Center for Economic and Social Rights Records, 1989-2003, bulk 1991-2003

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Series I: Iraq

5.5 linear feet

Files relate to CESR work in Iraq. This series begins with the 1991-1992 work of the Harvard research team and their study of childhood malnutrition in Iraq. This study was replicated in 1995 and 1996 by CESR, which was founded by three members of the Harvard research team. In 1997 the research shifted to include adults and food security. The series includes original survey materials (primarily in Arabic), drafts and published versions of the team's reports, correspondence, and pertinent research articles.


Subseries I.1: 1991-1992 research mission, 1.25 linear feet

Material from the 1991-1992 Harvard research mission to Iraq. Largely consists of the original surveys on childhood health (in Arabic). Also features material related to the surveys (such as a translation of the Arabic), data analysis, copies of the published 1991 report, Sarah Zaidi's notebook, and a graduate thesis for the University of Baghdad entitled "Assessment of Nutritional Status of Children Under Five Year Old in Baghdad City."



Box 1 Folder 1 Children's Health forms, etc, 1991


Box 1 Folder 2-13 Children's Health Surveys, 1991, 12 folders


Box 1 Folder 14 Children's Health Data Analysis, 1991


Box 1 Folder 15 Children's Health Data Analysis, 1992


Box 1 Folder 16 Report, 1991


Box 1 Folder 17 Child mortality report and executive summary, 1991


Box 1 Folder 18 Sarah Zaidi Journals, 1991


Box 1 Folder 19 Special article, 1992


Box 1 Folder 20 Thesis on child nutrition in Baghdad, 1993


Subseries I.2: 1995 Research mission, 0.625 linear feet

Material from the 1995 CESR research mission to Iraq. Contains mission trip materials and, primarily, children's health surveys in Arabic.



Box 2 Folder 1 Child health survey methods, 1995


Box 2 Folder 2 1995 mission trip materials, 1995


Box 2 Folder 3-7 Children's health surveys, 1995, 5 folders


Box 2 Folder 8 Children's health data analysis, 1995


Subseries I.3: 1996 research mission, 1.25 linear feet

Material from the 1996 CESR research mission to Iraq. Includes survey and mission materials, maps of survey clusters, many children's health surveys, data analysis, an education study, another prospective CESR study, internal CESR material, personal notebooks, contact information, and a Food and Agriculture Association evaluation of Iraq. There is also a copy of the Ba'athist paper Ath-Thawra [The Revolution] (since disbanded during the 2003 invasion). This subseries also includes correspondence, specifically between CESR representatives and the UN and correspondence related to verbal autopsies.



Box 3 Folder 1 Suvey information and background, 1996


Box 3 Folder 2 Cluster maps, 1995-1996


Box 3 Folder 3 Mission information, 1996


Box 3 Folder 4-13 Children's health surveys, 1996, 10 folders


Box 3 Folder 14 Data guidelines and tables, 1996


Box 3 Folder 15 Demographic and data analysis, 1996


Box 3 Folder 16 Data analysis, 1996


Box 3 Folder 17 Education study, 1996


Box 3 Folder 18 CESR prospective study, 1996


Box 3 Folder 19 Internal CESR material, 1996


Box 3 Folder 20 CESR personal notebooks, 1996


Box 3 Folder 21 Contact information, 1996


Box 3 Folder 22 Unicef/uniscale correspondence, 1996


Box 3 Folder 23 Verbal autopsy correspondence, 1996


Box 3 Folder 24 UN Correspondence, 1996


Box 3 Folder 25 FAO Evaluation of Iraq, 1995


Box 3 Folder 26 Ath-Thawra Physical Copy, 1996


Subseries I.4: 1997 research mission, 1.25 linear feet

Material from the 1997 CESR research mission to Iraq. Primarily includes original adult and children's health surveys and data analysis. Also features food consumption surveys and food security questionnaires. Contains hospital information as well.



Box 4 Folder 1 1997 surveys and instructions, 1997


Box 4 Folder 2-7 Adults and children health surveys, 1997, 6 folders


Box 4 Folder 8 Data analysis, 1997


Box 4 Folder 9 Food consumption/ security survey material, 1997


Box 4 Folder 10 Food consumptions surveys, 1997


Box 4 Folder 11-12 Food security questionnaire, 1997, 2 folders


Box 4 Folder 13 Hospital information, 1997


Subseries I.5: CESR Iraq publication material, 1 linear feet

Published paper by CESR and its affiliate members. This is organized by year and includes the 1991 Harvard mission reports and publications. Publications range from 1991-2003 and include fact sheets, reports, and articles.


Iraq 1991



Box 5 Folder 1-2 First report, 1991, 2 folders


Box 5 Folder 3 Harvard study report and article, 1991


Box 5 Folder 4 1991 Iraq Mission Publications, 1991


Box 5 Folder 5 CESR analysis of '91 report, 1997


Iraq 1996-1997


Box 5 Folder 6 "Unsanctioned Violence" publication, 1996


Box 5 Folder 7 Lancet dispute, 1996


Box 5 Folder 8 CESR Report: Sanctions Against Iraq, 1997


Iraq 2001-2002


Box 5 Folder 9 Iraq Sanctions Project, 2001


Box 5 Folder 10 Iraq Fact Sheets, 2002


Box 5 Folder 11 CESR Report: Iraq Sanctions Humanitarian Implications, 2002


Box 5 Folder 12 Legal notes for Iraq campaign, 2002


Iraq 2003


Box 5 Folder 13 Iraq Mission materials, 2003


Box 5 Folder 14 Civilian targets and casualty questionnaire, 2003


Box 5 Folder 15 CESR Report The Humanitarian and Legal Implications of the War in Iraq, 2003


Box 5 Folder 16 CESR: The Human Cost of War in Iraq, 2003


Box 5 Folder 17 Roger Normand article drafts, 2003


Box 5 Folder 18 Internal CESR Memos on 2003 Campaign, 2003


Box 5 Folder 19 Lancet article: "Humanitarian Cost of War", 2003


Subseries I.6: External work on Iraq, 5 folders

External research material on Iraq. These include UNICEF and UNDP reports on Iraq, external organizations such as USAID's plans for Iraq, and additional research from media outlets.


Box 5 Folder 20 External organization iraq information, 2000-2003


Box 5 Folder 21 Multi-organization humanitarian plans for Iraq, 2001-2003


Box 5 Folder 22 Unicef/UNDP Iraq materials, 1999-2003


Box 5 Folder 23-24 External research Iraq, 2002-2003, 2 folders

Series II: CESR multi-country work

Features work related to multiple countries and missions. Files are connected to CESR projects and publications on Ecuador, Palestine, Afghanistan, Cambodia, Haiti, Honduras, Nigeria, and the Texas-Mexico border.


Subseries II.1: Ecuador, 10 folders

Features material related to CESR's early Ecuador project, including mission materials, the subsequent four CESR reports on oil pollution and human rights violations in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Also includes articles and drafts published by Sarah Zaidi and Chris Jochnick on oil and Texaco in Ecuador. Finally, includes a case study on Ecuador.



Box 6 Folder 1 Ecuador mission materials, 1993


Box 6 Folder 2 CESR Report on a Rapid Assessment of Oil Pollution, 1993


Box 6 Folder 3 CESR Report: Rights Violations in the Ecuadorian Amazon, 1993


Box 6 Folder 4 Draft: Health, environment and human rights in the Ecuadorian Oriente and oil development, 1994


Box 6 Folder 5 Zaidi: Human Health Effects of Oil Development in the Ecuadorian Amazon, 1994


Box 6 Folder 6 Article in Hoy, 1994


Box 6 Folder 7 CESR: Oil in the Rainforest, 1996


Box 6 Folder 8 Chris Jochnick Texaco Articles, 1998-1999


Box 6 Folder 9 CESR Report: From Needs to Rights, 1999


Box 6 Folder 10 Ecuador Case Study, 1999


Subseries II.2: Palestine, 6 folders

CESR publications related to Israeli jurisdiction in Palestine, the Oslo accords, Israeli occupation, the right to water, and Palestine fact sheets.


Box 6 Folder 11 CESR concering Israeli Jurisdiction in Palestinian Territories to ESCR, 1998


Box 6 Folder 12 CESR Material on Oslo Accords, 2000


Box 6 Folder 13 CESR Report: Under Siege: Israeli Human Rights Violations in Palestine, 2001


Box 6 Folder 14 CESR Palestine Fact Sheets, 2002


Box 6 Folder 15 CESR Report: Thirsting for Justice, 2003


Box 6 Folder 16 Palestine Right to Water plans, 2003


Subseries II.3: Afghanistan, 7 folders

Material related to CESR mission to Afghanistan. Includes the mission proposal, materials, and interviews. Also includes external work and research on Afghanistan.


Box 6 Folder 17 CESR mission proposal Afghanistan, 2001


Box 6 Folder 18 CESR Afghanistan fact sheet, 2001


Box 6 Folder 19 Afghanistan Mission Interviews, 2002


Box 6 Folder 20 External organizations on Afghanistan, 2001


Box 6 Folder 21-22 External analysis on Afghanistan, 2001, 2 folders


Subseries II.4: Cambodia, 1 folders

Primarily consists of a copy of the August 27-September 3, 1990 edition of The Nation featuring Roger Normand article "At the Khmer Rouge School: The Teachings of Chairman Pot."


Box 6 Folder 23 Cambodia, 1990


Subseries II.5: Haiti, 7 folders

Documents related to a 1996 research trip to Haiti. Consists of case studies and background material, trip notes and interviews, a final report with notes, and an IPS report on restoring democracy in Haiti.


Box 6 Folder 24 Haiti case study, 1995


Box 6 Folder 25 Sarah Zaidi Haiti trip notes, 1996


Box 6 Folder 26 Haiti trip interview notes, 1996


Box 6 Folder 27 Haiti paper and notes, 1996


Box 6 Folder 28 Background information on Haiti, 1996


Box 6 Folder 29 IPS Report: Restoring Democracy to Haiti, 1994


Box 6 Folder 30 Correspondence w/ Brown University on Haiti Case study, 1996


Subseries II.6: Honduras, 6 folders

Material related to gold mining in Honduras. Features a variety of background information– on both mining and Honduras, as well as legal precedent– and a series of CESR reports. There is also a UN report on Honduras in this subseries.


Box 6 Folder 31 CESR Report: The Price of Gold, 2001


Box 6 Folder 32 CESR Report: A Human Rights Critique (on mining), 2003


Box 6 Folder 33 Mining background information, 1995-2003


Box 6 Folder 34 Background for Honduras report, 2001


Box 6 Folder 35 Legal background for Honduras report, 2001


Box 6 Folder 36 UN Honduras report, 1999


Subseries II.7: Nigeria, 2 folders

Subseries includes external analysis collected by CESR on Nigeria.


Box 6 Folder 37-38 External analysis on Nigeria, 1995, 2 folders


Subseries II.8: Texas-Mexico Border, 2 folders

Holds an outline of the Texas-Mexico border project and a draft of CESR report on economic and social rights along the border.


Box 6 Folder 39 Texas-Mexico Border Project, 1996


Box 6 Folder 40 Draft of Promoting Economic and Social Rights on the US-Mexican Border, 1996

Series III: General CESR Materials

2.5 linear feet

The series begins with a variety of documents related to CESR's general work. These include published descriptions of CESR from the organization and the publication Portavoz [Spokesman], meeting agendas and minutes, drafts of articles, and internal materials such as media lists and press releases. There is also a folder containing information and correspondence surrounding the Iraq Sanctions Project. Subseries in this series include materials from workshops, UN documents, correspondence, sponsored programs such as the Right to Water and the Women's Economic Equality Project, and documents related to their US based work.



Box 7 Folder 1 About CESR, 2003


Box 7 Folder 2 Portavoz Article, 1995


Box 7 Folder 3 Ad Hoc Committee on Children's Health in Iraq, 1996


Box 7 Folder 4 African Commission Event, 1997


Box 7 Folder 5 Honduras Mining Meeting, 2001


Box 7 Folder 6 Iraq Sanctions Project, 2001


Box 7 Folder 7 Working draft: Children at Risk, 2000


Box 7 Folder 8 Fawzi + Zaidi Lancet Article, 1995


Box 7 Folder 9 Internal how to resources, 2003


Box 7 Folder 10 Media lists and press release, 2000


Subseries III.1: Workshops and training, 4 folders

Consists of material from CESR workshops and human rights training programs, an important component of the organization's early human rights work. There are two human rights workshops, one from 1995 and one from 2001. There is an additional workshop on mining in Honduras. Some of the material is in Spanish.


Box 7 Folder 11 CESR Workshop, 1995


Box 7 Folder 12 CESR Workshop/ training materials, 2001


Box 7 Folder 13 Humans Rights Training and open discussion, 2001


Box 7 Folder 14 Honduras Mining Workshop, 2001


Subseries III.2: UN Materials, 4 folders

UN documents, beginning with UN human right's work from 1969. The subseries then moves to material from the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights from 1997. These materials include short articles and speeches.


Box 7 Folder 15 UN Documents, 1969


Box 7 Folder 16 UN ESCR, 1997


Box 7 Folder 17 ESCR Speeches and Shorts, 1997


Subseries III.3: Correspondence, 10 folders

Correspondence between members of CESR and other individuals/organizations. Much correspondence relates to a dispute with the Lancet surrounding inaccurate data found in a 1995 article. There is a sizable amount of correspondence from Anna Cody, the coordinator for programming at Centro de Derechos Económicos y Sociales while it was located in Brooklyn, New York.


Box 7 Folder 18 Correspondence over excess death calculation, 1995


Box 7 Folder 19 Correspondence w/ the Lancet, 1995-1996


Box 7 Folder 20 Correspondence b/w Jean Lennock and Richard Garfield w/ article, 1996


Box 7 Folder 21 Correspondence about oil, 1996


Box 7 Folder 22 Correspondence b/w Chris, Phoebe, and Michael about Tex-Mex Project, 1997


Box 7 Folder 23 Alex Taylor Correspondence, 2001


Box 7 Folder 24 Correspondence b/w Ayliz Baskin and Mahdis Keshavarz, 2002


Box 7 Folder 25 Anna Cody correspondence in Spanish, 2002


Box 7 Folder 26 Jacob Park Correspondence, 2003


Box 7 Folder 27 Miscellaneous correspondence


Subseries III.4: Sponsored programs, 0.625 linear feet

Material related to four sponsored programs: Right to Water, the Women's Economic Equality Project (WEEP), the US Poor People's Campaign, and Centro de Derechos Económicos y Sociales (CDES). Material on Right to Water features fact sheets, the program's agenda, the Right to Water declaration and convention, contact information, and information on the program and gender. There is also substantial material from CDES including newsletters, publications, workshops and an alternative proposal for debt relief in Ecuador. CDES branched off from CESR and is now independent.



Box 8 Folder 1 Right to Water, 2002


Box 8 Folder 2 Right to Water Fact Sheets, 2002


Box 8 Folder 3 Right to Water Agenda on Water, 2002


Box 8 Folder 4 Right to Water Gender, 2001


Box 8 Folder 5 Right to Water General Comments, 2002


Box 8 Folder 6 Right to Water Ghana Mission, 2002


Box 8 Folder 7 Right to Water Declaration and Convention, 2002


Box 8 Folder 8 Right to Water Contacts and Groups, 2002


Box 8 Folder 9-11 Women's Economic Equality Project (WEEP), 2001


Box 8 Folder 12 US Poor People Campaign, 2002


Box 8 Folder 13 CDES Petition to IACHR, 2000


Box 8 Folder 14 CDES: An Alternative Proposal for Debt Relief in Ecuador, 2000


Box 8 Folder 15 CDES Newsletters, 2000


Box 8 Folder 16 CDES Publications, 2000


Box 8 Folder 17 CDES Workshops, 2000


Subseries III.5: General human rights articles, 6 folders

Articles and materials related to shifting perspectives in human rights and the need to reform the field. Also includes documents on the right to education and legal dicta.


Box 8 Folder 18 Human rights reforms articles, 1996


Box 8 Folder 19 Human rights law dicta/articles, 1994


Box 8 Folder 20 Right to education, 2002


Box 8 Folder 21 ESCR documents, 2003


Box 8 Folder 22 New Schemas for Human Rights Articles, 1997


Box 8 Folder 23 Miscellaneous human rights articles


Subseries III.6: US Human Rights Work, 9 folders

CESR work in the United States. Includes fact sheets, work on US housing rights, the right to health in the US, and documents related to the situation of taxi drivers in New York City. Also includes a case from the New Jersey Supreme Court and the ​​Petition by Inter-American Commission on Human Rights from 2003.


Box 8 Folder 24 US Housing Rights, 1996


Box 8 Folder 25 Human rights in the USA, 2002


Box 8 Folder 26 US Health Fact Sheets, 2002


Box 8 Folder 27 The Right to Health in the USA, 2004


Box 8 Folder 28 The Human Rights USA National Strategic Planning Meeting, 1997


Box 8 Folder 29 New Jersey Supreme Court Brief, 2002


Box 8 Folder 30 taxi driver materials, 2001


Box 8 Folder 31 Petition by Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, 2003