Report under the UN International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

As part of its monitoring mandate, the Centre has participated in the reporting procedure under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The Centre submitted an individual submission for consideration during the preparation of the List of Issues. This submission contributes to the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in drafting the official List of Issues that will be addressed the Slovak Republic. At the conclusion of this procedure, the Committee will issue recommendations to the State party aimed at strengthening its compliance with human rights obligations.

Throughout this process, the Centre collaborated with non-governmental organizations whose experience working with affected population supported the creation of the report. The Centre considers the involvement of civil society in monitoring international human rights mechanisms to be essential because these organizations provide valuable insights from their practical experience.

The Centre focused on several key areas, highlighting human rights challenges, including:

• Restrictions on access to social rights introduced by amendments to the law on material need.
• Unequal access to social protection for persons with temporary protection status, who often lack equal access to social rights even when employed and contributing to social insurance.
• Insufficient access to social services for vulnerable populations, particularly due to the end of project-based funding and the absence of sustainable systemic financing.
• The deepening of poverty in Slovakia, significantly highlighted by recent crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the energy crisis.
• Inadequate support for working individuals at risk of poverty.
• Poverty and inadequate living conditions affecting marginalized Roma communities, who face several human rights violations, including forced evictions and lack of access to drinking water and sanitation.
• Limited access to healthcare for vulnerable groups, including refugees and people experiencing homelessness.
• Regional disparities and a shortage of specialized healthcare professionals, which affects access to healthcare across the country.
• Finally, the Centre examined recent constitutional amendments, which poses the primacy of national identity over international law. The lack of a clear definition of this concept raises concerns about legal uncertainty and the potential erosion of human rights protections for all individuals in Slovakia.

The full report is available here.