Att. Mr Craig Mokhiber,
e-mail: ttn:
Our reference: 11/02738 / Date: 31 May 2011
Report to the Independent Expert on Human Rights and Extreme Poverty
Reference is made to your letter of 18 March, 2011 to the Permanent Mission of Norway to the UN in Geneva regarding the draft guiding principles on extreme poverty and human rights. The few comments we have are contained in this letter.
To your question in part III whether the guiding principles should have a dedicated section on specific groups such as children, our experts are of the opinion that the poverty of children most often is linked to the poverty of their parents or any other person that cares for the child or the poverty is a result of a situation where the child is not cared for. Consequently, the guiding principles should rather make reference to children across the text, because the poverty of the children is part of the poverty of the family.
To your question in part IV on whether we would like to identify other underlying or reinforcing deprivations and obstacles faced by people living in extreme poverty, we would liked to mention mother mortality in general, and in child birth in particular, which have grave consequences for the whole family.
Finally, to your questions in section 1 on overarching human rights principles and whether the list of human rights principles is sufficiently comprehensive or whether other principles should be included in the guiding principles on extreme poverty and human rights. We would say that Article 21 of The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on freedom of association seems highly relevant in this context.
We wish you the best of luck in preparing the draft guiding principles.
Yours sincerely,
______
Helga Fastrup Ervik
Assistant Director General
cc Permanent Mission of Norway in Geneva to the UN
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