UN Committee On Economic, Social And Cultural Rights Publishes Findings On Australia, Georgia, Kenya And Uruguay

GENEVA (27 February 2026) - The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights today issued findings on Australia, Georgia, Kenya, and Uruguay, following its review of these States parties during its latest session.

The findings highlight positive developments and outline major concerns and recommendations regarding each country’s implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Key issues include:

Australia
While acknowledging the Housing Australia Future Fund Act 2023 and the National Housing and Homelessness Plan, the Committee remained concerned about the persistent shortage of affordable housing and the insufficient supply of social housing, which continue to lead to long waiting lists and increased homelessness. The Committee also highlighted that the Commonwealth Rent Assistance remains insufficient to ensure that low-income households can afford adequate housing amid rising rents. It raised alarm about overcrowding and inadequate housing affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, especially in remote communities. The Committee recommended that Australia adopt a human-rights-based approach to its national housing policy addressing access to adequate housing as a human right, expand investment in social housing, strengthen rent regulation, and increase Commonwealth Rent Assistance. It also called on Australia to ensure adequate, affordable and culturally appropriate housing for disadvantaged groups, particularly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The Committee noted recent increases in income support payments, but remained concerned that the level of social security benefits, including JobSeeker Payment, Youth Allowance, Parenting Payment, the Disability Support Pension, and the Remote Area Allowance, remains insufficient to ensure an adequate standard of living, and that a significant proportion of beneficiaries remain living below the poverty line. It recommended that Australia increase social security benefit levels and regularly review and adjust payment rates in line with the cost of living, with a view to ensuring an adequate standard of living.

Georgia
While welcoming recent pharmaceutical reforms, including external reference pricing and managed-entry agreements, the Committee remained concerned about reports of high market concentration and vertical integration in the pharmaceutical sector. The Committee underscored that such concentration might create perverse billing incentives, contributing to high medicine prices, and affecting the affordability and accessibility of medicines. It recommended that Georgia strengthen its legal and regulatory framework to prevent and address the negative human rights impacts of excessive market concentration, ensuring effective competition oversight, robust enforcement mechanisms, and measurable improvements in the affordability and accessibility of medicines.

While noting that business and human rights remain a priority in the National Strategy for Human Rights Protection of Georgia (2022–2030), the Committee remained concerned about the lack of a dedicated national action plan on business and human rights and the absence of comprehensive human rights due diligence mechanisms. It asked Georgia to adopt a national action plan on business and human rights and ensure that both its formulation and implementation involve all interested parties, including representatives of businesses, trade unions, civil society organisations, and the most affected communities.

Kenya
While acknowledging the State Party’s legal framework for labour rights, the Committee remained concerned that many workers across sectors continue to experience excessive working hours, inadequate or irregular salaries, and delayed payments. It also highlighted that selfemployed workers and those without formal contracts or working in the informal sector often lack adequate protection. The Committee further expressed concern that workers in high-risk sectors, such as construction and mining, continue to suffer occupational accidents, despite the Occupational Safety and Health Act (2007). It called for the adoption and enforcement of clear regulations on working hours and the strengthening of monitoring and inspection mechanisms to ensure timely wage payments. The Committee also called on Kenya to reduce occupational diseases, injuries and fatalities, and recommended regular occupational safety and health risk assessments and the strengthening of labour inspection mechanisms.

The Committee voiced its concern about the austerity measures and limited fiscal space that constrain public expenditure on economic, social and cultural rights, and about the continued reliance on regressive tax policies, including minimal taxation of wealth and widespread tax evasion. It also underscored that recent Finance Acts increased VAT and reduced or removed exemptions on essential goods and services, which may contribute to rising living costs and disproportionately affect people living in poverty. The Committee asked Kenya to ensure that public debt and servicing do not constrain the budgetary space needed to fulfil obligations under the Covenant, particularly in food, housing, social protection, health, education and culture. It also called upon the State Party to review taxation and fiscal policies, strengthen efforts to mobilise domestic resources for the realisation of Covenant rights, and enhance the redistribution of the benefits of economic growth and wealth.

Uruguay
The Committee noted progress in expanding access to safe drinking water and sanitation, and welcomed 60 per cent coverage in safe sanitation, but it remained concerned that problems persist regarding water quality and contamination of water resources, and that the 2023 water crisis underscored ongoing challenges in protecting water resources. The Committee recommended a human rights-based approach to water management to guarantee the availability, quality and affordability of safe drinking water. It also called for stronger climate and environmental governance that integrate human rights into water and climate risk management, and for intensified efforts to ensure safe sanitation for disadvantaged and marginalised groups, especially those in informal settlements and rural areas.

The Committee welcomed steps to advance equality between men and women, including the adoption of Law No. 19.846 (2019) and the establishment of the National Integrated Care System. However, it remained concerned about the persistence of a significant gender pay gap and disproportionately high poverty among women, alongside women’s underrepresentation in decision-making. It was also concerned that implementation challenges in the care system continue to deepen women’s unpaid care burden. The Committee recommended stronger action to achieve substantive equality, including concrete, time-bound measures to close the gender pay gap. It also called for steps to ensure the effective implementation of the National Integrated Care System with a view to consolidating it as a universal system, with adequate and sustainable resources.

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