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

​Bahasa version

JAKARTA / GENEVA (17 March 2017) – United Nations Special Rapporteur Dainius Pûras will visit Indonesia from 22 March to 3 April 2017 to assess the realisation of the right to health in the country.

“The purpose of this visit is to learn how Indonesia 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 to Indonesia by an independent expert of the UN Human Rights Council entrusted to monitor the realisation of the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.

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, discrimination, and social exclusion.

“I will be particularly interested in addressing specific issues during this visit, especially within the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” the expert said.  Among these issues are: universal health coverage; maternal and children’s health; sexual and reproductive health; mental health; HIV/AIDS; and drug/ substance use and dependency.

The Special Rapporteur will examine the situation of key populations and groups, such as women, children, people with disabilities, and indigenous peoples/ Adat communities (Masyarakat Hukum Adat).

The UN Special Rapporteur will share his preliminary observations on the visit with the media at a press conference on 3 April 2017 at 15:00, at the Papua Meeting Room, Menara Thamrin, Jalan M.H. Thamrin Kav. 3 Jakarta 10250. Please note that access to the press conference is strictly limited to journalists. 

Mr. Pûras will present a comprehensive report on his visit to Indonesia to the UN Human Rights Council in June 2018.

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.
Lithuania.
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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 – Indonesia

For press inquiries and additional information, please contact:
In Jakarta (during the visit): Mr. Adila Arief Djali at UNIC (+62 811 871 3624/ djali@un.org / adila.djali@unic.org) Dolores Infante-Cañibano (+ 41 79 752 0486/ dinfante@ohchr.org)

In Geneva (during the visit): Lucia de la Sierra (+ 41 22 917 9741 / ldelasierra@ohchr.org)
Dolores Infante-Cañibano (+ 41 79 752 0486/ dinfante@ohchr.org)
Di Jenewa Geneva (saat kunjungan): Lucia de la Sierra (+ 41 22 917 9741 / ldelasierra@ohchr.org)

For media inquiries related to other UN independent experts:
Bryan Wilson, UN Human Rights – Media Unit (+ 41 22 917 9826 / Mediaconsultant1@ohchr.org) 

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