is Professor of Human Rights Law at Sydney Law School, The University of Sydney. Jacqueline Mowbray is Senior Lecturer at Sydney Law School, The University of Sydney.