Timor-Leste
The Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste does not explicitly guarantee the right to adequate food.
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste has become a State party to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) in 2003 by way of accession. It has signed the Optional Protocol (OP-ICESCR) in 2009, but has not ratified it yet.
CONSTITUTIONAL RECOGNITIONS OF THE RIGHT TO ADEQUATE FOOD
National status of international obligations
Section 9:
“1. The legal system of East Timor shall adopt the general or customary principles of international law.
2. Rules provided for in international conventions, treaties and agreements shall apply in the internal legal system of East Timor following their approval, ratification or accession by the respective competent organs and after publication in the official gazette.
3. All rules that are contrary to the provisions of international conventions, treaties and agreements applied in the internal legal system of East Timor shall be invalid.”
Other pertinent provisions for the realization of the right to adequate food
Section 18.2: “Children shall enjoy all rights that are universally recognised, as well as all those that are enshrined in international conventions commonly ratified or approved by the State.”
Section 23: “Fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution shall not exclude any other rights provided for by the law and shall be interpreted in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”
INTERNATIONAL INSTRUMENTS
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) – 1966
Status: Accession (2003)
Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) – 1979
Status: Accession (2003)
Legislation and policies recognizing the right to adequate food
Considering that the human right to adequate food can be implemented through a variety of legal and policy actions, we invite you to visit the FAOLEX Country Profile database for a wide-ranging collection of measures that have been taken at national level. Some of the documents you may find are legislation and policies that touch on a number of relevant Guidelines, such as those on Access to resources and assets (Guideline 8), Food safety and consumer protection (Guideline 9), Support for vulnerable groups (Guideline 13) and Natural and human-made disasters (Guideline 16).