Advancing the Right to Health: The Vital Role of Law

This report aims to raise awareness about the role that the reform of public health laws can play in advancing the right to health and in creating the conditions for people to live healthy lives. By encouraging a better understanding of how public health law can be used to improve the health of the population, the report aims to encourage and assist governments to reform their public health laws in order to advance the right to health.

The report highlights important issues that may arise during the process of public health law reform. It provides guidance about issues and requirements to be addressed during the process of developing public health laws. It also includes case studies and examples of legislation from a variety of countries to illustrate effective law reform practices and some features of effective public health legislation.

Individual chapters available below.

Update: The summary guide was released in 2018 (download below). It summarizes and expands on the full report, including case studies and examples from developing and developed countries to highlight the law as a tool for public health.