The nursing profession holds that health is a universal human right. Therefore, the need for nursing is universal. As the World Health Organization states: “…the highest attainable standard of health is a fundamental right of every human being.” This right has economic, political, social, and cultural dimensions. It includes: access to health care, emergency care, and trauma care; basic sanitation; education concerning the prevention, treatment, and control of prevailing health problems; food security; immunizations; injury prevention; prevention and control of locally endemic diseases and vectors; public education concerning health promotion and maintenance; potable water; and reproductive health care. This affirmation of health as a fundamental, universal human right is held in common with the United Nations, the International Council of Nurses, and many human rights treaties.

All nurses commit to advancing health, welfare, and safety. This nursing commitment reflects the intent to achieve and sustain health as a means to the common good so that individuals and communities worldwide can develop to their fullest potential and live with dignity. Ethics, human rights, and nursing converge as a formidable instrument for social justice and health diplomacy that can be amplified by collaboration with other health professionals. Nurses understand that the lived experiences of inequality, poverty, and social marginalization contribute to the deterioration of health globally.