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(of course what is required from Canada is more than what is required from Chad).36 Some do
not understand that the right to health encompasses both health care and the underlying
determinants of health, such as adequate water and sanitation. Some misinterpret human rights
and then argue that they are contrary to “social equity” whereas precisely the reverse is true.
Frequently, they are only aware of the traditional human rights methods and techniques, such as
“naming and shaming”, and they fail to appreciate that the maturing health and human rights
movement is developing the more sophisticated techniques signalled in the previous section.
46.
One of the areas where there is often a serious misunderstanding is accountability.
Although human rights demand accountability, that does not mean everybody working in health
and human rights has the task of holding duty-bearers to account; it does not mean that every
health professional or specialized agency becomes a human rights enforcer. What it means is
that there must be accessible, transparent and effective mechanisms of accountability in relation
to health and human rights. The health and human rights movement needs human rights
advisers, implementers and enablers, as well as those whose job it is to hold duty-bearers to
account. All these functions will rarely reside in one organization or person. While specialized
agencies should be human rights advisers, implementers and enablers, it is not their primary job
to hold States to account. The accountability function must be provided by some organization or
person, but not by a specialized agency, unless the agency decides to establish a discreet
independent procedure and body for this purpose.37 Accountability is also sometimes
narrowly understood to mean blame and punishment, whereas it is more accurately regarded as a
process to determine what is working (so it can be repeated) and what is not (so it can be
adjusted).
47.
It would be unfair to reproach those health professionals who are unfamiliar with the
right to health and other human rights. It is not their fault if they have not been exposed to the
potential of human rights to reinforce their work. In most countries, health professionals can
qualify and practice without being taught anything about human rights. It is for this reason that
in one of the Special Rapporteur’s earliest reports he devoted a section to the importance of
deepening human rights education for health professionals.38
G. Conclusion
48.
This section briefly signals some of the progress made by the health and human rights
movement in the last decade. The movement has come a long way in a short time. While there
is still much further to travel, the key pieces are now in place for the health and human rights
movement to flourish in the next few years.
49.
However, the movement is confronted with a range of major obstacles, such as
inadequate budget support for the health sector, as well as the continuing resistance of the
present Government of the United States of America to economic, social and cultural rights,
including the right to the highest attainable standard of health. When a Government as
influential as that of the United States is unsupportive of a particular human right, it is much
more difficult for relevant United Nations agencies to advance this agenda, even when the right
in question forms part of the organization’s constitution.
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