WHO
AIDS and Human Rights
One of our main achievements has been shaping global policy on HIV/AIDS through our work with WHO’s Global Programme on AIDS. In our first year, 1987, we drew World Health Organisation’s attention to the serious human rights consequences of the HIV/AIDS pandemic which was following the fault lines of society – poverty and exclusion.
Over the period 1988 until the establishment of UNAIDS in 1994, we advised WHO extensively on ensuring that global AIDS policy respect human rights. Our work helped build a supportive environment for those affected by the pandemic. We then went on to play the same role with UNAIDS.
Encouraging Adoption of a Human Rights Approach throughtout WHO
Our success in shaping global AIDS policy through the lens of human rights encouraged us to expand our work to advocate the use of the human rights framework for the work of WHO as a whole. We participated in two major global policy bodies and encouraged the mainstreaming of human rights throughout the organization, holding briefing sessions for its staff and advising the departments of child health and women’s health on human rights.
We continued to act as policy consultant on human rights until, at our suggestion, WHO established an in-house human rights unit.
Participation in the WHO Task Force on Health in Development
Our President, Julia Häusermann, was invited to contribute Rights and Humanity’s research and experience as a member of WHO’s Task Force for Health and Development. This was a global policy body established in 1994 to strengthen WHO’s leadership role in global health.
She advocated a human rights approach which was adopted by the Task Force. She was much involved in preparing the reports of the Task Force meetings and contributed to two other policy statements for WHO. Together with a Rights and Humanity researcher, Dr Polly Vizard, she also prepared the first draft of WHO’s submission to the World Summit for Social Development.
Participation in the Global Commission on Women’s Health
Rights and Humanity’s President also served on another WHO policy body - The Global Commission on Women’s Health. This comprised political leaders and health experts. Their roles were to advise WHO’s Director-General and recommend strategies for action to ensure a greater focus on women’s health.
Ms Häusermann’s arguments for a pro-active use of human rights as a framework for promoting women’s health helped shape the work of the Global Commission on Women’s Health, and as its only human rights expert, she continued to advise the Commission on women’s rights to equality and health and drafted several of its reports.