A/HRC/14/30 A. The right to health 64. The Special Rapporteur welcomes national constitutions which recognize universal access to health regardless of immigration status, such as those of Colombia (art. 49) and South Africa (art. 27), and encourages other States to follow these practices. Some countries, such as Uruguay91 and Argentina,92 prohibit by law the denial of health-care services on the grounds of irregular immigration status. 65. The Special Rapporteur has also been informed of the initiative by the Ministry of Manpower of Singapore in September 2009 to increase the minimum medical insurance coverage of foreign workers. He also was informed of the adoption in 2003 of the Act on Foreign Workers’ Employment in the Republic of Korea, which introduces the Employment Permit System for foreign workers. The System contains specific provisions for health insurance and coverage for the occupational health and safety of migrant workers in the manufacturing sector. 66. The Special Rapporteur welcomes the guidelines for grantees adopted by the Department of Health and Human Services of the United States of America, which requires its health and welfare institutions to provide interpretation services and translation of vital documents for clients who do not speak English.93 B. The right to adequate housing 67. The Special Rapporteur welcomes the universal application of the right to adequate housing by regional human rights mechanisms. The European Committee of Social Rights recently enunciated that a State has an obligation to provide adequate shelter to irregular migrant children as long as they are in its jurisdiction and to ensure that the conditions should be such as to ensure human dignity.94 The Special Rapporteur encourages other regional human rights mechanisms to promote the principle of non-discrimination in the application of the right to adequate housing. 68. The Special Rapporteur also welcomes the provision of clear guidance on the responsibilities of housing providers in ensuring equal access to housing. For example, in Canada, the Policy on Human Rights and Rental Housing, adopted by the Ontario Human Rights Commission in 2009, states that a prospective tenant cannot be refused a rental apartment on the grounds of, among other things, his or her race, colour, ethnic background or citizenship, including refugee status. Harassment by housing providers or other tenants or any unfair treatment on those grounds are also prohibited. 69. The attention of the Special Rapporteur has been also drawn to initiatives undertaken by trade unions, such as the operation of a seasonal work centre for migrant workers by the trade union confederations Confédération Française Démocratique du Travail and Force Ouvrière of France, in partnership with employers and local government representatives. The centre provides information to migrant workers on, inter alia, their 91 92 93 94 18 Law 18.250, art. 9. Law 25.871, art. 7. See Department of Health and Human Services, Guidance to Federal Financial Assistance Recipients Regarding Title VI Prohibition Against National Origin Discrimination Affecting Limited English Proficient Persons, available at: www.hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/resources/specialtopics/lep/ policyguidancedocument.html. European Committee of Social Rights, Defence for Children International (DCI) v. the Netherlands (complaint No. 47/2008), Decision on the Merits of 20 October 2009, p. 4. GE.10-12615