[JURIST] The UN special rapporteur for extreme poverty and human rights Magdalena Sepulveda [official profile] on Tuesday presented [press release] her annual report [materials] to the UN Human Rights Council. Sepulveda urged world governments to enable participation amongst persons living in poverty in decisions that affect their lives. She also recommended that states set up a legal and institutional framework to comply with human rights obligations relating to participation:

States must make sustained and proactive efforts to ensure that the voices of people living in poverty can be heard in public debate and policy making. … The right to participation is strongly linked with empowerment, which is a key human rights goal and principle. Effective participation can build capacity and rights awareness. It allows those living in poverty to see themselves as full members of society and autonomous agents rather than subjects of decisions taken by others who see them as objects of assistance or mere statistics.

The special rapporteur also noted that states have a legal obligation to implement such participatory processes in the design, implementation and evaluation of policies and programs that affect the way people live.

The UN human rights office continues to push for improvements around the globe. Last month independent UN experts urged [JURIST report] the World Bank to adopt human rights standards that will protect vulnerable populations. At the beginning of April UN experts criticized [JURIST report] an amendment to Hungary’s fundamental law which criminalizes homelessness. In January UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon [official profile] urged African leaders [JURIST report] to increase efforts to lower poverty levels, end cycles of violence and accelerate development.