The right to health of migrants in international human rights law

#Migrants #Health #Intersectionality 

Stamatia Stavrinaki [Vice Chairperson, UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination]

Introductory remarks 

The right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health is a fundamental human right intertwined with other human rights, such as the right to life. Statehave undertaken the obligation to respect, protect and fulfil the right to health, without any discrimination, under various international human rights instruments.

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In May 2022, UNHCR announced that the number of people forced to flee conflict, violence, human rights violations and persecution had surpassed 100 million for the first time on record. Combatting discrimination against migrants and adopting migrant-sensitive health policies and practices is a tool for advancing the right to health of migrants and for reaffirming that “[a]ll human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights”, 75 years after the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.