Human Rights and Health 2002
A Statement from Global Lawyers and Physicians for Human Rights

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The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was promulgated over 50 years ago, and sets a standard of civilization by which all nations can be judged and compared. The goals of the human rights movement are to safeguard the dignity and fundamental rights and freedoms of everyone. The human rights approach has been a powerful and necessary tool for improving human conditions by challenging oppressive authorities who have failed to meet their duties to the people of their countries. The successful struggles against colonialism and apartheid, the release of many prisoners of conscience, and the creation a new understanding, in the context of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, of the inextricable link between health and human rights, has demonstrated the power of the human rights movement.

The world places significant value on the human rights and health movement as evidenced by a growing body of literature and the many emerging conferences devoted to this topic. However, human rights and health violations continue despite rapid medical and scientific advances, even in wealthy, industrialized countries. Economic polarization has intensified, resulting in widening disparities in health status and longevity. While a small percentage of the population enjoys a high quality of life and benefits from continuing scientific progress, billions of people lack access to even basic health care. It is essential to take equity seriously and move immediately to improve the lives of the 2 billion people who live in wretched conditions, and another 2 billion people with inadequate health care, education, and nutrition.

The bold promise of universal human rights is more often aspirational and inspirational than operational. Universal success of the movement requires a commitment on the part of each nation to move beyond self-interest and sovereignty as well as an effort to reach beyond elite, academic circles to involve all people in the solution. Barriers to reaching this goal must be addressed, including the failure of powerful nations to acknowledge and document human rights violations within their borders, insincerity in the application of recognized standards in their relationships with foreign powers, and complacency with the notion of human rights as a purely Western endeavor. Critical to this mission is the understanding that rights are ineffective if the correlative duties are not carried out. The force of the human rights approach could be significantly strengthened by integrating duties and identifying those who bear responsibility for assuring that they are met. Civil and political rights are necessary components of political citizenship, but not sufficient, for the respect of human dignity. Social, economic, and cultural rights are vital to human rights as well. Political rights are closely linked with economic rights. Poverty, well established as the root cause of poor health, cannot be adequately addressed unless all citizens have access to the political systems and educational opportunities. With this recognition comes an obligation of wealthier nations to work towards the elevation of all of these rights. The events of September 11th exponentially increased the United States' motivation to fight terrorism and deter future attacks. Although poverty does not directly cause terrorism, improving the living conditions of those worst off in the world is likely to prevent the growth of terrorist organizations. We should recognize the global advantages as well as the moral imperative of preventing starvation and alleviating preventable suffering. As illustrated by the World Health Organization's Report on the Commission on Macroeconomics and Health, debt relief and modest increments in economic assistance could establish effective international public health programs and provide access to clean drinking water, adequate nutrition, basic education, health care, and essential drugs. The establishment of a Global AIDS, Malaria and TB Fund is one step towards this goal. Full support from the United States , financially and conceptually, would demonstrate what can be accomplished with the wealth of powerful nations and a statement of our commitment to helping other nations.

It is imperative that wealthy nations both recognize an obligation to commit resources to less fortunate nations, and recognize the impact of setting a moral example. For example, it was unacceptable for the United States to support pharmaceutical companies in their action against the South African government's plans to import generic drugs to deal with the devastating human tragedy of HIV/AIDS, yet threatened to do the same thing itself when this action seemed necessary to protect the health of the American public by obtaining adequate supplies of antibiotics after the anthrax attacks. The actions the United States takes domestically provide powerful examples for other nations. Neglecting the poor within wealthy societies, perpetuating unsustainable consumerist lifestyles, failing to provide universal health care for its citizens, and producing weapons of mass destruction send powerful messages to other nations that directly conflict with our acceptance of universal human rights.

As responsible lawyers and physicians working for health and human rights, we commit ourselves to sustaining the concepts of human rights and building on the impressive successes achieved thus far. Through continuing intellectual and practical approaches, we are resolved to broaden and intensify global concern for human health and concrete actions to improve the health and living conditions of all people.