Events - IFHHRO symposium on the Special Rapporteur's work
London, UK, 25-27 September 2008
In collaboration with the Human Rights Centre of Essex University, IFHHRO organised a symposium in London to look back at Paul Hunt's six-year mandate as the first Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health. After having served two mandate periods as Special Rapporteur, Hunt handed over his mandate to Anand Grover (photo), a health and human rights expert from India. In the past six years Paul Hunt has produced an impressive body of reports and studies, and greatly contributed to the understanding and mainstreaming of the right to health.IFHHRO has collaborated closely with the Special Rapporteur, and gained much from his experience. IFHHRO also feels that these six years have established a framework of reference, and set directions for follow-up and further research. The symposium in September 2008 aimed to improve the ability of the health sector to give follow-up to the work of the Special Rapporteur and raise awareness for the implementation of the right to health.
Over 100 participants from all over the world attended the meeting, which was hosted by the British Medical Association in London. They reviewed the work done by the old Special Rapporteur over the past six years and discussed future directions. Within the context of this UN mandate, the symposium aimed to identify obstacles and achievements and discuss future strategies and challenge
s. The outcome of the symposium will be a set of suggestions which we hope will be useful to the new Special Rapporteur, health workers and other actors forming part of the health and human rights movement.
Selected presentations (mostly PowerPoints)
Short report (PDF)