National Association of County and City Health Officials [Printer-friendly version]
June 27, 2001
RESOLUTION ON HUMAN RIGHTS
Resolution 01-10, Adopted on June 27, 2001
WHEREAS, the mission of public health is "to fulfill society's
interest in assuring conditions in which people can be healthy";[1]
and
WHEREAS, "the values that underlie public health are the values of
human rights and there is an undeniable relationship between
individual rights, human dignity, and the human condition";[2] and
WHEREAS, Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948, states
"Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the
health and well-being of himself and of his/her family, including
food, clothing, housing, and medical care";[3] and
WHEREAS, "Vigilance to prevent human rights violations and to ensure
social justice for all people is essential to the advancement of human
development and the prevention of human suffering";[4] and
WHEREAS, according to the World Health Organization, more than 40
percent of all people who died in the world died prematurely, in part
due to major inequalities in access to basic human needs, poverty,
poor sanitary conditions, and violence;[5]
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Association of County and
City Health Officials (NACCHO) will advocate for the protection of
human rights and social justice as a guiding principle in public
health practice, research and policies; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that NACCHO will work to incorporate human
rights, social justice, and efforts to eliminate disparities in health
status into public health curricula, workforce development
initiatives, and program evaluation measures; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that NACCHO will collaborate with partner
organizations, government agencies, global initiatives, and community
groups in the prevention of human suffering and the promotion of
social justice, health, equity, and sustainable development.
Note: See related NACCHO Resolution 99-05, Resolution to Eliminate
Health Disparities
Proposed by NACCHO Environmental Health and Prevention Committee and
NACCHO Community Health and Prevention Committee
Adopted by NACCHO Board of Directors June 27, 2001
[1] Institute of Medicine, The Future of Public Health. Washington,
DC: National Academy Press; 1988.
[2] Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, July 14, 1992)
ILM. 1992; 31:873.
[3] Note, this was also echoed in the constitution of the World Health
Organization and was ratified by subsequent international covenants
and conventions.
[4] American Journal of Public Health, May 2000, Vol. 90 No. 5,
Rosalia Rodriguez-Garcia, PhD, MSc, Mohammad N. Akhter, MD, MPH
[5] World Health Organization. World Health Report. Geneva, 1998