For Immediate Release
April 30, 2009
Media Contact:
Kara Tershel, (202) 662-9500
ROME - At a two-day meeting in Rome convened by the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Development Law Organization (IDLO), 22 legal experts from around the world endorsed an initiative to build the capacity of governments to deal with infectious and non-communicable diseases that threaten the health, safety and economic viability of people and their countries.
"The world faces enormous problems with public health, especially in the developing world, and the majority of legal systems simply do not protect and promote health adequately," said Georgetown Law Professor Lawrence Gostin, who directs the O'Neill Institute. "Many governments have not addressed the issues surrounding air and water pollution, sanitation, sewage, child and maternal health, obesity and outbreaks of infectious diseases, and we must give them both the powers and duty to do so if we expect them to ensure the well-being of society."
The public health law group that convened in Rome will focus initially on drafting guidelines for public health legislation, led by the O'Neill Institute. It will then work with other organizations to assess the capacity building needs of different countries and regions, and assemble networks of government and civil society representatives and stakeholders to implement solutions.
"Without functioning health systems underpinned by legislation, it is difficult to respond effectively to outbreaks of infectious diseases, as well as longer term chronic diseases," said Helena Nygren-Krug, health and human rights adviser at WHO in Geneva. "Countries need modern tools and resources, and we intend to provide governments with the assistance and training that will enable them to deliver services that produce sustainable results."
The group of legal experts assembled in Rome includes representatives from WHO, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Bank, UNAIDS, IDLO, the O'Neill Institute and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), as well as civil society organizations and academic institutions from countries including China, Cameroon, South Africa, Uganda, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Malawi, Egypt, United States, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, Venezuela and Kyrgyzstan. The next meeting in Rome will finalize national public health law guidelines and prepare a strategy for capacity building and implementation.
"Many of these problems require regional and international approaches," said David Patterson, manager of IDLO's HIV and Health Law Program. "To do this, we need to engage groups at all levels of society to join us in this effort. Only in this way can we be certain that the poor and disadvantaged will gain the health and security they need to advance their social and economic prospects."
About the O'Neill Institute
The O'Neill Institute at Georgetown University brings together top scholars and fellows in the areas of health and law who create projects to address health problems facing the international community. The Institute houses centers on global health, disease prevention and health outcomes, health regulation and governance, and health care financing and organization.
About Georgetown University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center is one of the world's premier law schools. It has the largest full-time faculty in the nation and is pre-eminent in several areas, including constitutional, international, tax and clinical law. Drawing on its Jesuit heritage, it has a strong tradition of public service and is dedicated to the principle that law is but a means, justice is the end. With this principle in mind, Georgetown Law has built an environment that cultivates an exchange of ideas and the pursuit of academic excellence. It brings together an extraordinarily varied group of teachers, scholars and practitioners, as well as an outstanding student body representing more than 60 countries.
