Legal Foundations

International Treaties

The Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, 1951

International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, 1966

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, 1979

Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989

International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, 1965

International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, 1990

Regional Treaties

The OAU Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa, 1969

African Charter on Human and People’s Rights, 1981

Cartagena Declaration on Refugees, 1984

General Comments

General Comment No. 18: The Right to Work, United Nations Committee on Economic Social and Cultural Rights, 2005

General comment No. 20: Non-discrimination in Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Art. 2, para. 2, of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, 2009 

Guidelines

Promoting Livelihoods and Self-Reliance: Operational Guidance on Refugee Protection and Solutions in Urban Areas, 2011

Livelihood Programming in UNHCR: Operational Guidelines, 2010

Maastricht Guidelines on Violations of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Maastricht, January 22-26, 1997

The Michigan Guidelines on the Right to Work, 2010