The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Edited News , Press Conferences | OHCHR
HRC - Press Conference: Special Rapporteur on the right to health 22 June 2023
Human Rights Council report analyses impact of digital technology on the right to health
The use of digital technology in health should not impair the right to have personal health data treated with confidentiality, particularly where already vulnerable people are concerned, UN-appointed independent rights expert told the Human Rights Council on Thursday.
The Special Rapporteur on the right to health, Tlaleng Mofokeng, warned that technology enabled easy sharing of sensitive health data of adolescents, migrants and people whose sexual orientation or health status was subject to discrimination.
“Accessibility of information through digital tools should not impair the right to have personal health data treated with confidentiality,” insisted Ms. Mofokeng. “It was brought to my attention that on some occasions the sharing of sensitive data can be problematic and potentially dangerous in specific contexts where for example migrants, adolescents and certain sexual orientations or practices of healthcare procedures are criminalized, or health status could lead to stigmatization.”
Ms. Mofokeng highlighted the dangerous use of both State and non-State actors in the context of criminalized health services, such as contraception and abortion, where people who seek abortion and individuals who help them face risk of arrest or prosecution.
In her third report to the Human Rights Council, Ms Mofokeng analyzed the impact on the digital innovation on the right to health but also the impact of digital technology on privacy and data protection.
Digital innovation and technologies for health facilities have been used extensively to manage the health needs during the Covid-19 pandemic and can help access to broader health care.
“Telemedicine, telehealth and other digital forms of health care solutions offer great potential for scaling up in terms of physical accessibility and can improve the accessibility to mobile diagnostics, healthcare workers for screening and advice, and delivery of therapeutics for example,” noted the UN appointed independent rights expert.
Regarding economic accessibility, Ms. Mofokeng said that “types of remote health care can be less expensive than in-person health care and can lower the direct and indirect costs of clinic visits, travel or unpaid sick leave.”
But Ms. Mofokeng warned that technology allows easy sharing of sensitive health data which might be used in police surveillance and law enforcement, “which further creates vulnerable situations for certain groups, for example those with HIV, migrant populations and LGBTIQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender-diverse)”.
“Digital tools can perpetuate racism, sexism, ableism or discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, among others in code, design and application”, the UN Special Rapporteur said. “I support the call for “design justice”, in which technology is designed through diverse and inclusive processes to meet diverse local needs.”
The expert called on all stakeholders to respect principles of non-discrimination, equality and privacy and to allow for transparency, accountability and recourse when rights are violated. She also told the Human Rights Council that human contact "remains important for primary care and concerns remain that the digital delivery of mental health services, for example, may be an inferior form of health care in comparison to in-person treatment”.
Special Rapporteurs and other independent experts appointed by the Human Rights Council serve in their individual capacity; they are not UN staff and do not receive payment for their work.
-ends-
- Medium shot, UN Palais with flags
- Wide shot and pan down from ceiling of the UN Human Rights Room
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Tlaleng Mofokeng, Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health: “Digital tools have allowed for the analysis of large data sets for prediction, forecasting and therapeutics development. In addition, human contact remains important for primary care and concerns remain that the digital delivery of mental health services, for example, may be an inferior form of health care in comparison to in-person treatment.”
- Medium lateral shot, delegates in Human Rights Room with screen of Special Rapporteur Tlaleng Mofokeng
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Tlaleng Mofokeng, Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health: “Telemedicine, telehealth and other digital forms of health care solutions offer great potential for scaling up in terms of physical accessibility and can improve the accessibility to mobile diagnostics, healthcare workers for screening and advice, and delivery of therapeutics for example. Regarding economic accessibility, types of remote health care can be less expensive than in-person health care and can lower the direct and indirect costs of clinic visits, travel or unpaid sick leave.”
- Medium shot, delegates from diverse member states
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Tlaleng Mofokeng, Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health: “Digital tools can perpetuate racism, sexism, ableism or discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, among others. This is happening in code, in design and application. And I support the call for design justice, in which technology is designed through diverse and inclusive processes to meet these diverse local needs.”
- Close shot, delegates from diverse member states
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Tlaleng Mofokeng, Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health: “Accessibility of information through digital tools should not impair the right to have personal health data treated with confidentiality. It was brought to my attention that on some occasions the sharing of sensitive data can be problematic and potentially dangerous in specific contexts where for example migrants, adolescents and certain sexual orientations, or gender identities, or practices of healthcare procedures are criminalized, or health status could lead to stigmatization.”
- Medium shot, speakers at podium
- Medium shot, delegates from diverse member states
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UNICEF , UN WOMEN , UNHCR , UNFPA , UNDP , UNIS
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by the representatives and spokespersons of the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Refugee Agency, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Population Fund, and UN Women.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF
Gaza newborns ‘scarred by war before first breath’ by preventable maternal malnutrition: UNICEF
Starving mothers in Gaza are giving birth to underweight or premature babies who die in intensive care units or struggle to survive as they endure acute malnutrition, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Tuesday.
1
1
Press Conferences | OCHA
Embargoed until Monday, December 8, at midnight (NY)/6:00am (Geneva)
Tom Fletcher, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, on funding requirements ahead of the release of the 2026 Global Humanitarian Overview
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango delivered the following remarks on Friday at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA
The humanitarian situation in northern Mozambique continues to deteriorate sharply as prolonged attacks by non-State armed groups in Nampula trigger one of the largest displacement surges of the year, the UN warned on Friday.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UNESCO , OCHA , UNICEF , IFRC , FAO , OHCHR , IPU
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by spokespersons and representatives of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the Food and Agricultural Organization, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Federation of the Red Cross and the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | OHCHR
The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination to announce findings on Burundi, Guatemala, Maldives, New Zealand, Sweden and Tunisia
1
1
Edited News | UNMAS
The deadly legacy of conflicts old and new from Gaza to Sudan and beyond continues to kill and maim civilians on a near-daily basis, mine action workers said on Wednesday, as they appealed for greater support for their lifesaving work in a context of deep funding cuts.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UNMAS
Protecting people from mines and other explosive ordnance in complex settings
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UNODA
Twenty-Second Meeting of the States Parties to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction
1
1
1
Edited News | WMO , UNICEF
Asia: Lives upended in cyclone disasters, ‘extreme’ rainfall on the rise - UN agencies
Across southeast Asia, record-breaking rains and flooding caused by back-to-back tropical storms have claimed hundreds of lives and brought devastation and displacement upon entire communities, UN agencies said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | ITU , UNDP , UNHCR , WMO
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by the representatives and spokespersons of the United Nations Development Programme, the World Meteorological Organization, the United Nations Refugee Agency, the United Nations Children’s Fund, and the International Telecommunication Union.