Escr-Net

What Escr-Net does

ESCR-Net (International Network for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights) is a non-profit member-led global network founded in 2003 in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and headquartered in New York City at 370 Lexington Avenue. The organization connects approximately 300 member organizations across 80 countries, including social movements, human rights NGOs, Indigenous Peoples' organizations, feminist organizations, and independent unions, to advance economic, social, cultural, and environmental rights. ESCR-Net operates through a member-led governance model with a seven-person Board elected every three years based on principles of regional and gender balance, supported by a secretariat of 11-50 staff working from multiple global regions. Funding comes from institutional donors including Ford Foundation, Open Society Foundations, American Jewish World Service (AJWS), Women's Global Facility, Protect Defenders, and WP Fund.

The network's core offerings include eight thematic working groups (Corporate Accountability, Women and ESCR, Strategic Litigation, Economic Policy, Social Movements, Community-Led Research Hub, Environment and ESCR, and System of Solidarity), a Caselaw Database on ESCER jurisprudence, the System of Solidarity mechanism for protecting human rights defenders under threat, and the Corporate Capture Comic Series as a political education tool. Foundational policy documents include the Common Charter for Collective Struggle and the Strategic Plan 2025-2029. The network maintains a multilingual digital presence in English, Spanish, French, and Arabic, and facilitates member engagement at international forums including the UN Human Rights Council and UNFCCC climate negotiations.

As a non-profit, ESCR-Net does not sell commercial products or services. Membership is free for qualifying organizations aligned with the network's mission. Revenue is generated through grants and donations from institutional funders; specific financial figures are not publicly disclosed. The organization's go-to-motion is member-led coordination, collective advocacy, and knowledge sharing rather than commercial distribution, with outreach conducted via website content, newsletters, social media, annual reports, global strategy meetings, press releases, and resource publications.

Name

Escr-Net

Legal name

International Network for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

Website

https://escr-net.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ESCR-Net is a non-profit member-led global network founded in 2003 that connects approximately 300 social movement, human rights, Indigenous, and feminist organizations across 80 countries to advance economic, social, cultural, and environmental rights through collective advocacy and solidarity.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Human Rights Advocacy Network

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Cause, ESG & Sustainability Communications (MPAAADAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

ESG/Sustainability Reputation & Purpose Communications (MPAAAOAN)

Keywords

• Human rights advocacy
• Social movement networks
• Economic social cultural rights
• Corporate accountability
• Strategic litigation support

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ESCR-Net is a member-led global network of approximately 300 organizations across 80 countries that advances economic, social, cultural, and environmental rights (ESCER) through coordinated advocacy, strategic litigation, solidarity campaigns, and knowledge sharing. It convenes eight thematic working groups, maintains a jurisprudence caselaw database, publishes policy briefs and educational tools, and facilitates collective action through the System of Solidarity to protect human rights defenders. The network is funded by institutional donors and operates a multilingual platform serving social movements, Indigenous Peoples' organizations, NGOs, feminist groups, and independent unions worldwide.

Product overview

ESCR-Net operates as a member-led network rather than a traditional product company, functioning as a collaborative platform for human rights advocacy. The core offerings include the Caselaw Database (a searchable jurisprudence resource), the System of Solidarity (a mechanism for protecting human rights defenders), the Corporate Capture Comic Series (an educational tool), the Treaty to Regulate Corporate Power Initiative (advocacy for binding UN frameworks), the Social Pact on Care (a feminist economic framework), and Community-Led Research initiatives. Supporting foundational documents include the Common Charter for Collective Struggle, Global Call to Action in Response to COVID-19, and Strategic Plan 2025-2029. The network also facilitates eight working groups focused on specific themes: Corporate Accountability, Women and ESCR, Strategic Litigation, Economic Policy, Social Movements, Community-Led Research Hub, Environment and ESCR, and System of Solidarity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Caselaw Database

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100 members participated in the 2024 Global Strategy Meeting in Chiang Mai, Thailand
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Amnesty International: Amnesty International is a much larger and well-resourced global human rights organization with millions of members across nearly every country. It is a broad incumbent operating across the full human rights spectrum rather than specializing in ESCER, but it overlaps in corporate accountability advocacy, strategic litigation, and UN engagement.
• Human Rights Watch: Human Rights Watch is a large, well-funded international organization conducting research and advocacy on a broad range of human rights. It is a broad incumbent with overlapping work on corporate accountability, economic and social rights, and UN engagement, though it is not a membership-based network model.

Direct peers

• FIAN International: FIAN International is a Germany-based human rights organization focused on the right to adequate food and nutrition, with members in over 50 countries, and FIAN representatives sit on ESCR-Net's board. It is one of the most direct peers given overlapping ESCR mandate, member-network model, and engagement with UN human rights mechanisms.
• FIDH (International Federation for Human Rights): FIDH is a Paris-based federation of 192 human rights organizations operating across more than 100 countries. It shares ESCR-Net's member-led network model, international litigation and advocacy focus, and engagement with UN mechanisms, making it a structural peer even though its mandate spans all human rights rather than ESCER specifically.
• IBON International: IBON International is a Philippines-headquartered network of development NGOs and social movements working on economic, social, and ecological justice. It closely mirrors ESCR-Net's member-network model, focus on ESCER, and engagement with UN and global governance processes from a Global South perspective.
• International Service for Human Rights (ISHR): ISHR supports human rights defenders and organizations to effectively use UN human rights systems, with a strong focus on advocacy at the HRC and treaty bodies. It parallels ESCR-Net's work facilitating member access to international advocacy spaces and supporting strategic engagement with UN mechanisms.
• CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation: CIVICUS is a global alliance of civil society organizations and activists with members in more than 190 countries, focused on protecting civic space and citizen participation. It shares ESCR-Net's membership-network model, focus on shrinking civic space, and engagement with UN human rights mechanisms.
• Front Line Defenders: Front Line Defenders is an Ireland-based international organization specifically focused on the protection of human rights defenders at risk, directly paralleling ESCR-Net's System of Solidarity work. Both organizations mobilize urgent international response and provide protective accompaniment for activists facing threats.
• Center for Economic and Social Rights (CESR): CESR is a New York-headquartered international organization that works specifically on economic and social rights through research, advocacy, and monitoring, making it the closest direct peer to ESCR-Net's mandate. Both organizations focus on ESCER jurisprudence, UN engagement, and holding states and corporations accountable for economic and social rights obligations.

Emerging players

• Social Watch: Social Watch is an international coalition of civil society organizations monitoring the eradication of poverty and gender equality, with a long history of producing citizens' reports on economic and social rights. It overlaps with ESCR-Net's ESCER monitoring and reporting work but operates as a smaller, more narrowly focused coalition.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/escrnet
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/escr-net
• Xx.com/ESCRNet

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Escr-Net