A/HRC/17/34 In the report that the Expert submitted to the General Assembly in October 2009 (A/64/279), she addressed the impact of the crises on people living in extreme poverty and their enjoyment of human rights. 7. The present report continues the Independent Expert’s previous work by focusing on the human rights challenges and opportunities inherent in building a sustainable recovery from the crises. She seeks to approach the prospect of recovery as a unique opportunity for transformation and enhanced protection of human rights. States are encouraged to take stock of the effect of successive crises and to formulate a vision for recovery based on the realization of universally accepted human rights standards. In the report, she asks whether the recovery measures currently pursued by States are adequate to protect the most vulnerable and ensure the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights by all individuals. Lastly, she highlights the need for human rights-based approaches to recovery in order to rectify the deterioration in the enjoyment of human rights caused by the crises and to lay the foundations for a more equitable and inclusive society. 8. In order to prepare the report, the Independent Expert addressed a questionnaire to Governments requesting information on their policy responses to the global economic and financial crises and their proposed recovery measures. As at 28 February 2011, 24 Governments had responded.1 9. The Independent Expert also benefited from a review of many studies on the impact of the crises and recovery measures, and from an expert meeting convened by the Expert and organized by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, with the support of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway, on 27 and 28 January 2011. A total of 18 experts from Governments, non-governmental organizations, United Nations agencies and academic institutions attended the meeting and contributed to the Expert’s examination of the issues. 10. The Independent Expert wishes to express her gratitude to all States that submitted information and to the experts, non-governmental organizations and United Nations agencies that supported this process and assisted in the preparation of the present report. The Expert is particularly grateful for the support and guidance of UNICEF, which has also been working extensively on issues relating to recovery from the global economic and financial crises. III. Human rights framework 11. International human rights law stipulates concrete obligations to ensure the realization of economic, social and cultural rights. These obligations are enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in a number of human rights treaties at the regional and universal levels. The most direct obligations are those set forth in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, with which 160 States must comply.2 Several other treaties also establish compulsory obligations regarding economic, social and cultural rights, such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the 1 2 4 Questionnaire responses were received from Algeria, Argentina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cuba, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Indonesia, Jordan, Lithuania, Montenegro, Morocco, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Norway, Portugal, the Republic of Moldova, Spain, the Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. All responses are available from http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/poverty/expert/index.htm. As at 28 February 2011.