The link between health and human rights is increasingly important in public health. Jonathan Mann, chair of the 2nd International Conference on Health and Human Rights and François-Xavier Bagnoud Professor of Health and Human Rights at the School of Public Health, says, "Thinking about human rights and health has evolved considerably. We have found that the vulnerability of individuals and populations to many health problems -- for example, AIDS, cancer, or injuries -- is directly related to the status of respect for their human rights and dignity."

The conference, planned for Oct. 3-5 in Cambridge, is designed to look at many health issues with a human rights dimension: environmental health, reproductive health, class and race issues, emerging diseases, sexual rights, violence, genetics and health, mental health, humanitarian emergencies such as Bosnia, and many more. Hundreds of advocates, academics, and leaders from both the health and the human rights communities are expected to attend. The first conference, in 1994, sought to build bridges between the health and human rights communities, and to share ideas. The upcoming conference focuses on the next step: a move from ideas to action. Activities, worldwide, will be presented and detailed.

The François-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights was created at the School of Public Health in 1993 and is the first academic center to focus exclusively on the connection between health and human rights. Through its journal, Health and Human Rights, and through educational activities within the University and in the larger world, the Center has raised awareness about the need to go beyond a focus on individual behavior change as a means of prevention.

"Societal factors are known to be the main determinants of health," says Mann. "The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is our guide, in a real sense, to identifying and responding to these societal factors. Thus, remedies must go beyond simply providing medical care and health education. We have to think more broadly to develop solutions that lead to healthier lives for all."

For more information on how to attend the conference, call Beth Falk, 496-4392.