Tag

#right to health

The right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, recognized under the ICESCR and other international instruments. Incidents involve government actions that systematically undermine public health infrastructure and access to care.

Grade 3 of 5: Serious Rights Violation

PEPFAR Freeze: HIV/AIDS Treatment Cut for 20 Million People Across Africa

The administration froze PEPFAR on Day One, cutting antiretroviral therapy for an estimated 20 million HIV-positive people in sub-Saharan Africa. PEPFAR funded 70% of the global HIV response. Health workers reported clinics closing, drug supplies running out, and patients dying within weeks of the freeze. A Lancet HIV modelling study projects 0.77 to 2.93 million additional HIV-related deaths in 2025-2030 if PEPFAR support is discontinued alongside wider aid cuts, and far fewer if it is reinstated.

Grade 4 of 5: Critical Rights and Rule-of-Law Concern

Systematic Dismantlement of USAID and Global Humanitarian Consequences

Systematic destruction of the US Agency for International Development resulted in termination of lifesaving programs across the developing world. A Lancet study projected more than 14 million additional deaths by 2030 if USAID funding cuts continue. Ending foreign aid is not an international crime, but the harm is grave and the dismantlement raised serious domestic rule-of-law questions.