Right to health in Algeria: UN expert to make first visit

ALGIERS / GENEVA (25 April 2016) – United Nations Special Rapporteur Dainius Pûras will visit Algeria from 27 April to 10 May 2016 to assess how far the right to health has been realised in the country.

“I look forward to learning how Algeria endeavours to implement the right to health, including the measures the country has taken to date and the challenges it faces,” Mr. Pûras said.

His visit will be the first visit to Algeria by an independent expert charged by the UN Human Rights Council to monitor the implementation of the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.

During the visit, the Special Rapporteur will examine achievements and challenges related to the enjoyment of the right to health, including the availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality of health services, goods and facilities. Mr. Pûras will also assess factors that affect the right to health in the country, including poverty and social exclusion.

“I will be particularly interested in addressing specific issues during this visit, especially within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” the expert said. Among these issues are: access to primary healthcare; sexual and reproductive health; mental health; violence against women and girls; HIV/AIDS; and drug and substance use.

The Special Rapporteur will examine the situation of key populations and groups, such as refugees and asylum seekers, migrants, and persons with disabilities, as well as women, young people and children.

The UN Special Rapporteur will share his preliminary conclusions on the visit with the media at a press conference on 10 May 2016 at 10:00, at the UN House, 41 Rue Mohamed Khoudi- El Biar, Algiers.

ENDS

The Special Rapporteur is an independent expert appointed by the UN Human Rights Council to help States, and others, promote and protect the right to the highest attainable standard of health (right to health). Dainius Pûras (Lithuania) is a medical doctor with notable expertise on mental health, child health, and public health policies. He is a Professor and the Head of the Centre for Child psychiatry social paediatrics at Vilnius University, and teaches at the Faculty of Medicine, Institute of International relations and political science and Faculty of Philosophy of Vilnius University, Lithuania. 

Learn more, visit: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Health/Pages/SRRightHealthIndex.aspx

The Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.

OHCHR Country page – Algeria:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Countries/MENARegion/Pages/DZIndex.aspx

For press inquiries and additional information, please contact:
In Algiers (during the visit):
Dalila Bouras/ Nadjet Boularas-Ezzeroug Ezzraîmi at UNIC (+213 21 925 442)
Dolores Infante-Cañibano (+ 41 79 201 0122 / dinfante@ohchr.org)
In Geneva (during the visit): Lucia de la Sierra (+ 41 22 917 9741 / ldelasierra@ohchr.org)

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