Glossary of Terms: HRIRC - Human Rights Impact Resource Centre

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1: Overview.
2: Related Concepts.
3: Human Rights Indicators.
4: Steps.
5: Glossary of Terms.

Term: Availability/Accessibility/Acceptability/Quality

In measuring the implementation or thinking about the content of economic, social and cultural rights, the principles of availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality can be used as organising principles.

These organising principles were first identified by Special Rapporteur on Primary Education, Katarina Tomasevski. The International Anti-Poverty Law Center suggested three principles, namely: Availability, Accessibility and Quality. Since 1999 the UN has further defined the content of these principles in several general comments (such as General Comment 12 and General Comment 14).

Related Publications

Chapman, Audrey R.; Russell, Sage (eds.) (2001) Core Obligations: Building a Framework for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

CESR (2000) General Comment 14: The Right to the Highest Attainable Standard of Health

CESCR (1999) General Comment No. 12: The Right to Adequate Food

Bakker, Saskia; Plagman, Hansje (2005) Health Rights of Women Assessment Instrument

3D (2006) Trade-related Intellectual Property Rights, Access to Medicines and Human Rights - Morocco

Useful Websites

Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights, Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights General Comments

Overview of General Comments of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Some General Comments are particularly useful in identifying benchmarks and indicators or as guides for monitoring and evaluating economic, social and cultural rights.

Related terms

Human Rights Indicator

Indicator

Respect/Protect/Fullfill

Related HRIRC Pages

Indicators

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