A/66/269 (UNESCO) Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers (1966), which recognizes the need for high priority to be given in all countries to setting aside, within the national budget, an adequate proportion of national income for the development of education. 8 In fact, the right to education is an integral part of the institutional mission of UNESCO, and Member States have the obligation of providing the necessary resources for its realization. 1. Ensuring progressive realization and avoiding retrogression 10. The concept of the progressive realization of economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to education, recognizes that their realization often extends over time. It also implies that measures to promote the fulfilment of a right must be adopted with a view to ensuring a sustainable expansion of its enjoyment across the country. When referring to the progressive realization of the right to education, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights emphasized that States parties to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights have a specific and continuing obligation “to move as expeditiously and effectively as possible” towards the full realization of that right. It also underlined: “there is a strong presumption of impermissibility of any retrogressive measures”. 9 In that sense, support to education must be driven by consideration of the need to ensure the gradual expansion of the education sector. 11. Various United Nations human rights treaty bodies have expressed concern regarding the possible impact of economic crises on the enjoyment of human rights. The Committee on Economic and Social Rights specified that “even in times of severe resources constraints, whether caused by a process of adjustment, of economic recession or by other factors, the vulnerable members of society can and indeed must be protected by the adoption of relatively low-cost targeted programmes”. 10 More recently, the Human Rights Council adopted a resolution in which it called upon States to note that the global economic and financial crises did not diminish the responsibility of national authorities in the realization of human rights. 11 2. Fulfilling core obligations 12. States’ obligations to satisfy, as a matter of priority, “minimum essential levels of each of the rights” recognized in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, also referred to as “minimum core obligations”, have immediate effect. Core obligations relating to the right to education include the obligation to provide primary education free of charge for all in accordance with article 13.2 (a) and the obligation to adopt and implement a national educational strategy that includes the provision of secondary, higher and fundamental education. 12 Article 14 of the Covenant further underlines the core obligation to adopt a plan of action aimed at securing the progressive implementation of the right to compulsory primary education, free of charge, within a reasonable time frame. __________________ 8 9 10 11 12 11-44589 ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers, para. 10 (l). Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, General Comment No. 13, paras. 44 and 45. Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, General Comment No. 3, para. 12. Human Rights Council resolution S-10/1 of 23 February 2009. See Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, General Comment No. 13, para. 52. 5