The betterment of the human condition is closely related to the protection of human dignity. A life full of human dignity requires certain minimum standards in the field of civil and political liberties as well as economic and social requirements.
In the past fifty years several attempts have been made to codify these economic and social requirements. The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights is one of the most important instruments containing economic, social and cultural rights. These rights constitute legally binding obligations for States.
The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) is of the opinion that it is of the utmost importance to refer in the Declaration and Programme of Action of the forthcoming Social Summit to these already existing State obligations in the field of social and economic development.
These obligations should form the basis for further discussion during the Social Summit as to the possibilities for concrete implementation of those norms.