UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights publishes findings on Chile, Colombia, Laos, Netherlands, Russia, and Zimbabwe

GENEVA - The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights today issued findings on Chile, Colombia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Netherlands, the Russian Federation, and Zimbabwe, following its review of these States parties during its 78th session.

The findings highlight positive developments and outline major concerns and recommendations regarding each country’s implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Key issues include:

Chile
The Committee expressed concern about the lack of constitutional recognition of Indigenous peoples and the absence of effective mechanisms to ensure free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) from Indigenous Peoples before any decisions affecting their rights. It noted with concern that the legislation and concessions for extractive projects, including under the National Lithium Strategy, do not comply with international standards. It highlighted environmental conflicts from renewable energy projects on indigenous lands, and the rising number of unresolved land disputes. It urged Chile to recognise Indigenous Peoples in the constitution, advance the protection of their rights to own, use, develop and control their lands and resources. It asked the State party to ensure its energy transition is developed in consultation with Indigenous Peoples. It called for accelerating the restitution of Indigenous lands, ensuring that it includes territories and resources traditionally owned, occupied or used by Indigenous Peoples, particularly the Mapuche people, in line with international standards.

The Committee raised its concern about the serious housing deficit affecting more than 650,000 households, and the precarious living conditions of over 1.4 million people, including 120,500 families residing in camps. It was also concerned about forced evictions of illegal settlements without adequate procedural guarantees, and the lack of measures to facilitate access to housing for refugees, migrants and others who face high levels of exclusion. The Committee recommended that Chile take urgent measures to reduce the housing deficit and improve conditions in informal settlements, and adopt safeguards against forced evictions in line with international standards. It asked Chile to ensure access to remedies and compensation for victims, and adopt specific measures to guarantee adequate housing for refugees and migrants, including those in an irregular situation.

Colombia
The Committee took note of the progress made in discouraging the consumption of ultra-processed food through labelling and taxation. It, however, remained very concerned that food insecurity had increased in rural areas and that the national nutritional survey had been postponed since 2020. It was further concerned that native seeds, vital for food sovereignty, were at risk due to the use of GM crops and glyphosate and the lack of regulatory protections. The Committee recommended that Colombia urgently adopt a Statutory Law on the right to food, update the National Nutritional Survey, and strengthen support for smallholder farmers. It also called for the implementation of the Court’s ruling by establishing a participatory framework to protect native and creole seeds.

The Committee welcomed the creation of the Indigenous System of Indigenous and Intercultural Health and reforms toward a human rights-based drug policy. It, however, remained concerned that large segments of the population continued to lack access to basic primary health care, and that serious disparities persisted between rural and urban areas in access to health insurance systems. The Committee also highlighted high rates of mental health problems in Indigenous, Afro-Colombian, peasant, and conflict-affected communities. It recommended a comprehensive reform of the health system to guarantee equal, non-discriminatory access to health services for the entire population. It called for more investment in health services to ensure affordability of health care for disadvantaged groups, including Indigenous Peoples and Afro-Colombians, especially in rural areas.

Lao People’s Democratic Republic
The Committee was concerned about the inadequacy of legal obligations for businesses to conduct human rights due diligence and the lack of a national action plan on business and human rights. It was further concerned that large-scale projects such as extractive activities, dams and hydropower plants, as well as the establishment of special economic zones, had caused pollution, biodiversity loss and deforestation, undermining the rights of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples, ethnic minorities and local communities. It asked the State party to adopt a national action plan with the participation of affected groups and introduce legislative and administrative measures to ensure business entities conduct human rights due diligence. It also recommended that the State party guarantee accountability and remedies for violations and carry out prior consultations and independent impact assessments before undertaking development projects or granting concessions.

The Committee acknowledged progress made by the State party in reducing malnutrition, hunger and food insecurity, but it remained deeply concerned about the high level of chronic malnutrition, severe food insecurity and child stunting. It was also concerned about persistent poverty, limited availability of nutritious food, reduced public spending on agriculture, and the impacts of climate change and natural disasters, which created disparities in access to affordable food, particularly in rural and remote areas. The Committee asked the State party to intensify efforts to protect the right to adequate food by tackling malnutrition comprehensively, to increase public investment in local agricultural production, and to support subsistence farmers and female-headed households in strengthening resilience. It called for measures to secure access to land and water, ensuring tenure rights and traditional land rights are protected against conflicting investment allowances.

Netherlands
The Committee raised its concern about reports of gaps in the enforcement of anti-corruption measures and the absence of a comprehensive and unified national strategy against corruption. It called on the Netherlands to adopt a comprehensive national anti-corruption strategy with clear objectives, timelines and monitoring mechanisms, and ensure effective accountability and sanctions for corruption-related offences. The Committee also recommended independent, coordinated and adequate resourcing for all anti-corruption bodies to strengthen safeguards against conflicts of interest in public administration.

The Committee highlighted its concern about persistent discrimination against migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in access to employment, housing, social security and education. It was also concerned about their continued vulnerability to exploitation, including abusive recruitment practices and substandard housing conditions. It called on the Netherlands to ensure effective protection of the economic, social and cultural rights of all migrants, asylum seekers and refugees, and strengthen labour inspections, guarantee effective monitoring and impose sanctions against abusive practices affecting migrant workers.

Russian Federation
The Committee stated its concern about reports of seizure of private property and forced evictions of ethnic Ukrainians in areas under the State party’s effective control. It recommended that the Russian Federation expeditiously investigate reports of confiscation of private property and forced evictions of ethnic Ukrainians in areas under its effective control, return seized property to the victims, and, if housing has been demolished, pay adequate compensation.

The Committee was concerned that people in areas under the State party’s effective control continued to face severe restrictions on their right to take part in cultural life, including using and teaching minority languages, history and culture. It was further concerned about reports of a large-scale campaign to systematically erase Ukrainian history, culture and language, to rewrite historical curricula, to repress local cultural symbols, and to undermine the linguistic identity of ethnic minorities. The Committee recommended that the Russian Federation avoid involuntary cultural assimilation, ensure access to education in native languages, including Ukrainian, and uphold the right to cultural participation. It also called for unrestricted enjoyment by minorities of their own cultural identity and the use of their language. In addition, it recommended that the State party refrain from measures that could negatively impact the right of all to participate in cultural life.

Zimbabwe
The Committee expressed concern that public expenditure on the progressive realisation of economic, social and cultural rights remained persistently low, despite substantial resources being allocated to debt servicing. It was further concerned that the continued reliance on regressive tax policies undermined poverty reduction and limited the State party’s capacity to ensure equitable redistribution of wealth and income. The Committee recommended that Zimbabwe coordinate with international financial institutions and creditors to prevent debt obligations from constraining fiscal space, assess the impact of fiscal adjustments on Covenant rights, and increase social spending. Additionally, it suggested reviewing taxation policies to make them more progressive and equitable.

The Committee acknowledged the State party’s efforts to address food insecurity, including measures to support farmers. However, it remained concerned about the widespread prevalence of food insecurity, the persistently high stunting rates affecting a quarter of children, and the negative impact of climate change on agricultural production and farmers’ incomes. The Committee called upon Zimbabwe to adopt a comprehensive national strategy on the right to adequate food with clear targets and monitoring mechanisms. It also called for intensifying efforts to improve food security in the most affected regions, investing in local agricultural production, and providing targeted support such as seeds, greenhouses and livestock. In addition, it recommended strengthening the resilience of subsistence farmers and female-headed households through income diversification and disaster preparedness.

The above findings, officially known Concluding Observations, are now available online on the session page.