7.2 7
I n a world fractured by and disinformation, the right to health is more essential than ever. This right, rooted in our shared commitments, cannot be put on pause in times of conflict and crisis. It is not a policy option, but a legal obligation and a moral compass. The right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, enshrined in international human rights law, applies to every individual, everywhere, without discrimination. Seen through this lens, the right to health is about dignity, equality and justice. And it is inseparable from the broader range of fundamental rights and conflict, pandemics and the climate emergency, and against a backdrop of corrosive misinformation freedoms – the right to life, to food, to water and sanitation, to information, and to participation in decisions that affect our lives. This human rights lens is particularly important during today’s troubled times. Attacks on health care are not only violations of international humanitarian law; they are also egregious violations of the right to health and of related human rights. Hospitals and healthcare workers are protected under international humanitarian law, but there has been an alarming rise in attacks against them in conflicts across the world. Data from my office, the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights, shows that civilian deaths in armed conflicts more than doubled between 2021 and 2024. In Gaza, from 7 October 2023 to 11 June 2025, my office recorded 735 attacks on health care that killed 917 people and injured 1411, affected 125 health facilities, and damaged 34 hospitals. In Sudan, in May this year alone, six attacks led to 313 deaths and 74
Safeguarding the right to health in crisis From Gaza to Sudan, attacks on health care are violations of international law and human dignity. Health is a human right, not a privilege, and there is an urgent need for accountability and a recommitment to protect health in conflict
injuries. In Ukraine, my office has recorded the destruction of hospitals, attacks on ambulances, and the torture and ill treatment of medical staff. The World Health Organization has documented 358 attacks so far this year, and nine in Russia. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, hospital patients were abducted and held incommunicado earlier this year. In a world driven by geopolitical division, some parties to conflict are treating health care as a legitimate target. Equally disturbing: perpetrators rarely face accountability. In some cases, disinformation has been used to justify strikes
Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
90
Health: A Political Choice – The Future of Health in a Fractured World
Made with FlippingBook Annual report maker