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All children have the right to health, in line with international human rights law. Specifically, the right of the child to health is enshrined in article 24 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which states that children have the right to enjoy the highest attainable standard of health and access to health care services.

2013

In March 2013, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) presented a report on the right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health to the Human Rights Council to inform the annual day on the rights of the child on the same topic, as requested by Human Rights Council resolution 19/37.  The Council held a full-day discussion focusing on challenges in achieving the full realization of the right of the child to health and implementation of the right of the child to health and accountability mechanisms, and the OHCHR prepared a summary report of discussions.

In September 2013, the Human Rights Council in resolution 24/11 requested the Office of the High Commissioner, in partnership with the World Health Organization, to prepare technical guidance on the application of a human rights-based approach to the implementation of policies and programmes to reduce and eliminate preventable mortality and morbidity of children under 5 years of age. This guidance was submitted to the Council at its 27th session in September 2014.

2014

In September 2014, the Human Rights Council in resolution 27/14 requested the High Commissioner for Human Rights to prepare a report on the practical application of the technical guidance and its impact on the development and implementation of policies and programmes in States to reduce preventable mortality and morbidity of children under 5 years of age. This guidance was submitted to the Council as its 33rd session in September 2016.

2017

In its resolution 33/11 (2016) the Human Rights Council requested the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to organize, prior to its thirty-ninth session and in close collaboration with the World Health Organization, an expert workshop to discuss experiences in preventing mortality and morbidity of children under 5 years of age, with a particular focus on the implementation of the technical guidance, including challenges, best practices and lessons learned, and including consideration of the particular challenges in respect of the newborn child. In 2017, experts met to consider the issue and a summary report can be found here.

2019

In 2019, in its resolution 40/14, the Human Rights Council decided to focus its 2020 annual meeting on the rights of the child on the theme "Realizing the rights of the child through a healthy environment."

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