The Maastricht Centre for Human Rights of Maastricht University and the International Commission of Jurists are pleased to announce the adoption
of the Maastricht Principles on Extra-Territorial Obligations (ETOs) of
States in the area of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. These
international legal principles clarify the human rights obligations of
States beyond their own borders.

The Principles cover all economic, social and cultural rights, including
among others the right to just and favourable conditions of work, social
security, an adequate standard of living, food, housing, water,
sanitation, health, education and participation in cultural life.

The Maastricht Principles constitute the outcome of the deliberations of a
group of 40 distinguished experts in international law and human rights
from all regions of the world. The expert group includes present and
former members of international human rights treaty bodies; present and
former special procedures mandate holders of the United Nations Human
Rights Council; and leading academic and civil society legal experts. The
experts met in Maastricht from 26 to 28 September 2011 at a conference
co-convened by the Maastricht University and the ICJ and considered legal
analysis conducted over a period of four years by the ETO Consortium,
consisting of academic, civil society and other independent experts on
economic, social and cultural rights.

The Principles take as their starting point the conviction that the human
rights of individuals and peoples are necessarily impacted substantially
in both negative and positive ways by the conduct of States other than
their own. The Principles affirm that States are obliged to cooperate and
assist other states in realizing economic, social and cultural rights of
all people. They also make clear that States may be held responsible for
the adverse effects that their conduct brings to the enjoyment of rights
beyond their own borders.
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The experts stressed that economic globalization and the increasing shift
in decision-making competency and authority to international bodies were
placing great strain on the capacity of each State to realize human rights
of their own nationals and residents, and that all States acting singly or
jointly must act to ensure that human rights do not become a casualty of
this trend.

The Maastricht Principles complement and build on the 1986 Limburg
Principles for the implementation of the International Covenant on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and on the 1997 Maastricht Guidelines
on Violations of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. They constitute a
significant contribution towards the achievement of the historic promise
made by States in the Charter of the United Nations to promote universal
respect for, and observance of, human rights and fundamental freedoms for
all.

The text of the Maastricht Principles is available at:
http://www.maastrichtuniversity/humanrights and http://www.icj.org