In this piece, guest blogger Maria Pawlowska outlines the major arguments for why access to contraception should be treated as a human right. Also highlighted are the different implications of realizing this right in both the developed North and global South. Maria is a healthcare analyst with a passion for reproductive health and gender issues in health care provision. Maria has a PhD from Cambridge, where she was a Gates scholar, and has worked with the Global Poverty Project and RESULTS UK.

The Occupy Wall Street Movement has opened up many opportunities to make clear the links between economic inequalities and inequalities in health. However, conversations and actions so far have largely focused on issues of access to healthcare, medical debt, cuts to healthcare budgets, and the pitfalls of for-profit medical systems. Join Healthy Policies for a Twitter chat on how SDOH messages can be better integrated into occupying efforts.

In the context of the recent World Conference on Social Determinants of Health guest blogger Amir Attaran, discusses the role of governance in improving the health of societies. Amir Attaran is a professor and Canada Research Chair in Law, Population Health and Global Development Policy at the University of Ottawa.

In this guest post, Ted Schrecker offers an overview of the recent World Conference on Social Determinants of Health. Ted discusses the Conference’s ‘Rio Declaration’, highlighting both its strengths and weaknesses, as well what it will take to keep the SDOH agenda moving forward. Ted is an associate Professor in the University of Ottawa’s Department of Epidemiology and Community Medicine, and a principal scientist at the University’s Institute of Population Health.

In this guest post, David Legge directs us to his work at the WHO Watch where he provides insightful background into the upcoming WHO reform talks, set to take place this November. Advanced is an analysis of global health governance which positions the social determinants of health, and health system development, within a dynamic interplay of policy paradigms, donor practices and corporate power.

In this guest post, Ted Schrecker offers a commentary on how the 2011 World Conference on Social Determinants of Health might restore an otherwise ailing SDOH agenda. Ted is an associate Professor in the University of Ottawa’s Department of Epidemiology and Community Medicine, and a principal scientist at the University’s Institute of Population Health.