The Right to the Highest Attainable Standard of Health

What is the legal basis for the “right to health”? * The best and most complete statement of the “right to health” can be found in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), Article 12. It sets out “the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.” * See alsoInternational Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, article 5(e) (iv); Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination, Articles 11(f) and 12; Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 24. * The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the UN body monitoring compliance with the ICESCR, has provided detailed guidance on implementing the right to health (General Comment 14).