Socio-Economic Justice through Human Rights

In recent decades, we have witnessed a multitude of increasingly urgent demands for social and economic justice whereby every human being should have equal access to health, well-being, wealth and opportunity. If “the age of rights” propelled some hopes in that direction, a series of recent global crises (financial, environmental, socio-political and medical) have instead propelled anxiety, reinforced inequalities, inflamed cleavages and negatively affected economic growth and social development. 

We take the view that it is in times of crisis that human rights become more important and transformative. Far from being resolved, the current crises actually offer the opportunity to reclaim a fundamental role for the promotion, protection and implementation of human rights. From equality between women and men to dignified living and working conditions, from social movements to attempts at radical participatory democracy, from social protection to education, many are the areas where a rights-based approach - and socio-economic rights in particular - can and should intertwine with economic and social justice. Good practices and case-law already exist that call for a more attentive study of how social and economic justice can be enhanced through human rights.

This MOOC explores current developments in implementing economic and social rights and their role in redressing unjust distribution of resources and powers. It looks at legal frameworks and current political, social and economic challenges to better understand their links with a rights-based approach to socio-economic justice. Through regional examples and case studies, it provides a global overview of difficulties and obstacles but also possible alternatives and solutions.

Module 1 introduces a rights-based approach to socio-economic justice, with a focus on legal, political and social perspectives on rights, justice and equality.

Module 2 is dedicated to Socio-Economic Justice through human rights in practice and aims to suggest ways forward by looking at specific themes and rights such as poverty, gender, education, socio-economic justice for children.