Noting with concern that, despite some progress made in public health in the last decade, for millions of people throughout the world the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, including, inter alia, access to medicines, vaccines and commodities, equipment and other supplies and to comprehensive primary health-care services, health promotion and disease prevention, still remains a distant goal and that, in many cases, especially for those living in poverty and populations in vulnerable or marginalized situations, this goal is becoming increasingly remote,