Report by the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. Racism and the right to health

In her second report to the General Assembly, the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, Tlaleng Mofokeng, focuses on the impact of racism on human dignity, life, non-discrimination, equality, the right to control one’s health and body, and the entitlement to a system of health protection. She analyses the impact of racism and discrimination, in particular on Black people, people of African descent, migrants, indigenous peoples and minorities, and the intersection of factors at play, such as poverty, and discrimination based on age, sex, gender identity, expression, sexual orientation, disability, migration status, health status and location in rural or urban communities.

Using the frameworks of intersectionality, anti-coloniality and anti-racism, the Special Rapporteur examines the global health impact on racialized people of the living legacy of past and ongoing forms of racism, apartheid, slavery, coloniality and oppressive structures. In addition, she clarifies the legal framework that applies to various population groups affected by racism and draws attention to specific measures recommended to States. She also identifies good practices that affirm the right to a system of health protection in which people have equal opportunities to enjoy the highest attainable standard of health and provides examples of reparations for racial discrimination related to violations and abuses of the right to health.