A/HRC/37/57 such as sunscreen, that would protect them from the elevated risk of developing skin cancer. A medical screening camp found out that 80 per cent of the children had sunburns and signs of pre-cancer. Most of the children with albinism had visual impairments, fungus, severe wounds on their skin and suffered from complicated health problems accompanied by high fever. It was also indicated that malaria was a major challenge. 67 The dispensary and sickbay on site was found to be too small and ill-equipped to attend to those issues, such that the health of the children was severely endangered. 61. In 2017, the Independent Expert visited some of those centres, including Buhangija, and noted some improvements. However, she also pointed out that more needed to be done, including to ensure implementation of plans to increase living accommodation, the provision of adequate meals and the safe reintegration of residents back into their families and communities.68 E. Health and sustainable development 62. Human rights are increasingly recognized as essential to sustainable development and are the main aim of the Sustainable Development Goals.69 The goals refer to the core content of the right to health, namely ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages. To that end, specific targets are listed, including those particularly relevant to the situation of persons with albinism. They include universal access to health-care services, access to quality essential health-care services, financial risk protection, and access to affordable essential medicines and vaccines. 70 63. Furthermore, a key principle of the Sustainable Development Goals is to leave no one behind. This is repeated seven times throughout the 2030 Agenda and applies to sectional goals, including on health. Persons with albinism have historically been left behind in terms of health services. A quintessential example is the absence of sunscreen on the list of essential medicines of many countries that have sunny climates and therefore the lack of access to such products. 64. That lack of access to a fundamental health product for persons with albinism leads to loss of life. Some may view such a loss as a mere drop in the economic bucket, since persons with albinism are a minority quantitatively speaking. Yet, the loss of one life is one too many and such a view would not be in accordance with the unconditional nature of fundamental human rights, particularly the right to life, or the prohibition of discrimination in implementing States’ obligations deriving from the right to health. Finally, such a view is at odds with the Sustainable Development Goals, which are aimed at reaching everyone, beginning initially with those furthest behind. 65. The Sustainable Development Goals provide a framework for action and underpin the priority accorded to health initiatives by the Independent Expert, including through the Regional Action Plan on Albinism in Africa (2017–2021), which she developed with multiple stakeholders in sub-Saharan Africa. F. Health financing 66. Persons with albinism are particularly vulnerable in low-income countries, in which they are often poor and public health services are limited. 71 In such countries, Governments often face many challenges in guaranteeing the progressive realization of the right to health, in accordance with international human rights obligations. At the same time, it is reported that many persons with albinism face the likelihood of early death from skin cancer — a condition that is preventable with basic and affordable interventions. Moreover, the 67 68 69 70 71 14 Ibid., p. 8. See www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=21915&LangID=E. See www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/MDG/Pages/The2030Agenda.aspx. See targets 3.7 and 3.8 of the Sustainable Development Goals. See A/72/169, para. 19.