The Research and Action Center for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights – CRADESC – is an advocacy framework in French-speaking West Africa and the Sahel, based in Senegal, acting exclusively for the respect and realization of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR). It is a think-tank that positions itself as a research and action center on legislation, public policies and policies concerning ESCR for the recognition, protection and implementation of these rights.
Extreme poverty, defined as living on less than two dollars a day, is declining worldwide, but it continues to rise in Sub-Saharan Africa, where it affects 41.1% of the entire population. In 2015, this region of the continent accounted for more than half of the world’s poor, with 413.3 million out of a total of 736 million poor people globally.
Access to basic education, healthcare, shelter, and food, ecological disasters leading to forced displacements, and economic and ecological migrations are the determinants of this vicious cycle known as poverty.
The exacerbation of the precariousness of impoverished populations testifies to the depth of economic and social inequalities, as indicated by the still alarming indicators on the continent. African states are slow to make equitable redistribution of resources an absolute priority, despite the high levels of poverty in their societies.
In this context, Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ESCR) occupy a secondary position in the human rights implementation agendas, despite their intrinsic links to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
