The Principles cover all economic, social and cultural rights, including among
others the right to just and favourable conditions of work, social security, an
adequate standard of living, food, housing, water, sanitation, health, education
and participation in cultural life.
The Maastricht Principles constitute the outcome of the deliberations of a group
of 40 distinguished experts in international law and human rights from all regions
of the world. The expert group includes present and former members of
international human rights treaty bodies; present and former special procedures
mandate holders of the United Nations Human Rights Council; and leading
academic and civil society legal experts. The experts met in Maastricht from 26
to 28 September 2011 at a conference co-convened by the Maastricht University
and the ICJ and considered legal analysis conducted over a period of four years
by the ETO Consortium, consisting of academic, civil society and other
independent experts on economic, social and cultural rights.