Agents of Justice in Global Health

Original Article | Pages: 47 - 59
  • Shirin Boroomand - PhD candidate of public law, Faculty of Law, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran [s_boroomand@sbu.ac.ir]

Abstract

Background: Interdependence and the processes of globalization in the world have induced complicated problems in global health. Major inequalities in health issues in the world have raised some challenges of climate change, the pro-pagation of infectious diseases, unequal distribution of health facilities, poverty and related illnesses which comprise the main focus of global justice theory.

Methods: The global justice theory, which is a normative discourse about our duties and responsibilities vis-à-vis other people in the world, has been divided into different approaches to address the crises and issues discussed above. These approaches, based on their prepositions and arguments on the principles of justice, have various views on agents of justice. In this study, we will work with two problem-oriented and theoretical approaches to global justice to achieve a desirable approach to global health justice.

Results: According to statist perspective to global justice, states are exclusive agents of justice while cosmopolitans hold that individuals, institutions and states are agents of justice.

Conclusion: It seems that the best position is a middle, synthetic approach, which considers states, non-state actors, institutions and even individuals as the agents of justice and assigns the obligations with a varying degree. Empirical cases and recent experiences in global health confirm the intended results of such perspective.

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Citation

Boroomand Sh. [Agents of Justice in Global Health]. Iran J Biomed Law Ethics. 2019;1(1):47-59. Persian.