Human rights in public health: Deepening engagement at a critical time

This year marks the 70th anniversary of both the birth of human rights law through the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the birth of global health governance through the World Health Organization (WHO). Over the past 70 years, human rights have developed under international law as a basis for public health, providing a foundation for human rights realization through public health practice. Yet this “health and human rights” movement now faces unprecedented threats amidst a shift toward populism—with the populist radical right in ascendance in the United States and in countries throughout the world