The UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, discussed the right to health and her views on maternal and infant mortality and health workers during an interview with UN News.
Also on SDG 3 and human rights, OHCHR in partnership with the WHO, and with the co-sponsorship of the Permanent Missions of Chile, Ecuador and South Africa to the UN, organized a Dialogue on SDGs and Human Rights.
The Dialogue explored linkages between SDG 3 and human rights, in particular human rights contributions to ensure no one is left behind, and to ensure universal health coverage and access to medicines.
24 October 2017: The UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Kate Gilmore, said most maternal and infant mortality can be easily prevented with the right services, policies and priorities, and there is no excuse for not providing people essential life saving services. Gilmore made these remarks in advance of her participation in a dialogue on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Human Rights, with a focus on SDG 3 (good health and well-being).
During an interview with UN News, Gilmore recalled that the right to health is enshrined in international law through several instruments. She remarked that health workers are increasingly being targeted for doing their jobs, and noted that in conflict settings, there has been a marked spike in the targeting of hospitals, doctors, nurses and ambulances. In non-conflict settings, she reported a pattern worldwide of health workers being targeted for providing services to those living with HIV/AIDS, or for whose priority is sexual and reproductive health for example. She said such targeting violates fundamental rights, including the right to enjoy the benefits of medical science enshrined in the UN Declaration of Human Rights. Gilmore stressed the need to denounce those attacks.
Also on 24 October, the UN Human Right Office of the High Commissioner (OHCHR) in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), and with the co-sponsorship of the Permanent Missions of Chile, Ecuador, and South Africa, organized a Dialogue on SDGs and Human Rights.
The Dialogue focused on SDG 3 and human rights, including ensuring universal health coverage and access to medicines.
Sub-titled ‘Healthy Lives, Well-Being and the Human Right to the Highest Attainable Standard of Physical and Mental Health,’ the dialogue sought to explore the interlinkages between the SDGs, including SDG 3, and human rights, in particular human rights contribution to ensure no one is left behind, and to ensure universal health coverage (UHC) and access to medicines.
The event was the second meeting in a series of events titled, ‘Dialogues on SDGs and Human Rights: Building Synergies and Sharing Good Practices,’ which seek to explore the interlinkages between human rights and the 17 SDGs. The dialogues include representatives of UN Member States, UN entities and other stakeholders, and take place in UN Headquarters in New York, US. [UN News Including UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Interview] [Dialogue on SDGs and Human Rights Programme]