Human Rights Council

Fift y-first session

12 September–7 October 2022

Agenda item 3

Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development

Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council on 7 October 2022

5 1 / 21. The right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health

The Human Rights Council,

Guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations,

Reaffirming the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and recalling the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,

Reaffirming also the right of everyone, without discrimination, to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, and emphasizing that all human rights are universal, indivisible, interrelated, interdependent and mutually reinforcing,

Recalling that mental health is an integral part of the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health,

Realizing that, during pandemics and other health emergencies, the fulfilment of the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health should be guided by a strong spirit of solidarity, in particular solidarity with the poorest and with people in vulnerable situations,

Reaffirming General Assembly resolution 70/1 of 25 September 2015, entitled “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, and welcoming the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly, inter alia, Goal 3 on ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages, and its specific and interlinked targets, and other health-related Goals and targets,

Recalling Human Rights Council resolutions 6/29 of 14 December 2007, 15/22 of 27 September 2010, 24/6 of 8 October 2013, 33/9 of 29 September 2016 and 42/16 of 26 September 2019, and all previous resolutions of the Commission on Human Rights and the Council on the realization of the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health,

Recognizing the need for States, in cooperation with international organizations and civil society, including non-governmental organizations and the private sector, to create favourable conditions at the national, regional and international levels to ensure the full and effective enjoyment of the right of everyone to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health and to address the underlying and social determinants of health,

Recalling Human Rights Council resolutions 5/1, on institution-building of the Council, and 5/2, on the Code of Conduct for Special Procedure Mandate Holders of the Council, of 18 June 2007, and stressing that the mandate holder shall discharge his or her duties in accordance with those resolutions and the annexes thereto,

1.Welcomes the work of the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health;

2.Takes note of the reports of the Special Rapporteur submitted to the Human Rights Council at its forty-seventh and fiftieth sessions, and to the General Assembly at its seventy-sixth and seventy-seventh sessions;

3.Decides to extend the mandate of Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, as established by the Human Rights Council in paragraph 1 of its resolution 6/29, for a further period of three years;

4.Encourages the Special Rapporteur, in fulfilling the mandate, to continue to take into account and support the achievement of the health-related Sustainable Development Goals and targets;

5.Requests all Governments to cooperate fully with the Special Rapporteur in the performance of the tasks and duties mandated, and to give due consideration to the recommendations made by the mandate holder;

6.Encourages all Governments to give serious consideration to responding favourably to the requests made by the Special Rapporteur to visit their countries to enable the mandate holder to fulfil the mandate effectively;

7.Requests the Secretary-General and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to continue to provide all the resources necessary for the effective fulfilment of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur, including in the achievement of the health-related Sustainable Development Goals and targets, challenged by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic;

8.Requests the Special Rapporteur to submit an annual report to the Human Rights Council and to the General Assembly covering all activities relating to the mandate, with a view to maximizing the benefits of the reporting process;

9.Decides to continue its consideration of this matter under the same agenda item, in accordance with its programme of work.

4 2nd meeting 7 October 2022

[Adopted without a vote.]