Search Tips
sorted by
30 shown of 576 entities
The right to health and international drug control, compulsory treatment for drug dependence and access to controlled medicines 2010, para. 10
- Paragraph text
- A number of United Nations bodies enforce the three drug control treaties and are required to promote and protect human rights, as identified in Articles 1 and 55 of the Charter of the United Nations. When the goals and approaches of the international drug control regime and international human rights regime conflict, it is clear that human rights obligations should prevail. The General Assembly has consistently adopted resolutions declaring that international drug control must be carried out in conformity with the Charter, and "with full respect for human rights" (see resolutions 62/176 and 63/197).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
The right to health and international drug control, compulsory treatment for drug dependence and access to controlled medicines 2010, para. 51
- Paragraph text
- Needle and syringe programmes involve provision of sterile injection equipment to injecting drug users. The World Health Organization has endorsed the use of such programmes, noting that "compelling evidence" exists that they reduce HIV infections substantially, in a cost-effective manner, without any major negative consequences. The use of needle and syringe programmes is consistent with standard public health principles, in that elimination of a vector (in this case, the contaminated needles) reduces transmission of vector-driven disease.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
The right to health and international drug control, compulsory treatment for drug dependence and access to controlled medicines 2010, para. 74
- Paragraph text
- The non-prices measures of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control provide the best examples of the protections and regulations that may replace the existing enforcement-based framework. Such measures include regulation of drug content, education and awareness-building, and measures concerning dependence reduction and cessation. Implementation of these measures would secure the right to health by, inter alia, ensuring supply of unadulterated drugs, increasing individual and community awareness to minimize risk, and ensuring access to appropriate treatment, where necessary. There generally are high levels of implementation among Parties to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control on nearly all of these measures, suggesting similar possibilities for currently controlled drugs.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
The right to health and international drug control, compulsory treatment for drug dependence and access to controlled medicines 2010, para. 45
- Paragraph text
- Compliance with procedural requirements associated with stocking, supplying and prescribing scheduled medications can be burdensome for health-care institutions and workers, creating a barrier to supply of these medications. Such procedures, for example, include restrictive licensing of controlled medicines within health-care institutions. In some countries, it is reported that only "Level 1" hospitals are allowed to prescribe opioids. Regulations also limit the substances a doctor may prescribe, or the amount that can be prescribed. Certain States require health-care workers to obtain special licences to prescribe morphine, in addition to their professional licences. Restrictive laws are a particular problem in the cases of methadone and buprenorphine, drugs used for OST. In some States use of these drugs is outlawed.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
The right to health and development 2011, para. 18i
- Paragraph text
- [The right to health framework complements current development approaches by underlining the importance of aspects such as participation, community empowerment and the need to focus on vulnerable populations. The right to health analytical framework "unpacks" the right to health, making it easier to understand and apply in practical settings. Its key elements are as follows:] Developing countries have a responsibility to seek international assistance and cooperation, while developed States have some responsibilities towards the realization of the right to health in developing countries; and
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
The right to health and development 2011, para. 53
- Paragraph text
- Harmonizing the practical and operational aspects of human rights and development without compromising the essential values and philosophies of both domains is a challenge. Divergence stems from a number of factors, including practical disciplinary differences; development is largely the domain of economists and human rights that of lawyers and advocates. Additionally, there exists the long-standing contention that human rights are more prescriptive than operational, while development projects have focused on implementation and are more programmatic in nature.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
The right to health and development 2011, para. 54
- Paragraph text
- These issues are partly addressed by the work of actors such as the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), which developed, at the request of the human rights treaty bodies, a framework for indicators to monitor compliance with international human rights instruments, which takes into account the various ways in which human rights relate to development. The framework establishes three sets of indicators: structural, process, and outcome, and a list of illustrative indicators on the right to health have been developed. However, monitoring and evaluation of human rights-related issues in the development field has thus far been largely limited to outcome indicators. This raises some key concerns with respect to the way indicators are used in development and their impact on human rights.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
The right to health and development 2011, para. 55
- Paragraph text
- Effective monitoring and evaluation is a core component of any human rights-based approach, and like other phases of the programming process it should be guided by human rights principles. Moreover, rights-based approaches, including those concerning the right to health, require transparency and accountability in decision-making processes, actions or omissions, for which effective monitoring and evaluation are necessary requirements. However, monitoring and evaluation must be undertaken carefully, to avoid the potential pitfalls associated with a "culture of evaluation", wherein an overreliance on the use of easily quantifiable data and evidence-based evaluation practices can lead to neglect or disregard of development strategies whose effects are more difficult to quantify: for instance, those relating to capacity-building.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
The right to health and development 2011, para. 56
- Paragraph text
- In many cases, it is very difficult to conduct evidence-based evaluations of human rights-based health interventions with the same level of methodological rigour applied to, for instance, clinical drug trials. As evaluation unavoidably feeds back into, and threatens to dictate, strategy, this can lead to distortion of prioritization in relation to interventions that can be more easily based on available evidence. Human rights-based interventions may be especially susceptible to this distortion precisely because they are less amenable to evidence-based evaluations. Given the difficulty of plainly illustrating the cause and effect relationship between the realization of human rights and intended health outcomes (for instance, the empowerment of sex workers, their increased use of condoms, and the resultant lower levels of HIV infection) it is imperative that a broad range of evidence-informed practices are used when evaluating human rights-based interventions.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
The right to health and development 2011, para. 57
- Paragraph text
- Thus, overreliance on easily quantifiable data threatens to erode the core concept of the realization of human rights as ends in and of themselves. The instrumental value of the incorporation of human rights into development practice must not overshadow the proper understanding of human rights as constitutive components of human development. The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has noted that the MDGs "embody basic human rights," including the right to health. An understanding of the intrinsic value of human rights and the promotion of human dignity as a necessary end of development must not be sacrificed in order to facilitate data-intensive evaluation.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
The right to health and development 2011, para. 10
- Paragraph text
- The evolved concept of development, which underwrites the MDGs and the contemporary development paradigm, represents a significant departure from these earlier views, making more evident the close overlap between development and human rights. This close interrelationship between development and human rights is clearly spelled out in the 2000 Millennium Declaration and was underlined at the 2010 High-level Plenary Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on the MDGs. As the outcome document states, respect for and promotion and protection of human rights is an integral part of effective work towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Health financing in the context of the right to health 2012, para. 39
- Paragraph text
- In order to reduce the negative effects of regressive premiums and adverse selection within a multiple payer system, participation in a health insurance pool should be compulsory. Compulsory participation ensures universal insurance coverage and allows for the use of equalization mechanisms, or risk adjusters, to facilitate cross-subsidization between different pools. For instance, a percentage of the funds of low-risk pools may be required by law to be transferred to high-risk pools under particular circumstances. States may also directly regulate private insurers by, among other measures, limiting the information they are permitted to collect about potential pool members, restricting the manner in which premiums are calculated, and prohibiting the exclusion of individuals with pre-existing health conditions from insurance pools. Government insurance programmes should also provide coverage for the poor or other vulnerable or marginalized groups who are excluded from private pools owing to their inability to pay, because of pre-existing health conditions or because they are high-risk of poor health. For example, individuals employed in dangerous work may be denied health insurance because of increased health risks and workers in low-paying jobs may be unable to afford high premiums charged by private insurers. Under the right to health, States have an obligation to ensure that these individuals have access to health services through health insurance. This obligation may be met through appropriate regulation of private health insurers, the subsidization of private insurance premiums or the availability of government-run insurance programmes.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Health financing in the context of the right to health 2012, para. 43
- Paragraph text
- Social health insurance programmes must be funded through compulsory contributions in the form of prepayments in order to achieve universal access to good quality health facilities, goods and services and robust cross-subsidization of financial and health risks. Voluntary contribution schemes may help raise funds in the absence of widespread payment and pooling, familiarize individuals with the benefits of insurance, and serve as an intermediate funding mechanism that eases the transition towards a more inclusive compulsory contribution scheme, but they do not necessarily increase rates of insurance coverage because enrolment is not compulsory. In contrast to a system of voluntary contributions, compulsory contribution schemes prevent wealthy and healthy members from opting out of the programme and diluting the size of the pool at the expense of poorer and sick members. Compulsory schemes also prohibit individuals from buying into the programme only during times of medical need. While voluntary contributions may help raise funds in the absence of widespread payment and pooling, familiarize individuals with the benefits of insurance, and serve as an intermediate funding mechanism that eases the transition towards a more inclusive compulsory contribution scheme, they do not necessarily increase rates of insurance coverage because enrolment is not compulsory. Voluntary schemes are thus ineffective in increasing access to health facilities, goods and services for the poor because they do not generate large enough pools to facilitate robust cross-subsidization.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Right to health in conflict situations 2013, para. 2
- Paragraph text
- Contemporary conflicts take a variety of forms, including internal disturbances, protests, riots and civil strife and unrest, in addition to armed conflicts as addressed under international humanitarian law. They also include occupied territories and territories with constant military presence where populations may be affected by conflict for many years despite the lack of active hostilities. The report defines State obligations in relation to the right to health in all such conflict situations. Situations which do not meet the criteria for armed conflict or occupation are governed exclusively by human rights law, including the right to health. Armed conflict however is governed by international humanitarian law as well as human rights law.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Right to health in conflict situations 2013, para. 5
- Paragraph text
- The concurrent application of both sets of laws in armed conflict enhances the rights of affected populations. Additionally, human rights law ensures protection of affected populations where the application of international humanitarian law is disputed. Concurrent application is also helpful in situations directly concerning the right to health, such as the effects of general insecurity on health and its underlying determinants that may not be adequately captured under international humanitarian law. Human rights law also contains more specific obligations regarding availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality of health services than international humanitarian law does.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Right to health in conflict situations 2013, para. 9
- Paragraph text
- States are obliged to utilize the maximum available resources towards the realization of economic social and cultural rights, including the right to health. An aspect of this obligation is that the right to health is progressively realizable. However, due to the destruction or diversion of resources to military or police needs, conflicts often reduce the availability of resources which may, at times, be detrimental to the right to health. Even where resources are available, States may not be able to make use of them due to the insecurity and poor infrastructure in many conflict environments.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Right to health in conflict situations 2013, para. 11
- Paragraph text
- Furthermore, the right to health framework imposes upon States certain core obligations. Core obligations are minimum essential levels of the right to health, non-compliance with which cannot be justified even in times of resource constraints as they are non-derogable. These include, inter alia, the obligation of States to ensure equitable distribution and access to health facilities, goods and services on a non-discriminatory basis, especially for vulnerable or marginalized groups; the obligation to provide essential medicines; and the obligation to formulate a national health plan or policy in a transparent and participatory way, taking into consideration the special needs of vulnerable populations. Therefore, even if conflicts result in resource constraints, States are required to ensure the availability, accessibility and acceptability of good quality health facilities, goods and services, especially to groups rendered vulnerable by conflict.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Right to health in conflict situations 2013, para. 15
- Paragraph text
- The obligation to protect the right to health requires States to prevent interference by third parties. States should ensure that third parties such as health professionals do not violate the right to health by providing health care in a discriminatory manner. States in conflict may face unique challenges with respect to the obligation because of the presence of armed groups operating beyond the control of the State. In such cases, States should take concrete steps to provide protection for health-care workers and individuals seeking health-care services. States should also formulate policies on engaging with third parties, such as non-State armed groups, over their responsibility under human rights law or international humanitarian law, such as the obligation of States to make available health facilities, goods and services and the responsibility of non-State armed groups to refrain from preventing delivery of health care.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Right to health in conflict situations 2013, para. 62
- Paragraph text
- Violations of the right to health in conflict, including attacks on, and interference with, the delivery of health care, are often not fully captured in current monitoring systems. Monitoring of such violations in conflict and post-conflict situations is often poor or incomplete, due to insecurity and lack of systematic data collection and dissemination by States and international organizations. Monitoring mechanisms may focus excessively on high-profile issues such as attacks on international aid workers rather than more common violations such as threats against local workers or damage to underlying determinants. The practice of retaliating against whistleblowers may also mean that health-care workers and affected populations, who are in the best position to report violations of the right to health, may be reluctant to do so for fear of being unable to provide or access medical care.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Access to medicines in the context of the right-to-health framework 2013, para. 14
- Paragraph text
- Manufacturing capacities in developing countries are limited to countries such as China, India, Brazil, South Africa, Thailand, Kenya, the Syrian Arab Republic and Egypt. Even in the developed world, large innovator multinational companies are concentrated in a small number of countries such as Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, France and Japan. The Special Rapporteur recognizes that while factors such as inefficient procurement and poor distribution practices do determine the availability of medicines in a country, it may still be politically and strategically important for developing countries to ensure the security of access to medicines for their populations through local production.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Access to medicines in the context of the right-to-health framework 2013, para. 51
- Paragraph text
- In decentralized systems, however, poor financial and procurement capacities combined with weak governance present challenges which has even led to different prices in different regions of the same country. Decentralized systems also pose challenges for bulk procurement, which is routinely used in public procurement systems around the world. While decentralized procurement has the advantage of increasing local level accountability, it is susceptible to fragmentation, which causes duplication of procurement and negatively impacts coordinated negotiations, resulting in less favourable contract terms for governments. To maintain purchase volumes, some States have adopted systems to centrally negotiate prices while requiring lower levels of government to order their requirements through the successful bidder at the price negotiated at the central level. The Special Rapporteur recommends streamlining guidelines at the national level to ensure better coordination and efficient decentralized procurement.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Access to medicines in the context of the right-to-health framework 2013, para. 53
- Paragraph text
- Accountability mechanisms are essential for addressing corrupt practices, especially in the selection, procurement and registration of medicines. The States, civil society and pharmaceutical companies that participated in the Special Rapporteur's questionnaire raised concerns about corruption within the public procurement system. To prevent corruption in government procurement, different procurement functions of selection, quantification, pre-selection (eligibility) of suppliers and adjudication of tenders should be independently managed by different offices and trained individuals. Such separation of functions will allow for transparency and avoid potential conflict of interest.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Unhealthy foods, non-communicable diseases and the right to health 2014, para. 62
- Paragraph text
- However, mere political consensus may not be sufficient to attain a reduction in diet-related NCDs. States, intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations should come together to combat this epidemic. States need to have a time-bound plan outlining concrete steps to be taken individually and jointly to progressively attain a global and domestic reduction in the burden of diet-related NCDs. To operationalize this goal, States should formulate indicators, benchmarks and global and domestic accountability mechanisms. States should also allocate sufficient resources to reduce and prevent the obesity epidemic as well as the increasing burden of diet-related NCDs.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Effective and full implementation of the right to health framework, including justiciability of ESCR and the right to health; the progressive realisation of the right to health; the accountability deficit of transnational corporations; and the current ... 2014, para. 70
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur is pleased to note that some States are already challenging the inequities of the current investor-State dispute settlement regime. For example, Ecuador amended its Constitution to prohibit entry into instruments that waive its sovereign jurisdiction in the arbitration of disputes with private individuals or corporations. Consequently, the country withdrew from the Convention on the Settlement of Disputes between States and Nationals of Other States, followed by the Plurinational State of Bolivia and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Effective and full implementation of the right to health framework, including justiciability of ESCR and the right to health; the progressive realisation of the right to health; the accountability deficit of transnational corporations; and the current ... 2014, para. 71
- Paragraph text
- There is a need to further clarify the issues of justiciability, progressive realization and enforcement of the right to health. This will help in highlighting the important role of the right to health in the individual's ability to live with dignity. It will also facilitate better planning and implementation of health-related policies. In the context of the current political and economic climate dominated by transnational corporations, steps should be taken to ensure that there are binding legal human rights obligations on transnational corporations towards individuals.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Work of the mandate and priorities of the SR 2015, para. 29
- Paragraph text
- During the past 12 years, the work of the mandate has also paid special attention to two other key elements of the analytical right-to-health framework: monitoring and accountability. Without monitoring and accountability, all human rights norms and obligations are likely to become empty promises. Accountability in respect of the right to health and a health system is often quite weak (see A/63/263). Judicial accountability has been highlighted by the work of the mandate (see A/69/299) but other forms of accountability, such as health impact assessments, have also been addressed, including during country visits (Romania, Sweden and Uganda).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Work of the mandate and priorities of the SR 2015, para. 62
- Paragraph text
- This does not mean that role of health sector should be restricted to specialized health care. On the contrary, the scenario of ministries of health preoccupied mainly with meeting the need of specialized health-care services is an outdated one. The role of the health sector is becoming increasingly important in areas such as health promotion, prevention of health problems and protection of human rights, especially within health-care services, with particular attention given to the situation of marginalized groups. In the promotion of a "health in all policies" approach, the health sector should take the lead and share responsibility for societal health with other sectors.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Work of the mandate and priorities of the SR 2015, para. 70
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur is concerned that primary care and the modern public health approach often lose the battle for resources to the biomedical model and vertical programmes of treatment of diseases through specialized health care. When resources are allocated to specialized health care, that may reinforce power asymmetries and funding imbalances, which often favour powerful groups representing vested interests in the health sector and industry. States, when meeting their obligation to protect, respect and fulfil the enjoyment of the right to health, should be aware of, and be willing and able to address, such power asymmetries. They should also provide mechanisms for independent monitoring, as such mechanisms are essential tools in ensuring accountability.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Work of the mandate and priorities of the SR 2015, para. 71
- Paragraph text
- If that does not happen, power asymmetries and imbalances may lead to scenarios where (a) preference in allocating budgets is given to expensive biomedical technologies which are not necessarily used in an ethical and cost-effective way; (b) there are increased incentives for corruptive practices when expensive specialized health-care interventions in public sector do not serve those in most need; (c) the filters (tiers) in health-care systems do not properly function, and mild cases flow into specialized care, placing the entire health-care system at risk of poor management of the principles of medical ethics and health economics. That has negative impact on the full realization of right to health and generates negative public health outcomes.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Report of the SR on the right to health and Agenda 2030 2016, para. 8
- Paragraph text
- The many synergies between the Sustainable Development Goals and the right to health notwithstanding, there are a number of challenges. Many of the health-related targets are reductive in their approach and do not reflect critical right-to-health elements. A superficial interpretation of the health indicators threatens to undermine the fulfilment of right-to-health obligations, for example to ensure that health-care coverage is not merely expanded but that it meets critical right-to-health requirements, including availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality. Many of the Goals' health-related targets and indicators focus narrowly on biomedical aspects, despite the requirement to ensure that health promotion and primary care are grounded in human rights and modern public health principles. The commitments made in the Declaration of Alma-Ata and the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, 1986, should be reaffirmed and revitalized by all stakeholders, and the ninth Global Conference on Health Promotion should serve that purpose.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph