As requested by Human Rights Council resolution 50/13, the High Commissioner for Human Rights will organize an expert workshop on key challenges and new developments in ensuring access to medicines, vaccines and other health products in the context of the right of everyone to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. This is the second out of three workshops mandated with a view to presenting a comprehensive report to the Council on the subject matter.

Format and Participants:

The expert workshop will be held in virtual format, via Webex or pre-recorded video messages (see requirements for remote participation and Webex User Guide). No interpretation will be available.

The expert workshop will consist of two sessions. Each session will last for 2 hours and include presentations from experts followed by a plenary discussion:

Session 1 (10:00 to 12:00 CET) will focus on key challenges in ensuring access to medicines, vaccines and other health products;

Session 2 (15:00 to 17:00 CET) will focus on new developments and solution pathways in addressing key challenges, thus, ensuring and enhancing access to medicines, vaccines and other health products.

An analytical study on key challenges will be presented to the Human Rights Council at its 56^th session, with a view to presenting a comprehensive report, including new developments, at its fifty-ninth session.

Participants shall be invited as experts given their experience and work on access to medicines, vaccines and other health products. The expert workshop will be open to representatives of Member States, the treaty bodies and the special procedures, the United Nations system, academia, national human rights institutions and civil society.

Participants to the virtual consultation must register via Indico .

Only those registered will receive the link to join the event, shortly before it starts. Please remember to indicate in the registration form whether you wish to intervene as a speaker during the Questions & Answers sessions. Registration will close on 14 February 2024.

The Secretariat wishes to remind all participants that the United Nations has zero tolerance for any form of harassment, including sexual harassment. See also the Code of Conduct to prevent harassment, including sexual harassment at UN system events.

• Secretariat Note verbale
• Concept Note
• Programme of Work
• Flyer
• Visual Workshop Guide
• Panellists’ biographies
• Submissions to the Call for Contributions on Key Challenges

Statements

Welcome & opening remarks

• Mr. Todd Howland, Chief, Development and Economic and Social Rights Branch, Thematic Engagement, Special Procedures, and Right to Development Division (TESPRDD), OHCHR

PANEL I KEY CHALLENGES IN ENSURING ACCESS TO MEDICINES, VACCINES AND OTHER HEALTH PRODUCTS

• Mr. Paul Hunt, Professor at Essex Law School [written statement]
• Ms. Katherine Pettus, Advocacy and Partnerships Director, International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care [written statement]
• Ms. Muluka-Anne Miti-Drummond, UN Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with Albinism [written statement]
• Mr. Nirmalya Syam, Senior Programme Officer, The South Centre, Geneva [written statement]

INTERACTIVE DIALOGUE

• Iran
• Ms. Katrina Perehudoff, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law - Co-Director, UvA Law Centre for Health and Life, University of Amsterdam

PANEL II NEW DEVELOPMENTS AND SOLUTION PATHWAYS IN ADDRESSING KEY CHALLENGES, THUS, ENSURING AND ENHANCING ACCESS TO MEDICINES, VACCINES AND OTHER HEALTH PRODUCTS

• Ms. Suerie Moon, Co-Director, Global Health Center, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies [written statement]
• Mr. Philippe Jean-Pierre Boucher, Global Health Data Hub & Digitality, World Health Organization[written statement]
• Mr. Jean-François Saint-Pierre, Health Inequality Data Repository, World Health Organization [written statement]
• Ms. Margo Warren, Director of Government Engagement and Policy, Access to Medicine Foundation[written statement]

INTERACTIVE DIALOGUE

• Iran

Closing remarks

• Mr. Pradeep Wagle, Chief of Economic and Social Rights Section, OHCHR

Background Documents:

• Access to medicines, vaccines and other health products in the context of the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health (A/HRC/RES/50/13)
• Ensuring equitable, affordable, timely and universal access for all countries to vaccines in response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic - Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (A/HRC/52/56)
• Human rights implications of the lack of affordable, timely, equitable and universal access and distribution of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines and the deepening inequalities between States – Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (A/HRC/49/35)
• WHO Road Map for Access to Medicines, Vaccines and other Related Health Products 2019–2023 
• HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE NEW PANDEMICS INSTRUMENT - KEY MESSAGES
• HUMAN RIGHTS AND ACCESS TO COVID-19 VACCINES (Developed in Dec. 2020)
• Report of the 2015 Social Forum on Access to Medicines (A/HRC/29/44)
• Report of the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, Anand Grover, on access to medicines (A/HRC/23/42), 1 May 2013
• Report of the Special Rapporteur on the right to everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, Paul Hunt, on Human Rights Guidelines for Pharmaceutical Companies in relation to Access to Medicines (A/63/263), 11 August 2008
• Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, General comments No. 14 (2000) and No. 17 (2006)