Astuces de recherche
Financing education and update on education in emergencies 2011, para. 11
- Paragraph text
- Various United Nations human rights treaty bodies have expressed concern regarding the possible impact of economic crises on the enjoyment of human rights. The Committee on Economic and Social Rights specified that "even in times of severe resources constraints, whether caused by a process of adjustment, of economic recession or by other factors, the vulnerable members of society can and indeed must be protected by the adoption of relatively low-cost targeted programmes". More recently, the Human Rights Council adopted a resolution in which it called upon States to note that the global economic and financial crises did not diminish the responsibility of national authorities in the realization of human rights.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to education
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Financing education and update on education in emergencies 2011, para. 74
- Paragraph text
- The increasing number of natural disasters must not be ignored by those in charge of education systems. Schools not only play a crucial role in preparing communities to be more resilient in such situations, but also need to be adequately prepared to minimize the harm that natural disasters may eventually cause to their own functioning. Thus, specific attention to the education sector is required in the development of overall disaster risk reduction strategies. At the same time, schools must develop and adopt systematic safety and security measures adapted to the specific circumstances they face.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to education
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Environment
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Financing education and update on education in emergencies 2011, para. 78
- Paragraph text
- The failure of Governments to tackle persistent inequalities based on income, gender, location, ethnicity and language is one of the reasons for the limited progress in the realization of the Education for All goals as well as the Millennium Development Goals. Obstacles to schooling that are already present during periods of normality have their impact obviously magnified in emergency contexts. The costs of schooling can greatly increase and commuting between school and home often becomes very difficult and insecure, further excluding those living in poverty or more vulnerable to violence. In this sense, targeted initiatives identifying marginalized groups and addressing their specific needs are necessary to avoid widening inequalities in education.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to education
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Financing education and update on education in emergencies 2011, para. 93
- Paragraph text
- As discussed in the previous report on education in emergency situations (A/HRC/8/10), severely limited access to education continues to be a reality for most of the communities affected by emergencies. Despite increased attention by the international community, crucial problems persist: funding for humanitarian activities continues to ignore requirements to ensure education; schools continue to be victimized by direct and indirect violence; and preventive efforts are still timid vis-à-vis an increased impact of natural disasters. To reverse the current trend, States and other entities providing and channelling humanitarian and transitional assistance must pay enhanced attention to education in emergencies. Providing education and ensuring that education is protected during periods of emergency is not a choice, but an obligation.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to education
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Normative action for quality education 2012, para. 36
- Paragraph text
- The Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) developed Minimum Standards for Education for a variety of different stakeholders, aimed at ensuring quality in coordinated humanitarian response that meet the educational rights and needs of people affected by disaster. They include standards relating to access, a secure learning environment, teaching and learning, and education policy. In his report to the General Assembly in 2011 (A/66/269), the Special Rapporteur also highlighted the importance of paying attention to quality in education provided in the context of emergencies.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to education
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Assessing a decade of progress on the right to food 2013, para. 18
- Paragraph text
- Second, in situations of natural disaster or conflict, or "whenever an individual or group is unable, for reasons beyond their control, to enjoy the right to adequate food by the means at their disposal, States have the obligation to fulfil (provide) that right directly" (see E/C.12/1999/5, para. 15). This component of the right to food has been invoked successfully before courts in recent years. In Nepal, the Supreme Court issued an interim order in 2008 for the immediate provision of food in a number of districts that food distribution programmes were not reaching, confirming and extending its initial order on 19 May 2010. It acted at the request of the non governmental organization Pro Public, which invoked the provisions of the 2007 interim Constitution of Nepal guaranteeing the fundamental right to food sovereignty and the right to a dignified life, as well as the international obligations of Nepal to fulfil the right to food. In Mexico, relying on the recent amendment to article 4 of the Constitution and the 2009 Food and Nutrition Security Law of the Federal District, one homeless person obtained on 22 March 2012 an injunction from the First District Administrative Judge of the Federal District, directed in particular against the Secretariat for Social Development and the National Coordination Office of the "Desarrollo Humano Oportunidades" programme for a failure of the authorities to comply with their obligation to protect the rights to health, to food and to housing. In May 2013, a juvenile court in Guatemala ordered 10 Government institutions to adopt a set of 26 specific measures to compensate damages caused to five children in two villages of Camotán, who were left malnourished as a result of the State's failure to provide support. The order was based on the 2005 Food and Nutrition Security Law and Guatemala's obligations under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. It included such restitution and compensation measures as food assistance, land distribution, water access, agricultural training and seed provision. Where the situation of individuals or communities is so desperate as to condemn them to hunger unless they are given support, courts routinely have relied on the right to life to impose such obligations to provide.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Food & Nutrition
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Vision of the mandate 2014, para. 7
- Paragraph text
- While there have been significant developments in a number of countries in response to the crisis, concerns about price volatility remain, with the world economy showing little sign of stabilizing. Indeed there has been a worrisome rise in local food prices in recent years. Additional steps must be taken at the global level to reduce the risk of future food crises resulting from rapid price increases. In this regard, the Special Rapporteur will continue to monitor the situation and urges States, both individually and collectively, to fulfil their legal obligation under human rights law to do their part in ensuring sustainable access to food for people.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Food & Nutrition
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Vision of the mandate 2014, para. 54
- Paragraph text
- The world is currently blighted by a plethora of humanitarian crises and armed conflicts, which are having a devastating impact on the lives of millions of people around the globe. While 19 per cent of the poorest people in the world now live in fragile and conflict-affected places, it is estimated that this will increase to 40 per cent by 2030 if current trends continue. The international community must take greater responsibility for emergency food crises derived from natural or human-made disasters, global economic crises, climate change, or as a result of armed conflict.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Food & Nutrition
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Vision of the mandate 2014, para. 55
- Paragraph text
- International humanitarian law, which, inter alia, is designed to ensure that civilians and prisoners of war have adequate food and water during armed conflicts, also outlines preventive measures by prohibiting the deliberate starvation of civilians as a method of warfare in situations of both international and internal armed conflict. That prohibition is violated not only when access to food is denied, resulting in death, but also when the population goes hungry as a result of deprivation of food sources or supplies. In accordance with international criminal law, violations of such protection constitute war crimes. Deliberate starvation, whether during times of war or peace, may also constitute genocide or a crime against humanity. Implementation is always controversial in those situations, especially if the combat zone is limited to the territory of a single State. It should be noted that the right to food continues to be protected by international human rights law during times of armed conflict.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Food & Nutrition
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Vision of the mandate 2014, para. 56
- Paragraph text
- States are bound by treaties and customary human rights law and could be found legally responsible in the event of the deliberate destruction of international humanitarian aid or intentional blockage of access to food. International humanitarian organizations and NGOs also have a responsibility to distinguish humanitarian food aid in times of war from food aid in periods of peace and they should follow the principles of humanity, neutrality and impartiality in this regard. During her tenure, the Special Rapporteur intends to monitor situations of ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis, particularly those where populations are experiencing acute vulnerability with respect to food security as a result of a humanitarian emergency or protracted conflict. Those currently experiencing such crises include the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, South Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic and Gaza, among others.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Food & Nutrition
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Impact of climate change on the right to food 2015, para. 14
- Paragraph text
- Sharp price increases for all major crops can be expected as a result of climate change accompanied by population growth, changing diets and increasing demand for non-food crops. Although it is difficult to predict food prices because of the many variables, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change expects with medium confidence that global food prices will rise substantially by 2050. The Intergovernmental Panel predicts that low-income agricultural economies that are net food importers could experience significant losses in food access through a "double negative" effect of reduced domestic agricultural production and increased food prices on global markets. Furthermore, sudden shocks in prices and currency values, as well as extreme weather events, can also create obstacles to food distribution, making it difficult to deploy adequate responses to an increasingly frequent number of emergencies.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Food & Nutrition
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Torture, ill-treatment and coercion during interviews/ Universal protocol for non-coercive, ethically sound, evidence-based and empirically founded interviewing practices 2016, para. 78
- Paragraph text
- The right to remain silent should equally apply, as a matter of law or policy, to prisoners of war, criminal detention relating to an armed conflict, detention of individuals considered to be civilian internees under international humanitarian law and administrative detention outside of armed conflict. With regard to interviews of witnesses and victims in the criminal justice system, courts alone may compel witness testimony. As a preventive measure against coercion and a matter of good practice, witnesses and victims should not be obliged to answer individual questions by which they could incriminate themselves during interviews.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Groups in need of attention, limitations to the right to freedom of expression, and protection of journalists 2010, para. 79j
- Paragraph text
- [The Special Rapporteur proposes the following principles for determining the conditions that must be satisfied in order for a limitation or restriction on freedom of expression to be permissible:] In states of emergency which threaten the life of the nation and which have been officially proclaimed, States are permitted to temporarily suspend certain rights, including the right to freedom of expression. However, such suspensions shall be legitimate only if the state of emergency is declared in accordance with article 4 of the Covenant and general comment No. 29 of the Human Rights Committee. A state of emergency may not under any circumstances be used for the sole aim of restricting freedom of expression and preventing criticism of those who hold power;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Groups in need of attention, limitations to the right to freedom of expression, and protection of journalists 2010, para. 118
- Paragraph text
- States have an obligation to guarantee to all individuals the full enjoyment of the right to freedom of opinion and expression through any medium, while ensuring that their human rights are respected and protected. In particular, they should guarantee the full enjoyment of this right to all persons engaged in journalistic activities in places of internal conflict or war, where the nature of their work places them in a position of greater vulnerability; all social communicators are considered to be journalists for this purpose.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The right to freedom of opinion and expression exercised through the Internet 2011, para. 81
- Paragraph text
- When a cyber-attack can be attributed to the State, it clearly constitutes, inter alia, a violation of its obligation to respect the right to freedom of opinion and expression. Although determining the origin of cyber-attacks and the identity of the perpetrator is often technically difficult, it should be noted that States have an obligation to protect individuals against interference by third parties that undermines the enjoyment of the right to freedom of opinion and expression. This positive obligation to protect entails that States must take appropriate and effective measures to investigate actions taken by third parties, hold the persons responsible to account, and adopt measures to prevent such recurrence in the future.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The right to access information 2013, para. 32
- Paragraph text
- The Inter-American Court has repeatedly recognized this right. In addition, the Basic Principles on Reparations and Guidelines on the Right to a Remedy and Reparation for Victims of Gross Violations of International Human Rights Law and Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law include, as a measure of satisfaction, verification of the facts and full and public disclosure of the truth to the extent that such disclosure does not cause further harm to the victims, as well as inclusion of an accurate account of the violations that occurred in international human rights law and international humanitarian law training and in educational material at all levels (General Assembly resolution 60/147, annex, paras. 22 (b) and (h)).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The right to access information 2013, para. 37
- Paragraph text
- As observed above, the State has an obligation to disclose information, and in particular, certain types of information, such as that regarding violations of human rights or humanitarian law. This is clearly information of public interest, engaging a high presumption of disclosure. The overriding public interest in the disclosure of information concerning serious violations of human rights and humanitarian law, in addition to the obligation of States to take proactive measures to ensure the preservation and dissemination of such information, is generally acknowledged. Limitations to these obligations, especially in situations of transitional justice, can be invoked only under very specific circumstances.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The right to access information 2013, para. 55
- Paragraph text
- In a number of instances, States have continued to limit access to information concerning action carried out under previous regimes, even when they took place many years before. In the absence of detailed justification, allegations that information regarding such past violations can affect national security have little credibility. The Special Rapporteur considers that it is difficult to justify a continuing public interest in imposing limitations to information from former regimes. As noted, authorities in countries undergoing a process of transitional justice have a particular obligation to proactively ensure the preservation and dissemination of information on serious violations of human rights and humanitarian law that took place in the past.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The right to access information 2013, para. 66a
- Paragraph text
- [The Special Rapporteur wishes to highlight the importance of the references made to the disclosure of information on violations of human rights and humanitarian law, stipulated in section A of principle 10 of the Tshwane Principles, namely:] There is an overriding public interest in disclosure of information regarding gross violations of human rights or serious violations of international humanitarian law, including crimes under international law, and systematic or widespread violations of the rights to personal liberty and security. Such information may not be withheld on national security grounds in any circumstances;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The right to access information 2013, para. 66b
- Paragraph text
- [The Special Rapporteur wishes to highlight the importance of the references made to the disclosure of information on violations of human rights and humanitarian law, stipulated in section A of principle 10 of the Tshwane Principles, namely:] Information regarding other violations of human rights or humanitarian law is subject to a high presumption of disclosure, and in any event may not be withheld on national security grounds in a manner that would prevent accountability for the violations or deprive a victim of access to an effective remedy;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The right to access information 2013, para. 66c
- Paragraph text
- [The Special Rapporteur wishes to highlight the importance of the references made to the disclosure of information on violations of human rights and humanitarian law, stipulated in section A of principle 10 of the Tshwane Principles, namely:] When a State is undergoing a process of transitional justice, during which the State is especially required to ensure truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence, there is an overriding public interest in disclosure to society as a whole of information regarding human rights violations committed under the past regime. A successor government should immediately protect and preserve the integrity of, and release without delay, any records that contain such information that were concealed by a prior government.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The implications of States’ surveillance of communications on the exercise of the human rights to privacy and to freedom of opinion and expression 2013, para. 34
- Paragraph text
- States have access to a number of different techniques and technologies to conduct communications surveillance of a targeted individual's private communications. Real-time interception capabilities allow States to listen to and record the phone calls of any individual using a fixed line or mobile telephone, through the use of interception capabilities for State surveillance that all communications networks are required to build into their systems. An individual's location can be ascertained, and their text messages read and recorded. By placing a tap on an Internet cable relating to a certain location or person, State authorities can also monitor an individual's online activity, including the websites he or she visits.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The implications of States’ surveillance of communications on the exercise of the human rights to privacy and to freedom of opinion and expression 2013, para. 82
- Paragraph text
- Individuals should have a legal right to be notified that they have been subjected to communications surveillance or that their communications data has been accessed by the State. Recognizing that advance or concurrent notification might jeopardize the effectiveness of the surveillance, individuals should nevertheless be notified once surveillance has been completed and have the possibility to seek redress in respect of the use of communications surveillance measures in their aftermath.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Best practices that promote and protect the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association 2012, para. 36
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur also refers to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights list of administrative controls that should be put in place at the State level to ensure use of force during public assemblies on an exceptional basis. Among others, "(a) implementation of mechanisms to prohibit, in an effective manner, the use of lethal force as recourse in public demonstrations; (b) implementation of an ammunition registration and control system; (c) implementation of a communications records system to monitor operational orders, those responsible for them, and those carrying them out".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in the context of elections 2013, para. 26
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur further warns against imposing a state of emergency during election time, in order to temporarily suspend the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly. Should this nevertheless occur, he recalls that, according to the Human Rights Committee, during a state of emergency, the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association should not be derogated since the possibility of restricting certain Covenant rights under the terms of, for instance, freedom of assembly, is generally sufficient during such situations and no derogation from the provisions in question would be justified by the exigencies of the situation.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in the context of natural resource exploitation projects 2015, para. 51
- Paragraph text
- The freedom to assemble peacefully is required in order for consultations among stakeholders to be convened. The ability to peacefully assemble is impeded in environments where insecurity and conflict prevails.. The neutrality of the consultations needs to be maintained throughout the process. For consent to be free, prior and informed, consultations should be conducted in an environment free of intimidation or fear, meaning that meetings should be free from infiltration by security organs, surveillance and attendance by uniformed or armed law enforcement agents. A level playing field should be ensured for all stakeholders to have free access to relevant information and assurances that their grievances will be heard.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Fundamentalism and its impact on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association 2016, para. 15
- Paragraph text
- In other cases, violations may arise due to the inability or unwillingness of the State to respond to the actions of non-State actors. The State's failure to protect participants in a peaceful rally against violent, fundamentalist counter-protesters, for example, constitutes a violation of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly. It does not matter if the State does not officially promote the counter-protesters' ideology; it has a positive duty to protect those exercising their right to peaceful assembly, even if they are promoting unpopular positions. Similarly, States may violate their duty to protect by failing to investigate allegations of rights violations and to hold the perpetrators accountable, by ignoring retaliation against victims of violations and by failing to ensure the protection of rights for certain groups.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Right to health in conflict situations 2013, para. 23
- Paragraph text
- Availability and accessibility of functioning hospitals and clinics are essential to the enjoyment of the right to health. States are under the obligation to ensure that health facilities are not harmed as a consequence of conflict. However, a number of physical barriers are deployed in times of conflict which severely affect access to health facilities and services. Obstacles such as forcible detours, arbitrary stops at checkpoints, imposition of travel permits and interrogation of patients result in worsening medical conditions of patients. Other measures such as blockades (S/2012/376, para. 11), long or indeterminate curfews and roadblocks also restrict movement of people and transport, thereby negatively effecting access to and delivery of essential health-care services in conflict-affected areas. States have also prevented civilian groups from accessing medical goods, especially life-saving medicines and supplies by obstructing, restricting, limiting or diverting medical supplies.
- 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
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Right to health in conflict situations 2013, para. 26
- Paragraph text
- Destruction of health infrastructure by States, or failure to protect against such destruction by third parties, impairs the availability and accessibility of quality health facilities, goods and services. Intentional targeting of health facilities also constitutes a violation of the principle of distinction under international humanitarian law, which obliges parties to the conflict to refrain from attacking medical personnel, units, material and transports unless they are used to commit hostile acts outside their medical and humanitarian functions. Acts that do not involve specific targeting of health facilities may also violate the right to health where the acts increase the risk of damage to the facility or decrease patient access to it, such as by locating military outposts or weapons in the vicinity of a clinic.
- 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
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Right to health in conflict situations 2013, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- Attacks on health workers including assaults, intimidation, threats, kidnapping, and killings, as well as arrests and prosecutions, are increasingly used as a strategy in conflict situations. Conflict-affected areas have recorded disruption in supply chains, looting of health facilities, demanding of confidential information about patients, intentional and recurrent shelling and bombardment of clinics and hospitals, and shooting at ambulances carrying patients to target civilians and health-care workers as a military strategy. In countries with poor health infrastructure, as may be the case with most conflict-affected regions, destruction of even a single hospital or attacks on already scarce health-care workers can have a devastating impact on the availability and accessibility of health services and therefore on public health. Furthermore, health-care workers may condemn the actions of security forces or may not cooperate in providing information about patients where laws may violate fundamental human rights. Such health-care workers may frequently be harassed, relocated, tortured, arrested and sentenced.
- 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
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph