The Commentary on the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (OP-ICESCR) provides an historical and legal analysis of this new instrument.
The OP-ICESCR has improved the international protection of these rights through the establishment of procedures for individual and inter-state complaints as well as for investigation of gross or systematic violations of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The Commentary explains the rationale, scope and nature of each article of the OP-ICESCR by providing the legal and jurisprudential basis and reference supporting each provision. The aim of the Commentary is to provide a useful analytical document to contribute to a better understanding of the relevance and substance of the OP-ICESCR.
Commentary OP-ICESCR-publication-2009-eng (full text in English, PDF)
Commentary OP-ICESCR-publication-2009-fra (full text in French, PDF)
Commentary OP-ICESCR-publication-2009-spa (full text in Spanish, PDF)