ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book focuses on the study and analysis of the United Nations (UN) Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) from an international legal perspective. It provides an overview of the ICESCR, including its history and the legal dispute between different human rights. The book takes into consideration the possible distinctions regarding human rights protection, with particular attention to the 2008 Optional Protocol and other individual complaints mechanisms. It provides a substantive and detailed analysis of the scope, aims and core provisions of the 2008 Optional Protocol. The book also provides an account of the history, structure, membership, powers and functioning of the CESCR, and its status within the UN system. It presents an analysis of the procedures, including the principles of legitimacy, transparency, confidentiality, impartiality and independence.
