Assessment of the effects of economic sanctions on iranians’ right to health by using human rights impact assessment tool: A systematic review

International Journal of Health Policy and Management

Volumn 7, Issue 5, 2018, Pages 374-393

  Kokabisaghi, Fatemeh ^a,b  

^a Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam   (Netherlands)

^b MASHHAD UNIVERSITY OF MEDICAL SCIENCES   (Iran)

Author keywords

Economic sanctions; HRIA tool; Human rights; Iran; Right to medicine

Indexed keywords

ECONOMICS; HEALTH CARE DELIVERY; HUMAN; HUMAN RIGHTS; IRAN;

ECONOMICS; HEALTH SERVICES ACCESSIBILITY; HUMAN RIGHTS; HUMANS; IRAN;

EID: 85050003153     PISSN: None     EISSN: 23225939     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.15171/ijhpm.2017.147     Document Type: Review

References (135)

1. Davis L, Engerman S. History lessons: sanctions-neither war nor peace. J Econ Perspect. 2003;17(2):187-197. doi:10.1257/089533003765888502
2. Allen SH, Lektzian DJ. Economic sanctions: A blunt instrument? J Peace Res. 2013;50(1):121-135. doi:10.1177/0022343312456224
3. Garfield R, Santana S. The impact of the economic crisis and the US embargo on health in Cuba. Am J Public Health. 1997;87(1):15-20.
4. Gibbons E, Garfield R. The impact of economic sanctions on health and human rights in Haiti, 1991-1994. Am J Public Health. 1999;89(10):1499-1504.
5. Peksen D. Economic sanctions and human security: the public health effect of economic sanctions. Foreign Policy Analysis. 2011;7(3):237-251. doi:10.1111/j.1743-8594.2011.00136.x
6. Barry M. Effect of the U.S. embargo and economic decline on health in Cuba. Ann Intern Med. 2000;132(2):151-154.
7. Garfield R, Devin J, Fausey J. The health impact of economic sanctions. Bull N Y Acad Med. 1995;72(2):454-469.
8. UN General Assembly. Universal Declaration of Human Rights; 1948.
9. UN General Assembly. International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. United Nations; 1966.
10. World Health Organization. Constitution of World Health Organisation. World Health Organization; 1960.
11. UN Committee on Economic Social and Cultural Rights. General Comment No. 14: The Right to the Highest Attainable Standard of Health; 2000.
12. UN Committee on Economic Social and Cultural Rights. General Comment No. 3: The Nature of States Parties’ Obligations. UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; 1990.
13. Sanction. Oxford Dictionary website. http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/sanction. Accessed August 15, 2016.
14. Ronzitti N. Coercive Diplomacy, Sanctions and International Law: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers; 2016.
15. Masters M. What are economic sanctions? http://www.cfr.org/sanctions/economic-sanctions/p36259. Accessed March 25, 2016. Published 2016.
16. United Nations. Charter of the United Nations; 1945.
17. Board of Governors of International Atomic Energy Agency. Implementation of the NPT Safeguards Agreement in the Islamic Republic of Iran. UN; 2006.
18. United Nations Security Council. Sanction Resolution no. 1747: UN; 2007.
19. Security Council of United Nations. Resolution no 1929; 2010.
20. UN Committee on Economic Social and Cultural Rights. General comment No. 8: The relationship between economic sanctions and respect for ESCRs. 2000.
21. Maggie O. The Wake of War. Guardian. 1996.
22. United Nations. Yearbook of the United Nations. United Nations; 1998.
23. UN Human Rights Council. Human rights and unilateral coercive measures (24/14). New York: UN General Assembly; 2013.
24. Garfield R. The impact of economic embargoes on the health of women and children. J Am Med Womens Assoc (1972). 1997;52(4):181-184.
25. Sen K, Al-Faisal W, AlSaleh Y. Syria: effects of conflict and sanctions on public health. J Public Health (Oxf). 2013;35(2):195-199. doi:10.1093/pubmed/fds090
26. UNICEF. Statistics of Iran. 2017; https://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/iran_statistics.html. Accessed July 11, 2017.
27. World Health Organisation. Country Cooperation Strategy for WHO and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Geneva: WHO; 2010.
28. United Nations Children’s Fund. Revised country programme document, Islamic Republic of Iran (2012-2016). UNICEF; 2011.
29. US Department of State. Iran Sanctions. http://www.state.gov/e/eb/tfs/spi/iran/index.htm. Accessed August 20, 2016.
30. European Union. European Union Restrictive measures (sanctions) in force. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2011/03/irans-cities-a-sea-of-poverty.html. Accessed January 12, 2016.
31. International Campaign for human rights in Iran. A Growing Crisis; The Impact of Sanctions and Regime Policies on Iranians’ Economic and Social Rights. International Campaign for human rights in Iran; 2013.
32. Namazi S. Sanctions and medical supply shortages in Iran. Viewpoints. 2013:20.
33. World Bank. Statistics of Iran. http://data.worldbank.org/country/iran-islamic-rep?view=chart. Accessed July 2017.
34. Trending Economics. Iran GDP per capita PPP. https://tradingeconomics.com/iran/gdp-per-capita-ppp. Accessed November 7, 2017.
35. Ramezani A. Raise in minimum wage not enough for Iranian workers. 2014; http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/03/iran-wages-inflation-economy-law-protest.html. Accessed July 13, 2017.
36. World Bank. World Development Indicators. http://databank.worldbank.org/data/reports.aspx?source=2&series=SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS&country=. Accessed November 7, 2017.
37. Baxewanos F, Raza W. Human rights impact assessments as a new tool for development policy? Working Paper. Austrian Foundation for Development Research (ÖFSE); 2013.
38. Monash University Castan Centre for Human Rights Law UNGCO, Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum, United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Human Rights Translated: A Business Reference Guide. United Nations Publications; 2008.
39. Baradaran-Seyed Z, Majdzadeh R. Economic sanctions strangle Iranians’ health, not just drug supply. Lancet. 2013;381(9878):1626. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(13)61024-7
40. Butler D. Iran hit by drug shortage. Nature. 2013;504(7478):15-16. doi:10.1038/504015a
41. Cheraghali AM. Impacts of international sanctions on Iranian pharmaceutical market. Daru. 2013;21(1):64. doi:10.1186/2008-2231-21-64
42. Ghiasi G, Rashidian A, Kebriaeezadeh A, Salamzadeh J. The impact of the sanctions made against Iran on availability to asthma medicines in Tehran. Iran J Pharm Res. 2016;15(3):567-571.
43. Golzari SE, Ghabili K, Khanli HM, Tizro P, Rikhtegar R. Access to cancer medicine in Iran. Lancet Oncol. 2013;14(3):e87. doi:10.1016/s1470-2045(13)70036-6
44. Gorji A. Sanctions against Iran: The Impact on Health Services. Iran J Public Health. 2014;43(3):381-382.
45. Hajizadeh M, Nghiem HS. Hospital care in Iran: an examination of national health system performance. Int J Healthc Manag. 2013;6(3):201-210. doi:10.1179/2047971913Y.0000000042
46. Hosseini SA. Impact of sanctions on procurement of medicine and medical devices in Iran; a technical response. Arch Iran Med. 2013;16(12):736-738.
47. International Institute for Peace Justice and Human Rights. The impact of sanction on Iranian People Healthcare. Switzerland: International Institute for Peace, Justice and Human Rights; 2013.
48. Karimi M, Haghpanah S. The effects of economic sanctions on disease specific clinical outcomes of patients with thalassemia and hemophilia in Iran. Health Policy. 2015;119(2):239-243. doi:10.1016/j.healthpol.2014.12.011
49. Kheirandish M, Rashidian A, Bigdeli M. A news media analysis of economic sanction effects on access to medicine in Iran. J Res Pharm Pract. 2015;4(4):199-205. doi:10.4103/2279-042x.167042
50. Mohammadi D. US-led economic sanctions strangle Iran’s drug supply. Lancet. 2013;381(9863):279.
51. Moret ES. Humanitarian impacts of economic sanctions on Iran and Syria. European Security. 2015;24(1):120-140. doi:10.1080/09662839.2014.893427
52. Akbarpour Roshan N, Abbassi M, Mehrbod SH. The Impacts of Economic Sanctions on Sustainable Development: Focusing on Labor. Cumhuriyet Science Journal. 2015;36(3):3458-3476.
53. Setayesh S, Mackey TK. Addressing the impact of economic sanctions on Iranian drug shortages in the joint comprehensive plan of action: promoting access to medicines and health diplomacy. Global Health. 2016;12(1):31. doi:10.1186/s12992-016-0168-6
54. Shahabi S, Fazlalizadeh H, Stedman J, Chuang L, Shariftabrizi A, Ram R. The impact of international economic sanctions on Iranian cancer healthcare. Health Policy. 2015;119(10):1309-1318. doi:10.1016/j.healthpol.2015.08.012
55. Iranian Society of Atherosclerosis. Acute shortages of essential medicines for chronic patients. Paper presented at: Fifteenth Congress of Cardiology; 2013; Iran.
56. Takian A, Kazempour-Ardebili S. Diabetes Dictating Policy: An Editorial Commemorating World Health Day 2016. Int J Health Policy Manag. 2016;5(10):571-573. doi:10.15171/ijhpm.2016.79
57. UN Economic and Social Council. Concluding observations on the second periodic report of Iran, E/C.12/IRN/CO/2. New York: UN; 2013.
58. UN General Assembly. Situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran (A/68/503). UN; 2013.
59. UN Refugee Agency. UNHCR global appeal 2014-2015. http://www.unhcr.org/528a0a2fb.html. Accessed July 25, 2016.
60. UN Secretary-General. situation of human rights in Iran. A/HRC/25/75, March 11, 2014.
61. UNICEF. Annual Report 2012 for Iran (MENA); 2012.
62. Zare H, Trujillo AJ, Leidman E, Buttorff C. Income elasticity of health expenditures in Iran. Health Policy Plan. 2013;28(6):665-679. doi:10.1093/heapol/czs106
63. Kebriaeezadeh A, Koopaei NN, Abdollahiasl A, Nikfar S, Mohamadi N. Trend analysis of the pharmaceutical market in Iran; 1997-2010; policy implications for developing countries. Daru. 2013;21(1):52. doi:10.1186/2008-2231-21-52
64. Hashemi-Meshkini A. Making the Public Health and Industrial Objectives Balanced; the Big Challenge of Iran’s Food and Drug Organization. Iran J Public Health. 2014;43(5):693-695.
65. Kheirandish M, Rashidian A, Kebriaeezade A, Cheraghali AM, Soleymani F. A review of pharmaceutical policies in response to economic crises and sanctions. J Res Pharm Pract. 2015;4(3):115-122. doi:10.4103/2279-042x.162361
66. Asadi-Pooya AA, Tavana B, Tavana B, Emami M. Drug adherence of patients with epilepsy in Iran: the effects of the international economic sanctions. Acta Neurol Belg. 2016;116(2):151-155. doi:10.1007/s13760-015-0545-6
67. Duttagupta S, Yampolsky D, Chowdhury CA. Economic Sanctions And Market Access for Pharmaceuticals: Case Studies With Russia, Cuba And Iran. Value Health. 2015;18(7):A569. doi:10.1016/j.jval.2015.09.1873
68. Deilamizade A, Esmizade S. Economic Sanctions Against Iran, and Drug Use in Tehran, Iran: A 2013 Pilot Study. Subst Use Misuse. 2015;50(7):859-868. doi:10.3109/10826084.2015.978673
69. Massoumi RL, Koduri S. Adverse effects of political sanctions on the health care system in Iran. J Glob Health. 2015;5(2):020302. doi:10.7189/jogh.05-020302
70. Ahmadi AM, Meskarpour-Amiri M. The public health effects of economic sanctions as a global concern in 21th century: Why the economic sanctions is a cruel strategy. Journal Health Policy Sustainable Health. 2015;2(1):145-146.
71. Gordon J. Crippling Iran: the UN security council and the tactic of deliberate ambiguity. Georgetown J Int Law. 2013;44(3):973-1006.
72. Dizaji SF, A G van Bergeijk P. Potential early phase success and ultimate failure of economic sanctions:A VAR approach with an application to Iran. J Peace Res. 2013;50(6):721-736. doi:10.1177/0022343313485487
73. Farzanegan MR, Mohammadikhabbazan M, Sadeghi H. Effect of oil sanctions on the macroeconomic and household welfare in Iran: New evidence from a CGE model. Joint Discussion Paper Series in Economics; 2015.
74. Kermani MK. Immorality and Illegality of Sanctions and Iranian Response. Iranian Review of Foreign Affairs. 2014;5(1):89-120.
75. Chenoy MA. Gender and Human Rights Violations as structural part of UCMs. Seminar of Experts on Unilateral Coercive measures. United Nations, Geneva: Human Rights Council; 2013.
76. Rezapour A, Ebadifard Azar F, Azami Aghdash S, Tanoomand A, Ahmadzadeh N, Sarabi Asiabar A. Inequity in household’s capacity to pay and health payments in Tehran-Iran-2013. Med J Islam Repub Iran. 2015;29:245.
77. Ebrahimi M, Jalalian A, Esfandyari L. The impacts of economic sanctions on human rights in countries of Iran and Iraq. World Scientific News. 2015;16:12-27.
78. Menezes WA. The effectiveness of international sanctions imposed on Iran and Cuba: a comparative study. Revista Eletrônica de Direito Internacional. 2016;19:431-466.
79. Neuenkirch M, Neumeier F. The impact of US sanctions on poverty. J Dev Econ. 2016;121(Suppl C):110-119. doi:10.1016/j.jdeveco.2016.03.005
80. Palaniappa S. Sanctions Without Humanitarian Implications-An Impossible Feat. Florida: Science, University of Central Florida; 2013.
81. Sha’bani M, Mahkoei H, Ghorbani E. Investigating Socioeconomic Challenges of Iran During Sanctions. International Journal Resistive Economics. 2015;3(1):18-37.
82. Asadi A, Maleki Shahrivar M, Esmaili SM. Passing through sanctions by resistive economy. Open Access Journal Resistive Economics. 2015;6:36-42.
83. Bastani P, Dinarvand R, SamadBeik M, Pourmohammadi K. Pharmaceutical strategic purchasing requirements in Iran: Price interventions and the related effective factors. J Res Pharm Pract. 2016;5(1):35-42. doi:10.4103/2279-042x.176553
84. Portela C. Are European Union sanctions “targeted”? Cambridge Review International Affairs. 2016;29(3):912-929. doi:10.1080/09557571.2016.1231660
85. Dizaji SF. The effects of oil shocks on government expenditures and government revenues nexus in Iran (as a developing oil-export based economy). International Institute Social Studies. 2012;540:1-42.
86. Taghdisinejad AS. The impact oil embargo on economic security of Iran. Journal of Management and Defense Research. 2015;13(76):1-32.
87. Nematolahi ZF, Hoseynzade S, Abolhasani M. The consequences of targeted subsidies, exchange rate and foreign exchange constraints arising from the imposition of sanctions on the field of wheat, flour and bread. Agriculture Economy. 2016;10(1):97-114.
88. Mostafavi SMG, Hoseyni Ebrahimabad MA. An investigate for causality relationship among Economic sanctions, Macroeconomic factors and environmental polluters in Iran. Quantitative Economics. 2014;11(1):103-128.
89. Mousavi SFJ, Mohammadi O. Us Unilateral sanctions against Iran; contradiction in slogan and conduct, extreme politisization of human rights. Public Law. 2015;16(46):23-103.
90. Mashhadi AR, M. The Effects of Imposed Sanctions against Iran on Environment, Energy & Technology Transfer in International Law. Public Law. 2015;16(46):103-123.
91. Marzban HO, A. The Impact of Economic Sanctions on Gross Domestic Product and Social Welfare for Iran: Generalized Stochastic Growth Model. Econ Res. 2015;20(63):37-69.
92. George MH, Z. Sanctions, government blamed for Iran’s drugs shortage. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-medicine-idUSBRE8B40NM20121205. Accessed August 8, 2016.
93. E3/EU+3. Joint Plan of Action about Iran; 2013.
94. Nichols MC, L. General Secretary Ban Ki Moon, U.N. chief says sanctions on Iran affecting its. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/05/us-iran-sanctions-un-idUSBRE89412Z20121005. Accessed August 15, 2016.
95. Plaut S. the Collapse of Iran’s Rial. https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/3597/iran-rial-collpase. Accessed August 12, 2016.
96. World Bank. GDP per capita growth of Iran. http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.KD.ZG?locations=IR. Accessed July 30, 2016.
97. Kordzadeh Kermani M. Immorality and Illegality of Sanctions and Iranian Response. Iranian Review Foreign Affairs. 2014;5(1):89-120.
98. Lilaz S. 11% of the people of Iran are under the absolute poverty line. http://www.eghtesadonline.com. Accessed November 7, 2017.
99. Institute of Education and Research on Management and Planning. Poverty in Iran. Tehran; 2014.
100. Keshvari Z. 2000 child widows in Iran. Seminar on Child Marriage. http://www.iran-newspaper.com/Newspaper/BlockPrint/162159. Accessed November 7, 2017.
101. Farshad M. An increase of 120 percent in street childern in Isfahan. https://www.tasnimnews.com/fa/news/1396/03/19/1430639/. Accessed November 7, 2017.
102. Panahi S. Ambiguity in the statistics of child work and street children. http://jahanesanat.ir/?newsid=19418. Accessed November 7, 2017.
103. Abbasi A. child work in Iran. Planning and Management. 2009;1(1):15-22.
104. Daneshvar F. Selling infants in Tehran. http://www.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=13940816000307. Published 2016.
105. Seyedfatemi N, Rafii F, Rezaei M, Sajadi M. Factors influencing the health promotion in Female-Headed Households: Golden Triangle of Money, Time and Energy. Journal Knowledge Health. 2015;10(4):13-22. doi:10.1234/knh.v10i4.792
106. Karamouzian M, Foroozanfar Z, Ahmadi A, Haghdoost AA, Vogel J, Zolala F. How sex work becomes an option: Experiences of female sex workers in Kerman, Iran. Cult Health Sex. 2016;18(1):58-70. doi:10.1080/13691058.2015.1059487
107. Jondoghi M. Unemployment during three prisential priodes. http://www.mehrnews.com/news/3955759. Accessed November 7, 2017.
108. Salehi-Isfahani D. Iranian youth in times of economic crisis. Iranian Studies. 2011;44(6):789-806.
109. World Health Organization. Global Health Expenditure Database. http://apps.who.int/nha/database/ViewData/Indicators/en. Accessed August 15, 2016.
110. Iran Customs Administration. Annual statics 2011-2012. http://www.tccim.ir/ImpExpStats.aspx?slcImpExp=Import&slcCountry=&sYear=1391&mode=doit. Accessed August 12, 2016.
111. Peykar Z, mohammadi A. Economic and Institutional Factors Affecting Self Curing and Self-medication in Shahrekord. Journal Health Breeze. 2015;4(4):7-14.
112. Tahergorabi Z, Kiani Z, Moodi M. Epidemiological study of selfmedication and its associated factors among visitors to Birjand pharmacies, 2015. J Birjand Univ Med Sci. 2016;23(2):158-169.
113. Ershadpour RZ, H. Kalani, N. Review survey of the reasons of the prevalence of self-medication among the people of Iran. Navidno. 2015;18(60):16-23.
114. Health Deputy of Ministry of Health and Medical Education. Report of Health Deputy. Tehran: Ministry of Health and Medical Education of Iran; 2012.
115. Council of Ministers of Iran. Directive on budget allocation for health system reform. Council of Ministers of Iran; 2014.
116. Jaarzade N. Hidden inequalities are increasing in Iranian society http://www.mehrnews.com/news/3742159. Accessed August 30, 2016.
117. The prevalence of 23% of mental disorders. Fars News Agency. 2013; http://www.Farsnews.com. Accessed November 7, 2017.
118. Suiside in Iran. Shafaf News. 2014; http://www.shafaf.ir/fa/news/248795. Accessed July 7, 2017.
119. White WL. Congress 60: An Addiction Recovery Community within the Islamic Republic of Iran. Alcohol Treat Q. 2015;33(3):328-347. doi:10.1080/07347324.2015.1050929
120. Yaghubidoost M. Frequency of suicide attempt and its effective factors in Qazvin province. Ghazvin: Medicine, Ghazvin University of Medical Sciences; 2017.
121. Haghdoost AA, Mostafavi E, Mirzazadeh A, et al. Modelling of HIV/AIDS in Iran up to 2014. J AIDS HIV Res. 2011;3(12):231-239. doi:10.5897/JAHR11.030
122. Shariatirad S, Maarefvand M, Ekhtiari H. Emergence of a methamphetamine crisis in Iran. Drug Alcohol Rev. 2013;32(2):223-224. doi:10.1111/dar.12014
123. UN Human Rights Council. Access to medicine in the context of the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health (12/24). New York: UN General Assembly; 2009.
124. Bozorgmehr. In Iran, sanctions take toll on the sick. The Washington Post. September 4, 2012. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/sanctions-take-toll-on-irans-sick/2012/09/04/ce07ee2c-f6b2-11e1-8253-3f495ae70650_story.html. Accessed March 13, 2017.
125. Health Ministry and Medical Education of Iran. Health and Treatment., Vol 1. Iran: MoHME; 2005.
126. Young Correspondents Club. 22 patients of Razi hospital were victims of American drug injection. http://www.yjc.ir/fa/news/5147664/22. Published 2016.
127. UN Commission for Human Rights. Human rights and humanitarian consequences of sanctions, including embargoes. Geneva, Switzerland: UN; 2000.
128. UN General Assembly. Convention on the Rights of the Child. UN; 1989.
129. UN Commission on Human Rights. Resolution 2002/31 the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. In: UN Committee on Economic SaCR, ed. New York: Office of the high commissioner for human rights; 2002.
130. UN General Assembly. Meeting report no 104, Economic measures as a means of political and economic coercion against developing countries (A/RES/39/210). UN; 1984.
131. UN General Assembly. Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, A/CONF.157/23. 1993.
132. UN Commission on Human Rights. Resolution 2004/27, the Right of Everyone to the Enjoyment of the Highest Attainable Standard of Physical and Mental Health (E/CN.4/RES/2004/27). New York: Office of UN Commission on Human Rights; 2004.
133. Sponeck HG. Sanctions and Humanitarian Exemptions: A Practitioner’s Commentary. European Journal International Law. 2002;13(1):81-87. doi:10.1093/ejil/13.1.81
134. Kokabisaghi F. Justiciability of the Right to Health in International Legal System. Iranian Journal of Medical Law. 2016;10(37):33-37.
135. De Schutter O. Report of the Special Rapporteur on the right to food. Guiding principles on human rights impact assessments of trade and investment agreements, A/HRC/19/59/Add.5. UN; 2011.