Using Health Rights to Design Aid-Funded Health Programs so They First do no Harm

This article reports on the development of a framework that guides aid-funded health programs to meet health rights obligations by focusing on health systems. The framework includes indicator-based tools that correspond to the three categories of rights obligations: respecting health rights by designing with a full understanding of the health system; fulfilling health rights by designing available, accessible, acceptable, and quality services; and protecting health rights by conducting a health systems impact assessment to ensure the health system is not weakened by program demands. The tools within this rights-based framework can assist the design of global health initiatives so that they work to strengthen health systems and meet rights obligations.