Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Concludes Eightieth Session after Adopting Concluding Observations on Reports of Austria, Eswatini, Mexico and Pakistan
The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights this afternoon concluded its eightieth session after adopting concluding observations on the reports of Austria, Eswatini, Mexico and Pakistan under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
During the meeting, the Committee adopted concluding observations for the four States parties, which would be transmitted to the States concerned and made available on the webpage of the session on Monday, 16 November 2026.
Preeti Saran, Committee Chair, said in closing remarks that during the session’s two intense weeks, the Committee had engaged with four States parties, considered two follow-up reports, and adopted four lists of issues. It also conducted work on communications under the Optional Protocol, continued work on the general comment on the application of the Covenant in situations of armed conflicts, and discussed a variety of other matters, including an initial reflection on artificial intelligence and economic, social and cultural rights, as well as on business and human rights.
Ms. Saran said that 2026 marked the sixtieth anniversary of the adoption of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, as well as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The Committees of both Covenants held a joint commemoration on 6 November.
The Committee also held meetings with a wide range of stakeholders, including civil society, on the sidelines of formal meetings, Ms. Saran reported. She thanked all those who had demonstrated interest in the work of the Committee and worked to promote and protect economic, social and cultural rights. She emphasised that no one could be subjected to reprisals for having cooperated with or having sought to cooperate with the Committee.
During the session, Ms. Saran said, the Committee reviewed the reports of Austria, Eswatini, Mexico and Pakistan. The Committee thanked these States parties for their enthusiastic participation in the positive and sincere discussions, and for their continued support.
In addition, the Committee discussed and adopted assessments on the follow-up reports of Cambodia and Portugal, and adopted four lists of issues on Burkina Faso, Estonia, Slovakia and Zambia. The concluding observations for both the follow-up reports and the lists of issues would be transmitted to the States parties concerned and made publicly available in the coming weeks.
Ms. Saran encouraged all States parties to continue to submit their reports due under the regular reporting and follow-up procedures, particularly long overdue reports. She highlighted that 22 States parties had yet to submit their initial reports, 15 of which had been overdue for more than 10 years. In total, 49 periodic reports remained overdue, over 16 of which had been so for over 10 years. Ms. Saran recalled that the capacity building programme established pursuant to United Nation General Assembly Resolution 68/268 (2014) was available to offer technical support to States. All States were invited to ratify the Covenant, and those that were parties to the Covenant but had not ratified the Optional Protocol were encouraged to do so, as well as to enter the declarations for articles 10 and 11 of the Optional Protocol.
In closing, Ms. Saran thanked the Committee members and all who had contributed to the busy session. At its next session, the Committee looked forward to holding constructive dialogues with States parties, pursuing other work, and engaging with a wide variety of stakeholders with the aim of achieving the effective promotion and protection of all the rights enshrined in the Covenant.
The Committee’s eighty-first session has been tentatively scheduled from 8 to 24 February 2027, subject to confirmation that resources will be available for the session. Further information will be announced in future on the Committee’s website.
At its eightieth-first session, the Committee is scheduled to review the reports of Angola, Canada, Namibia, North Macedonia and the Republic of Korea, and adopt lists of issues on the Central African Republic, Nepal, New Zealand, Oman and Uganda.
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CESCR26.013E