Alliance welcomes appointment of Anand Grover as UN special rapporteur on health
30 June 2008
Anand Grover, a renowned Indian lawyer with a long history of public interest litigation, has recently been appointed UN special rapporteur on the right to health. The Alliance looks forward to supporting and working with Anand, especially in his efforts to advance the right to health of key populations.
In the 1990s, Anand fought the first HIV-related case in the Indian courts. It was the vision of his first HIV-positive client, Dominic de Souza, “to live in a world free of AIDS, stigma and discrimination” which inspired Anand to found the Lawyers Collective HIV/AIDS Unit. He was also a member of the drafting group of the International Guidelines on Human Rights and HIV/AIDS.
Anand has a long history of championing the rights of people living with HIV and has led litigation and advocacy on the rights of people with HIV to marry and their rights to work and health. In his work on improving access to treatment, Anand has successfully challenged the Indian patent law. Importantly, Anand has passionately advocated for the rights of sex workers, drug users and men who have sex with men.
In an environment where the rights of key populations are increasingly being undermined, the appointment of Anand Grover as UN special rapporteur on health is both a tremendous opportunity and a step in the right direction.
