title: Non-communicable diseases and human rights: Global synergies, gaps and opportunities.
abstract: The incorporation of human rights in health policy and programmes is known to strengthen responses to health problems and help address disparities created or exacerbated by illness yet this remains underexplored in relation to non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Aiming to understand existing synergies and how they might be further strengthened, we assessed the extent to which human rights are considered in global NCD policies and strategies and the degree of attention given to NCDs by select United Nations human rights mechanisms. Across global NCD policies and strategies, rhetorical assertions regarding human rights appear more often than actionable statements, thus limiting their implementation and impact. Although no human rights treaty explicitly mentions NCDs, some human rights monitoring mechanisms have been paying increasing attention to NCDs. This provides important avenues for promoting the incorporation of human rights norms and standards into NCD responses as well as for accountability. Linking NCDs and human rights at the global level is critical for encouraging national-level action to promote better outcomes relating to both health and human rights. The post-2015 development agenda constitutes a key entry point for highlighting these synergies and strengthening opportunities for health and rights action at global, national and local levels.
authors.affiliation: a Program on Global Health and Human Rights , Institute for Global Health, University of Southern California , Los Angeles , CA , USA.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ferguson
authors.affiliation: a Program on Global Health and Human Rights , Institute for Global Health, University of Southern California , Los Angeles , CA , USA.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tarantola
authors.affiliation: b Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and the Miriam Hospital , Providence , RI , USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.affiliation: a Program on Global Health and Human Rights , Institute for Global Health, University of Southern California , Los Angeles , CA , USA.
authors.forename: Sofia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gruskin
mesh_terms: D014943:Global Health; D006291:Health Policy; D006806:Human Rights; D006801:Humans; D000073296:Noncommunicable Diseases; D012941:Social Responsibility
keywords: Non-communicable diseases; accountability; global; human rights; policy