Proposed Constitutional
Amendment (PEC) 55 was considered by the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme
poverty and human rights, Philip Alston, a 'radical' and 'compassionate'
measure that will tie the hands of future rulers and which will have severe
impacts on The most vulnerable Brazilians, besides constituting a violation of
Brazil's international obligations.
For an independent expert, the debate on the PEC in the National Congress was
rushed by the new government and did not adequately address those who will be
most affected by the freezing of public spending. Alston recalled that the
measure comes from a government that came to power after an impeachment and
therefore never presented its program to an electorate.
Government plans to freeze
social spending in Brazil for 20 years are entirely incompatible with Brazil's
human rights obligations, said UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and
human rights, Philip Alston, on Friday.
According to the independent expert, the main and inevitable effect of the proposed Constitutional Amendment (PEC) 55, designed to force a budget freeze as a demonstration of fiscal prudence, will be the detriment of the poorest in the coming decades. The amendment is expected to be voted by the Senate on December 13.
"If adopted, this amendment will block spending at inadequate and rapidly decreasing levels in health, education and social security, thus putting a whole future generation at risk of receiving social protection far below current levels," Alston said.
The special rapporteur appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council recommended that the Brazilian government guarantee an appropriate public debate on PEC 55; that estimates its impact on the poorest segments of society; And to identify other alternatives to achieve the austerity goals.
"One thing is certain," added the independent expert. "It is completely inappropriate to freeze only social spending and tie the hands of all the next governments for another two decades. If this amendment is adopted, it will put Brazil in a single category in terms of social retrogression. "
According to the independent expert, the main and inevitable effect of the proposed Constitutional Amendment (PEC) 55, designed to force a budget freeze as a demonstration of fiscal prudence, will be the detriment of the poorest in the coming decades. The amendment is expected to be voted by the Senate on December 13.
"If adopted, this amendment will block spending at inadequate and rapidly decreasing levels in health, education and social security, thus putting a whole future generation at risk of receiving social protection far below current levels," Alston said.
The special rapporteur appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council recommended that the Brazilian government guarantee an appropriate public debate on PEC 55; that estimates its impact on the poorest segments of society; And to identify other alternatives to achieve the austerity goals.
"One thing is certain," added the independent expert. "It is completely inappropriate to freeze only social spending and tie the hands of all the next governments for another two decades. If this amendment is adopted, it will put Brazil in a single category in terms of social retrogression. "
The plan to change the
constitution for the next 20 years comes from a government that came to power
after an impeachment and therefore never presented its program to an
electorate. This raises further concerns about the proposal to tie the hands of
future rulers, Alston said.
Brazil is the largest economy in Latin America and suffers its most severe recession in decades, with unemployment levels almost doubling since the beginning of 2015.
The government claims that a freeze on spending set out in the constitution should boost investor confidence by reducing public debt and interest rates and that this will, in turn, help lift the country out of recession. The measure, however, will have a severe impact on the poorest, warns the Special Rapporteur.
"This is a radical measure, devoid of all nuance and compassion," he said. "It will hit the poorest and most vulnerable Brazilians harder, increasing the levels of inequality in an already extremely unequal society, and definitively points out that for Brazil, social rights will have a very low priority in the next twenty years."
Alston recalled that "this clearly violates Brazil's obligations under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which the country ratified in 1992 and which prohibits the adoption of 'deliberately regressive measures' unless there is no other And that a thorough consideration has been given in order to ensure that the measures taken are necessary and proportionate. "
Brazil is the largest economy in Latin America and suffers its most severe recession in decades, with unemployment levels almost doubling since the beginning of 2015.
The government claims that a freeze on spending set out in the constitution should boost investor confidence by reducing public debt and interest rates and that this will, in turn, help lift the country out of recession. The measure, however, will have a severe impact on the poorest, warns the Special Rapporteur.
"This is a radical measure, devoid of all nuance and compassion," he said. "It will hit the poorest and most vulnerable Brazilians harder, increasing the levels of inequality in an already extremely unequal society, and definitively points out that for Brazil, social rights will have a very low priority in the next twenty years."
Alston recalled that "this clearly violates Brazil's obligations under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which the country ratified in 1992 and which prohibits the adoption of 'deliberately regressive measures' unless there is no other And that a thorough consideration has been given in order to ensure that the measures taken are necessary and proportionate. "
The independent expert
pointed out that, over the last decades, Brazil has established an impressive
system of social protection aimed at eradicating poverty and recognizing the
rights to education, health, work and social security.
"These policies have contributed substantially to reducing levels of poverty and inequality in the country. It would be a historic mistake to delay the clock at this point, "he said.
The National Education Plan in Brazil requires an annual increase of 37 billion reais to provide a quality education for all students, while the PEC will reduce planned spending by 47 billion reais over the next eight years. With more than 3.8 million children out of school, Brazil cannot ignore their right to go to school or the right of all children to quality education, the rapporteur said.
He said that the debate on PEC 55 was rushed into Congress by the new government with the limited participation of affected groups and without considering their impact on human rights. A recent study suggests that 43% of Brazilians do not know about the amendment, and among those they know most oppose it.
"These policies have contributed substantially to reducing levels of poverty and inequality in the country. It would be a historic mistake to delay the clock at this point, "he said.
The National Education Plan in Brazil requires an annual increase of 37 billion reais to provide a quality education for all students, while the PEC will reduce planned spending by 47 billion reais over the next eight years. With more than 3.8 million children out of school, Brazil cannot ignore their right to go to school or the right of all children to quality education, the rapporteur said.
He said that the debate on PEC 55 was rushed into Congress by the new government with the limited participation of affected groups and without considering their impact on human rights. A recent study suggests that 43% of Brazilians do not know about the amendment, and among those they know most oppose it.
The special rapporteur, who
is in contact with the Brazilian government to better understand the process
and content of the proposed amendment, also stressed that "showing
economic and fiscal prudence and respecting international human rights norms
are not mutually exclusive objectives, since both Focus on the importance of
carefully designed measures to avoid the maximum negative consequences for
people. "
"Directly negative effects have to be balanced with potential long-term gains as well as efforts to protect the most vulnerable, especially the poorest in society," Alston said.
"International economic studies, including International Monetary Fund surveys, show that fiscal consolidation typically has short-term effects such as reduced income, rising unemployment, and income inequality. And in the long run, there is no empirical evidence to suggest that these measures will achieve the goals suggested by the government, "said the independent expert.
The special rapporteur's appeal to the Brazilian authorities was also endorsed by the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education, Koumbou Boly Barry.
The Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts of the UN system for Human Rights, is the name given to independent mechanisms for monitoring the Council.
"Directly negative effects have to be balanced with potential long-term gains as well as efforts to protect the most vulnerable, especially the poorest in society," Alston said.
"International economic studies, including International Monetary Fund surveys, show that fiscal consolidation typically has short-term effects such as reduced income, rising unemployment, and income inequality. And in the long run, there is no empirical evidence to suggest that these measures will achieve the goals suggested by the government, "said the independent expert.
The special rapporteur's appeal to the Brazilian authorities was also endorsed by the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education, Koumbou Boly Barry.
The Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts of the UN system for Human Rights, is the name given to independent mechanisms for monitoring the Council.
Special rapporteurs are human
rights experts appointed by the Human Rights Council to address
country-specific issues or thematic issues around the world. They are not UN
officials and are independent of any government or organization.
They serve in individual capacity and do not receive salary for their work.
They serve in individual capacity and do not receive salary for their work.
SAISI
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