International Commission of Jurists

Lao PDR: ICJ and its partners make a submission to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

Asia
Issue: Civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, UN Mechanisms
Document Type: Non-legal Submission
Date: Aug 9, 2023
On 7 August 2023, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), the Extra-Territorial Obligation Watch Coalition (ETO Watch Coalition) and Land Watch Thai (LWT) filed a joint submission for the preparation by the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) of a List of Issues (LOI) for the examination of Lao PDR’s initial report under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).

During its 73rd session, from 16 October to 20 October 2023, the Pre-Sessional Working Group of the CESCR will prepare and adopt a LOI for Lao PDR featuring a number of questions addressed to the State party.

Once adopted, the LOI will be transmitted to the State party. Replies to the LOIs are to be provided in writing before the dialogue between the Committee and Lao PDR’s delegation that will take place during CESCR’s review of the State party’s implementation of and compliance with the provisions of the ICESCR at a forthcoming session of the Committee.

Lao PDR ratified the ICESCR in 2007.

The joint submission to the CESCR highlights a number of ongoing human rights concerns with respect to the country’s implementation of and compliance with the provisions of the ICESCR, which do not feature in the State’s initial report.

In addition, the joint submission formulates certain questions and recommends that the CESCR should include them in its LOI and address them to the Government of Lao PDR, including on the following pressing human rights concerns:

  • Human rights violations and abuses of economic, social and cultural rights (ESCRs) resulting from the establishment and development of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in Lao PDR;
  • Human rights violations and abuses of ESCRs of people living along the banks of the Lower Mekong River, which spans Lao PDR, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam, resulting from the construction of dam projects in Lao PDR; and
  • Allegations that human rights defenders (HRDs) working on ESCRs have been subjected to enforced disappearances, killings, arbitrary arrests and detentions. Additionally, there are allegations regarding the misuse of judicial processes to silence HRDs, resulting in whole or in part from the enforcement of laws that do not comply with human rights. Furthermore, there are allegations regarding the failure of Lao PDR to ensure a safe and enabling environment for HRDs to carry out their work.

The submission is available in PDF here.

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