ABSTRACT
Accountability is a distinctive, complex and central feature of human rights. In the context of human rights, accountability refers to the requirement of the state to fully comply with its obligations under the international and regional human rights treaties to which it is a party. Concrete cases of individuals and groups seeking government accountability show that the real challenge is to convert this legal commitment into specific measures of implementation. Despite the critical importance of accountability, little work has been done to explore its meaning and content in the context of the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health (the right to health or the right to the highest attainable standard of health). As a result, the notion of accountability is often seriously misunderstood. This chapter begins to explore this area and, while there remains much work to be done on the topic, this modest contribution will provide information on how to make accountability count in the right to health, and hence in HIV/ AIDS governance.1
