Letter dated 16 May 2012 addressed by the Chairperson of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to States parties to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

Praxis: learning through Action Applied Research to Enhance Oversight.

This policy brief will first, define CBM and outline both its distinct features and the legal and policy basis for it in the South African context, in order to make the case for its inclusion within the broader SER monitoring framework. The second section will consider: what is to be monitored?; How is monitoring done?; and, who should do the monitoring?. In answering these foundational questions, section two will discuss various CBM tools and instruments used in South Africa. Third, this paper will raise a number of key questions and challenges for the SER Monitoring Project in terms of how citizen based monitoring can be supported and incorporated into monitoring at other levels – most
notably the statistical indicators which the project aims to monitor and track over time.

The working paper has been undertaken as part of the ‘Monitoring the progressive realisation of socio-economic rights’ project conducted by SPII with the support of Foundation for Human Rights and the endorsement from the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC). The objective of this project through the combination of policy and budget analysis and statistical indicators is to provide a comprehensive framework and set of tools to monitor the progressive
realisation of socio-economic rights. It is hoped that this project will be a useful tool for policy makers, for those that exercise oversight over the executive, including Parliament and Chapter Nine institutions (notably the SAHRC), and civil society.

An assessment of South African government spending on socio-economic rights from 2008/09 to 2017/18.

An update of the policy effort, resource allocation & enjoyment of the right to housing.