Exposing human rights abuses

The Special Rapporteur can intervene directly with governments on alleged human rights violations that relate to extreme poverty.

He does this by means of letters, which can take the form of either an urgent appeal or an ordinary communication. Such an intervention can relate to a human rights violation that has already occurred, is ongoing, or which has a high risk of occurring. The process involves sending a letter to the concerned State identifying the facts of the allegation, applicable international human rights norms and standards, concerns and questions, and a request for follow-up action. In some cases, communications are also sent to inter-governmental organizations or non-State actors, such as private corporations.

Communications may deal with individual cases, general patterns and trends of human rights violations, cases affecting a particular group or community, or the content of draft or existing legislation, or policy or practice considered not to be fully compatible with international human rights standards.

More information on communications, including how to submit information to the Special Rapporteur, is available here.

The current page contains links to individual communications issued by the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights. A full list of joint communications issued with other Special Rapporteurs is available here.

Argentina

Bonds and Debt

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (20 August 2014)
• Philip Alston: First Country Reply (20 October 2014)

Australia

Termination of Accounts of Somali Money Transfer

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (12 January 2016)
• Philip Alston: First Country Reply (17 March 2016)

Social Services Legislation

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (17 October 2017)
• Philip Alston: Country Reply (15 January 2018)
• Philip Alston: Follow-Up Communication (30 January 2018)

Bahrain

Discrimination, Religion, Expression, and Culture

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (30 October 2015)
• Philip Alston: First Country Reply (25 December 2015)
• Philip Alston: Second Country Reply (1 February 2016)

Bangladesh

Water and Arsenic

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (21 June 2016)

Brazil

Constitutional Amendment

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (8 December 2016)
• Philip Alston: First Country Reply (12 December 2016)
• Philip Alston: Second Country Reply (21 December 2016)
• Philip Alston: Third Country Reply (23 December 2016)
• Philip Alston: Fourth Country Reply (23 January 2017)
• Philip Alston: Response to 8 December Letter (23 March 2017)

Police Intervention in Cracolandia

• Philip Alston: Second Communication (28 August 2017)
• Philip Alston: First Country Reply (6 March 2018)

Canada

Homeless Crisis

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (16 May 2017)

China

Detention of Human Rights Lawyer

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (20 May 2019)
• Philip Alston: First Country Reply (27 June 2019)

Detention and Freedom of Expression

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (26 October 2016)
• Philip Alston: First Country Reply (9 December 2016)

Disappearance of Human Rights Lawyer

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (2 December 2016)
• Philip Alston: First Country Reply (20 January 2017)

Disappearance of Human Rights Defender

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (28 December 2016)

Freedom of Expression and Harassment

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (28 April 2017)
• Philip Alston: First Country Reply (29 May 2017)

Colombia

Land, Indigenous Peoples, Water and Sanitation

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (22 December 2016)
• Philip Alston: First Country Reply (27 February 2017)

Afro-Colombian Community, Racism, Executions, Violence, and Poverty

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (11 March 2016)
• Philip Alston: First Country Reply (18 January 2017)

Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe

Emergency Housing and Migrants

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (12 February 2015)

Egypt

Abusive Labour Practices

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (31 July 2017)

Greece

Immigration, Housing, Sanitation, and Health

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (27 January 2017)
• Philip Alston: First Country Reply (27 February 2017)

Guatemala

Basic Income and the Right to Food

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (12 February 2015)
• Philip Alston: First Country Reply (13 March 2015)
• Philip Alston: First Country Reply Annex (13 March 2015)
• Philip Alston: First Country Reply Report v2 (13 March 2015)
• Philip Alston: First Country Reply Report v3 (13 March 2015)

Right to Food

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (19 February 2016)
• Philip Alston: First Country Reply (10 May 2016)

Haiti

Victims of 2010 cholera epidemic denied healthcare

• Philip Alston: Original communication (28 April 2020)

India

Judicial Harassment of and Death Threats Received by Rajat Kalsa

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (10 November 2017)

Abusive Labour Practices

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (31 July 2017)

Humanitarian COVID-19 crisis: 100 million workers returning home

• Original communication (28 May 2020)
• Country reply (26 June 2020)

Indonesia

Abusive Labour Practices

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (31 July 2017)
• Philip Alston: First Country Reply (2 August 2017)
• Philip Alston: Second Country Reply (13 October 2017)

Lombok : human rights abuses in Mandalika mega tourism project

• Original communication to the Government of Indonesia (4 March 2021)
• Reply from the Government of Indonesia (3 May 2021)
• Letter to AIIB (4 March 2021)
• Reply from AIIB (3 May 2021)
• Communication to Vinci (26 March 2021)
• Reply from Vinci (25 May 2021)
• Communication to Accor (26 March 2021)
• Reply from Accor (16 April 2021)
• Communication to Club Med (26 March 2021)
• Reply from Club Med (21 May 2021)
• Communication to Dorna Sports (26 March 2021)
• Communication to Paragon (26 March 2021)
• Communication to France (26 March 2021)
• Communication to Spain (26 March 2021)
• Reply from Spain (27 May 2021)
• Communication to the USA (26 March 2021)

Ireland

Public Services Card

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (14 April 2020)

Lao PDR

Disappearance

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (25 September 2019)
• Philip Alston: First Country Reply (17 January 2020)

Lebanon

Economic Crisis

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (20 November 2019)
• Philip Alston: First Country Reply (January 20, 2020)

Mauritania

Detention of Human Rights Defenders

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (11 October 2016)
• Philip Alston: First Country Reply (19 October 2016)

Detention and Torture

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (2 August 2016)

Mohammed bin Ibrahim bin Abdullah Owaideh

Abusive Labour Practices

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (14 July 2017)

Moldova

Roma Community Action Plan

• Philip Alston: Original Communication-Follow-up on 2013 Country Visit (28 May 2015)
• Philip Alston: First Country Reply (3 August 2015)

Morocco

Human rights violations of seasonal migrant workers, especially women, in Huelva

• Original Communication (22 June 2020)

Myanmar

Right to Food

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (23 August 2017)
• Philip Alston: First Country Reply (11 January 2018)

Netherlands

Emergency Housing and Migrants

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (12 December 2014)
• Philip Alston: First Country Reply (4 February 2015)
• Philip Alston: Second Country Reply (9 July 2015)

Emergency Assistance to Homeless Migrants

• Philip Alston: Response to 9 July Reply (25 February 2016)
• Philip Alston: First Country Reply (4 November 2016)

Demolition of 535 social rental homes in Rotterdam

• Original communication to the NL (19 April 2021)
• Reply from the NL (18 June)

Nigeria

Water Privatization

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (15 January 2020)

NML Capital

Bonds and Debt

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (20 August 2014)

Pakistan

Abusive Labour Practices

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (31 July 2017)

Philippines

Abusive Labour Practices

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (24 August 2017)
• Philip Alston: First Country Reply (5 January 2018)

Saudi Arabia

Detention of Human Rights Defender

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (20 February 2017)
• Philip Alston: First Country Reply (20 April 2017)

Demolition of Historic Neighborhood

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (27 March 2017)
• Philip Alston: First Country Reply (24 May 2017)

Abusive Labour Practices

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (11 July 2017)
• Philip Alston: First Country Reply (18 August 2017)
• Philip Alston: Second Country Reply (11 September 2017)

Serbia

Immigration and Housing

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (8 February 2017)
• Philip Alston: First Country Reply (11 August 2017)

Somalia

Termination of Accounts of Somali Money Transfer

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (12 January 2016)

South Africa

Killing of Human Rights Defender Sibonelo Patrick Mpeku

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (3 January 2018)

Spain

Roma Community and Lack of Access to Sanitation, Health, and Education

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (9 May 2016)
• Philip Alston: First Country Reply (19 July 2016)

Migrant workers in Huelva: appalling living and working conditions

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (30 April 2020)
• Country Reply (20 August 2020)
• Philip Alston: Communication to the company Driscoll’s, Inc. (30 April 2020)
• Response from the  company Driscoll’s (25 June 2020)

Human rights violations of seasonal migrant workers, especially women, in Huelva

• Original Communication (22 June 2020)
• First Country Reply (26 June 2020)
• Second Country Reply (20 August 2020)
• Communication to the company Plus Berries y Agrícola El Bosque SL (23 June 2020)

Power cut in informal settlement “Cañada Real Galiana” :  1812 children at risk in the winter

• Original communication (18 December 2020)

Sudan

Abusive Labour Practices

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (31 July 2017)
• Philip Alston: First Country Reply (6 November 2017)

Thailand

Disappearance

• Original Communication (25 September 2019)

Turkey

Emergency Measures, Coup, and Subsequent Poverty

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (11 April 2017)
• Philip Alston: First Country Reply (6 June 2017)
• Philip Alston: Second Country Reply Part I (27 July 2017)
• Philip Alston: Second Country Reply Part II (27 July 2017)
• Philip Alston: Second Country Reply Part III (27 July 2017)

Detention and Freedom of Speech

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (1 June 2017)
• Philip Alston: First Country Reply (21 July 2017)

State of Emergency

• Philip Alston: Response to 11 April 2017 Reply (20 February 2018)
• Philip Alston: First Country Reply (13 April 2018)
• Philip Alston: Second Country Reply (30 April 2018)

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Termination of Accounts of Somali Money Transfer

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (12 January 2016)
• Philip Alston: First Country Reply (24 March 2016)

Welfare Reform and Work Act

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (8 April 2016)
• Philip Alston: First Country Reply (14 July 2016)

Food insecurity among low-income households

• Original communication (5 August 2020)

Plan to cut an uplift to Universal Credit

• Original letter (13 September 2021)

United Nations

Cholera Outbreak in Haiti

• Philip Alston: Response to 25 November 2014 Reply (23 October 2015)
• Philip Alston: UN Reply to 23 October 2015 Response (25 February 2016)

• Philip Alston: Original communication (28 April 2020)
• Philip Alston: UN Reply (26 June 2020)

United States

Water and Sanitation in Detroit

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (24 June 2014)
• Philip Alston: First Country Reply (17 October 2014)

Bonds and Debts

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (20 August 2014)
• Philip Alston: First Country Reply (14 October 2014)

Racism and Water and Sanitation in Baltimore

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (15 May 2015)
• Philip Alston: First Country Reply (16 July 2015)

Termination of Accounts of Somali Money Transfer

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (12 January 2016)
• Philip Alston: First Country Reply (13 May 2016)

Water Crisis in Flint

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (5 April 2016)

Venezuela

Housing, Food, and Health

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (11 December 2017)
• Philip Alston: First Country Reply (11 January 2018)

Economic crisis, inequality, poverty

• Philip Alston: Original communication (29 April 2020)

Yemen

Abusive Labour Practices

• Philip Alston: Original Communication (31 July 2017)

Zimbabwe

Austerity and Economic Reforms

• Philip Alston: Joint Statement (1 April 2019)