Neglected diseases: a human rights analysis

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in neglected diseases as a public health issue. However, there has been less attention given to the links between neglected diseases and human rights. Neglected diseases are more likely to occur where human rights, such as the rights to health, education and housing are not guaranteed. Neglected diseases also often result in violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including equality and non-discrimination. This review authored by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health aims to introduce and explore some of these connections. Addressing the human rights issues that cause or are a consequence of neglected diseases has an important role to play in helping to prevent and treat these diseases, as well as in ensuring the dignity and well-being of those afflicted. This report aims to equip practitioners with an understanding of human rights, how human rights abuses cause and result from neglected diseases, and it signals how a human rights approach can contribute to the fight against neglected diseases

The Culture Apocalypse: Hegemony and the Frontier at the End of the World

The turn of the millennium saw a marked increase in apocalypse-themed mass media, especially in television and film, of which the United States is the largest producer. The role of the apocalypse has been to produce hegemony for the ruling establishment that purported itself as being able to prevent or somehow save potential victims. Historically the church possessed this authority, but in contemporary society that role has been passed to governments and to scientific and technological institutions. In contemporary America, apocalypse is part of a spectrum of religious beliefs ingrained into the American Way of life. Commercial America has resurrected the apocalypse myth as spectacle commodity. Apocalyptic media today reflect current values of the American hegemon in globalization, and are portrayed as particularly real in order to be effective. The increased interest in disaster myths specifically reflects Beck’s (1992) concept of a world risk society. Deconstructing the films Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow reveals hegemonic devices that uphold the American way in the advent of globalization through the use of heteronormative values, scientific savior-adversary binaries, and symbolic rebirth through the recreation of frontier space

Review of potential areas for global harmonization of risk assessment protocols for Food Contact Materials (FCMs)

Food Contact Materials (FCMs) are produced and marketed worldwide global value in excess of 400.20 billion dollars. All FCMs have to be safe and guarantee the safety and security of food in contact with them. Specific regulations, which establish the rules for all materials, exist in different regions, which implies that the same material has to comply with different limits depending on the region in which it is distributed and marketed. This paper reviews differences and similarities between the FDA, EU, MERCOSUR, India, China, Japan and Thailand. Various areas essential for a risk assessment are compared. Requirements for testing substances or materials is an area where there are divergencies or commonalities. Harmonization of regulations and procedures is needed, as humans are the same, independently of where they live, and the substances released by the FCMs are the same. The same protocols and procedures are not applied worldwide, but the results are essential for the risk assessment of FCMs. Examining the approaches of different regions showed that there is room for harmonization in many areas, to obtain a more harmonized risk assessment and facilitate subsequent risk management. This review establishes the main areas of risk assessment of FCMs, compares the main regulations in different regions and discusses the essential areas that influence their global risk assessment and provides a guide to help to the development of the relevant research field and industry. Some examples and proposals for the main areas for harmonising risk assessment globally, are given