The creating of the international medical law

The right to health, as one of the fundamental human rights, for the first time found its legal consolidation in international legal acts at the end of the Second World War. The Conference of the International Law Association, held in 1956 in Dubrovnik (Yugoslavia), established the Committee on International Medical Law. The Committee considered the main content of this branch of law to be the humanization of war, to provide medical assistance to victims of war. In the most concentrated form, this view is expressed in the resolution adopted by the 47th Conference of the Association of International Law.

In order to clearly imagine the content of the considered branch of law, one should refer to the Charter of the World Health Organization, which states that the main goal of the organization proclaims «the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health» (Article 1). The term «health», as indicated in the preamble of the Charter, means «the state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not only the absence of disease or physical defects».

International medical law is a part of international law that regulates interstate relations in the field of healthcare and medicine. On this basis, it follows the international treaties and conventions that are aimed primarily at improving the health of nations in peacetime and, moreover, at protecting people's health in the event of war, should be considered sources of this branch of law.

The main task is to create a health care system governed by basic legislation and other legal acts, which allows for the provision of necessary medical care to the entire population and ensures the prevention and diagnosis of diseases, special measures to protect the health of mothers, children and the elderly, as well as general measures aimed at prevention of air and water pollution, protection from radiation and noise, quality control of food and the environment, and the fight against alcoholism and drug addiction (and these measures, according to the European community, should be financed mainly by the state).

International medical organizations

WHO is the largest international medical organization. The main goal of its activity is to achieve the highest possible level of health for all nations. The WHO charter for the first time at the international level proclaimed the right of everyone to health, approved the principle of the responsibility of governments to the health of their people, and also indicated the indissoluble link between health and international security and the strengthening of science.

The World Health Organization was established after World War II, when major changes took place in the political and socio-economic life of the countries of the world. It was necessary to concentrate efforts on the restoration of war-damaged services and to provide the necessary urgent help to the people to whom the war had caused damage or destruction. This required the creation of an international unified health center.

In 1945, at the UN conference in San Francisco, delegations from several countries spoke in favor of creating a new international health organization that would unite most countries of the world.

WHO is one of the most comprehensive UN specialized agencies. Its members are 191 states.

WHO's activities are governed by its constitution.

The main statutory goal of WHO is "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health".

The main tasks of WHO are formulated as follows:

- coordination of international health activities;

- providing States with relevant information;

- Assistance in health issues;

- promotion and development of work to combat epidemic, endemic and other diseases, as well as to protect mental health;

- conducting joint health research;

- development of biomedical research;

- assistance in the training of medical personnel;

- assistance in the development of maternal and child welfare.



The International Red Cross movement is based on the main goal of preventing and alleviating human suffering. It consists of three parts: the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (formerly the Red Cross League). All of them are independent organizations, have their own charter and none of them is subordinate to others. Once every two years they meet at a meeting of the Council of Delegates.



UNESCO (from the English UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialized agency of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

The goals declared by the organization are to contribute to strengthening peace and security by expanding the cooperation of states and peoples in the field of education, science and culture; ensuring justice and respect for the rule of law, universal respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, as enshrined in the United Nations Charter, for all peoples, without distinction of race, sex, language, orientation or religion.

The organization was established on November 16, 1945, its headquarters is located in Paris, France. The organization currently has 195 member states.

The mission of UNESCO in the field of social and human sciences is the promotion of knowledge, standards and intellectual cooperation aimed at social transformation, human rights and freedoms. In addition to the main goal, the implementation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the organization works with such aspects as gender equality and the right to education. UNESCO is engaged in determining the current situation in society, promising research and philosophy, and also sets the development vector.

The organization's work in this area is divided into four sections: ethics (bioethics, science and technology, education in ethics), human rights (gender equality, poverty eradication, democracy, philosophy, anti-discrimination), social transformations (migration, urban studies, youth) and sport (physical education and doping problems).

Among the UNESCO programs, the MOST (Social Transformation Management) Program and the Bioethics Program are in charge of the social and humanitarian areas.