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Non-State Actors: The Increasing Role of Non-Governmental Organizations in Global Health Law

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 April 2025

Allan Maleche ,
Timothy Wafula ,
Sasha Stevenson  and
Tendai Mafuma
Allan Maleche*
Affiliation:
Kenya Legal and Ethical Issues Network on HIV and AIDS (KELIN), Independent Scholar Program, Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
Timothy Wafula
Affiliation:
Kenya Legal and Ethical Issues Network on HIV and AIDS (KELIN), Independent Scholar Program, Nairobi, Kenya
Sasha Stevenson
Affiliation:
Section 27, Johannesburg, South Africa
Tendai Mafuma
Affiliation:
Section 27, Johannesburg, South Africa
*
Corresponding author: Allan Maleche; Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

The participation of non-state actors in global health law has undergone tremendous change over the years, with non-state actors playing an increasingly important role in the formation of global health law — in terms of engagement in international health governance forums and health policy decision processes. Global health movements and advocacy groups dedicated to specific diseases (for instance HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria) and health rights have been increasingly pivotal in ensuring that global health policies are rights-based. This article interrogates the role that nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have played in shaping global health law. Looking at how the historical and traditional roles of NGOs have evolved over time, this article analyzes the contribution that NGOs have made in advancing and defining a rights-based approach to health.

Keywords

Human RightsAdvocacyNon-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)Civil Society
Type
Symposium
Information
Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics , First View , pp. 1 - 4
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics

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