An Independent Review and Accountability Mechanism for the Sustainable Development Goals: The Possibilities of a Framework Convention on Global Health

摘要

The Framework Convention on Global Health (FCGH), a proposed global treaty to be rooted in the rightto health and aimed at health equity, could establish a nuanced, layered, and multi-faceted regime ofcompliance with, and accountability to, the right to health. In so doing, it would significantly strengthenaccountability for the health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which it would encompass.Legally binding, the FCGH could facilitate accountability through the courts and catalyze comprehensivedomestic accountability regimes, requiring national strategies that include transparency, communityand national mechanisms for accountability and participation and an enabling environment for socialempowerment. A “Right to Health Capacity Fund” could ensure resources to implement these strategies.Inclusive national processes could establish targets, benchmarks, and indicators consistent with FCGHguidance, with regular reporting to a treaty body, which could also hear individual cases. State reportscould be required to include plans to overcome implementation gaps, subjecting poorly complyingstates to penalties and targeted capacity building measures. Regional special rapporteurs could facilitatecompliance through regular country visits, while also responding to serious violations. And reachingbeyond government compliance, from capacity building to the courts and contractual obligations, theFCGH could establish nationally enforceable right to health obligations on the private sector.