International Humanitarian Law Commons^™

The United States' Failure To Ratify The International Covenant On Economic, Social And Cultural Rights: Must The Poor Be Always With Us., Ann M. Piccard

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

The United States remains one of only half a dozen U.N. member states that have yet to ratify the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The treaty was signed by President Jimmy Carter in 1977, but no steps toward ratification have ever been taken. Meanwhile, the gap between the rich and the poor in this country continues to grow, and is among the highest of any democracy on earth. The United States is historically suspicious of even recognizing economic, social and cultural rights as “rights” that might be amenable to any method of enforcement. As a result, the …