Oxford Scholarship Online: Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights in Action

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Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights in Action Professor, Baderin, Mashood Professor of Law, SOAS, University of London Professor, McCorquodale, Robert Professor of International Law and Human Rights, University of Nottingham Print publication date: 2007 (this edition) Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: January 2009 Print ISBN-13: 978-0-19-921790-8 doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199217908.003.0012
12 A Human Rights-Based Approach to Health Indicators Paul Hunt Gillian MacNaughton In 1993, the World Conference on Human Rights urged the examination of ‘a system of indicators to measure progress in the realization [of ESC rights]’ because the use of specific human rights indicators gives clarity to the level of compliance by states and so could prevent ‘recalcitrant States’ using the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) obligation of progressive realization as an ‘escape hatch’. This chapter examines this important issue with reference to the right to health. It shows that indicators play an important role in measuring and monitoring the progressive realization of the right to health. The application of the human rights-based approach to health indicators to the Reproductive Health Strategy endorsed by the World Health Assembly in May 2004 is discussed. Keywords: human rights, International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, right to health, health indicators, Reproductive Health Strategy, doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199217908.003.0012