This week the Special Rapporteurship on Economic, Social, Cultural and Environmental Rights (REDESCA) of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) recognised the Abidjan Principles on the right to education as a ‘valuable specialised source of interpretation’ of State obligations with regard to the right to education within the framework of the Inter-American system.
In a new report, ‘Business and Human Rights: Inter-American Standards’, the REDESCA looks at the obligations of States with regard to human rights cases within the Inter-American Human Rights system where private actors were involved in the realisation or violation of such rights. The report highlights the contribution of the Abidjan Principles to set out the obligation of States to take effective measures to regulate and monitor private actors in education (para. 227).
The recognition by the Special Rapporteurship on Economic, Social, Cultural and Environmental Rights builds on the significant global recognition of the Abidjan Principles by other institutions such as the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the United Nations Human Rights Council, and the Paris Peace Forum. This development illustrates the growing momentum, globally and at the regional level, to ensure States realise the right to free, equal, quality education for all.
The REDESCA supports the work of the IACHR on the protection of economic, social, cultural and environmental rights in the Americas. The office of the REDESCA monitors and compiles information on the situation of ESC rights in the Americas and provides expert opinion and input to the IACHR, promoting ESC rights within the OAS.
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From the report: ‘Por su parte, respecto de educación ofrecida a través de alianzas público-privadas reiteró que no cambia la naturaleza del derecho ni las obligaciones estatales conexas a ella366. La REDESCA también resalta la elaboración de los Principios de Abidjan por connotados y connotadas especialistas, quienes desarrollan en extenso las obligaciones internacionales de los Estados en el marco de la provisión de servicios educativos por actores privados, en particular mencionan que los Estados deben de adoptar medidas efectivas, incluyendo medidas regulatorias, de supervisión y rendición de cuentas, para asegurar el derecho a la educación cuando actores privados están involucrados, incluyendo su aplicación extraterritorial367. La REDESCA apoya en general dichos Principios, considerando que los mismos suponen una valiosa fuente especializada para la interpretación de la cuestión en el marco del sistema interamericano.’