Summary

In the present report, the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, Tlaleng Mofokeng, focuses on harm reduction and explores this model as applicable to drug use and to other issues that are central to sustainable peace and development, spotlighting populations that are often stigmatized, criminalized and discriminated against to the detriment of their enjoyment of human rights. She focuses on the cases of drug use, HIV exposure, transmission and non-disclosure, abortion, same-sex relations, and sex work, arguing that States should divest from a punitive approach, moving away from criminalization while also employing regulatory tools to improve health outcomes. For the cases of tobacco, alcohol, food and nutrition, and environmental harms, she argues that harm reduction means adequately and effectively regulating corporate actors. The Special Rapporteur addresses how harm reduction can align with the right to health and related rights in the context of universal health coverage and with the rights of those in situations of vulnerability, including conflict, health emergencies and climate change. In her report, she focuses on good practices in different parts of the world and encourages States to integrate harm reduction as part of universal health coverage plans, incorporating comprehensive services that are accessible, affordable, acceptable and of quality.