SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON RIGHT TO HEALTH TO VISIT PERU FROM 7 TO 15 JUNE

4 June 2004



Paul Hunt, Special Rapporteur of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, will visit Peru at the invitation of the Government from 7 to 15 June 2004.

During this visit, the Special Rapporteur will consider how Peru endeavours to implement the right to health, the measures taken for its successful realization and the obstacles encountered, both at the national and international levels. He will focus on issues related to access to health services and goods, in particular for marginalized groups -- including indigenous peoples -- and rural communities. He will address particular health challenges in Peru, such as sexual and reproductive health; trade agreements and their impact on access to medicines, and mental health issues. He will also consider donor financing and the role of international financial institutions.

The Special Rapporteur will meet with Government officials and with representatives of the United Nations system during the course of the mission. He also intends to hold meetings with representatives of the civil society, including members of the media and academics.

The Special Rapporteur will present a report on his mission to the Commission on Human Rights at its sixty-first session.

The Special Rapporteur is an independent expert appointed by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights to help States, and others, promote and protect the right to health. For further information on the mandate of the Special Rapporteur and copies of available reports, please consult the website of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. ( http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu2/7/b/mhealth.htm)