United Nations
General Assembly
A/HRC/25/50/Add.1
Distr.: General
27 March 2014
Original: English
Human Rights Council
Twenty-fifth session
Agenda item 3
Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil,
political, economic, social and cultural rights,
including the right to development
Report of the Independent Expert on the effects of foreign
debt and other related international financial obligations of
States on the full enjoyment of all human rights, particularly
economic, social and cultural rights, Cephas Lumina
Addendum
Mission to Greece (22 – 27 April 2013) * **
Summary
Since May 2010, the Government of Greece has been implementing an economic
adjustment programme as a condition for securing a total financing package of €240 billion
from the International Monetary Fund, the European Commission and the European Central
Bank. The programme consists of stringent policy measures that entail deep public
spending cuts, public sector job cuts, tax increases, the privatization of public enterprises
and structural reforms (including labour market reforms), which are ostensibly aimed at
reducing the country’s fiscal deficit and debt to a “sustainable” level. Nevertheless, the
measures have pushed the economy into recession and generally undermined the enjoyment
of human rights, particularly economic, social and cultural rights, in Greece. Significantly,
the public spending cuts and labour market reforms have resulted in increased
unemployment (in particular among young people), homelessness, poverty and social
exclusion (with approximately 11 per cent of the population living in extreme poverty), and
severely reduced access to public services, such as health care and education. The impact
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Late submission.
The summary is being circulated in all official languages. The report itself, contained in the annex to
the summary, is being circulated in the language of submission only.
GE.14-11882
*1411882*