A/62/214
I. Introduction
1.
By its resolution 60/251 of 15 March 2006, the General Assembly concluded
the work of the Commission on Human Rights and established the Human Rights
Council. The mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the
enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health (“right to
the highest attainable standard of health” or “right to health”) is set out in
Commission resolutions 2002/31 and 2004/27. The Human Rights Council, by its
resolution 5/1, extended the mandate of the Special Rapporteur. The present report
is submitted in accordance with that resolution.
2.
In October 2006, the Special Rapporteur visited Peru, where he had meetings
following up on his country mission of June 2004 (see E/CN.4/2005/51/Add.3).
Following this visit, the Special Rapporteur sent a letter to the Government of Peru
in August 2007 requesting further information about follow-up undertaken in
response to the recommendations included in the report on his mission in 2004.
3.
In February 2007, the Special Rapporteur visited Uganda. The mission had two
principal objectives: to understand the role of Sweden, in particular the Swedish
International Development Cooperation Agency, in relation to the highest attainable
standard of health in Uganda; and follow-up to the mission that the Special
Rapporteur had undertaken to Uganda in March 2005 (see E/CN.4/2006/48/Add.2).
In October 2006, the Special Rapporteur also visited Washington, D.C., to meet the
Nordic-Baltic Executive Directors at the World Bank and International Monetary
Fund. The Special Rapporteur will submit a report thereon to the Human Rights
Council.
4.
In May 2007, the Special Rapporteur visited Ecuador. The mission to Ecuador
was undertaken with the objective of investigating the health impact of the aerial
spraying of glyphosate that has taken place along the border between Ecuador and
Colombia; a report thereon will be submitted to the Council. In Ecuador, the Special
Rapporteur also had consultations with civil society organizations on other
right-to-health issues, regarding which the Special Rapporteur is preparing a letter
to the Government. His correspondence, and any reply or replies from the
Government, will be made public.
5.
The Special Rapporteur visited Sweden in June 2007. The objective of the visit
was to discuss the report on his mission to Sweden in January 2006, which was
submitted to the Council at its fourth session, in March 2007 (A/HRC/4/28/Add.2).
During his visit, the Special Rapporteur met with, inter alia, senior government
officials and civil society representatives.
6.
In November 2006, the Council, by its decision 2/108, requested the Special
Rapporteur to identify and explore, from the perspective of the right to the highest
attainable standard of physical and mental health, the key features of an effective,
integrated and accessible health system. Between November 2006 and July 2007,
the Special Rapporteur had a series of consultations on this issue with
representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO), the Joint United Nations
Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR); with non-governmental organizations,
including Realizing Rights: the Ethical Globalization Initiative, Save the Children
UK and Care-Peru; and with a number of academics, researchers and health
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