UN expert on the right to health to visit Costa Rica

GENEVA (17 July 2023) – UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health Tlaleng Mofokeng will conduct an official visit to Costa Rica from 18 to 31 July 2023.

During the 10-day visit, Mofokeng will observe best practices and challenges in healthcare accessibility, acceptability, affordability, and quality.

The UN expert will meet with various actors, including authorities, civil society and others in San José and the Limón region to assess the situation regarding the enjoyment of the right to physical and mental health in the country.

The visit will include a detention centre and a public hospital and will focus largely on access to health care and underlying determinants of health from an intersectional perspective, with particular attention to marginalised populations.

The expert will host a press conference on 31 July 10:00 am (local time) at the UN House, Oficentro la Virgen 2, Pavas, San José. Access will be strictly limited to journalists.

The Special Rapporteur will present her report to the Human Rights Council in June 2024.

ENDS

Ms. Tlaleng Mofokeng (South Africa) took up her functions as UN Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health took up her functions as on 1 August 2020. Ms. Mofokeng is a Global health expert with experience in legislative reform, policy, healthcare provision, and health communication. She advocates specifically for sexual and reproductive health rights (including adolescent health, transgender affirming health and abortions). She is the co-chair of the O’Neill Commission on racism, structural discrimination and global health. Dr. Tlaleng Mofokeng is an adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown Law centre and is distinguished lecturer at O'Neill Institute for National & Global health law.

The Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work.

They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.

UN Human Rights country page: Costa Rica