UN expert on the right to health to visit Luxembourg

GENEVA (13 April 2023) – United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to health Tlaleng Mofokeng will conduct her first official visit to Luxembourg from 17 to 26 April 2023.

During the 10-day visit, Mofokeng will observe good practices and challenges in the realisation of the right to health. The UN expert will engage with authorities, civil society and other stakeholders to assess the availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality of healthcare.

The visit will focus largely on access to health care and underlying determinants of health from an intersectional perspective, with special attention on marginalised groups of the population.

The Special Rapporteur will also visit a detention center, a center for people requesting international protection and a public hospital.

The expert will share her preliminary observations with the media at a press conference on 26 April 2023 at 9:30 am (local time) at Meliá Luxembourg, 1 Park Drai Eechelen, 1499 Clausen Luxembourg. Access will be strictly limited to journalists.

She will present a comprehensive report to the Human Rights Council in June 2024.

ENDS

Ms. Tlaleng Mofokeng (South Africa) took up her functions as UN Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health took up her functions as on 1 August 2020. Ms. Mofokeng is a Global health expert with experience in legislative reform, policy, healthcare provision, and health communication. She advocates specifically for sexual and reproductive health rights (including adolescent health, transgender affirming health and abortions). She is the co-chair of the O’Neil Commission on racism, structural discrimination and global health. Dr. Tlaleng Mofokeng is an adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown Law centre and is distinguished lecturer at O'Neil Institute for National & Global health law.

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.

UN Human Rights country page: Luxembourg