The Voluntary Guidelines in brief - Policies and strategies


• Homepage • Right to Food Portal • The texts of the guidelines I Enabling Environment II Policies and Strategies III Legal Framework IV Adequate Food V Vulnerable Populations VI Emergencies

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Policies and Strategies	States need to create an enabling environment for individuals to realize their right to food. The Voluntary Guidelines suggest that this can be done by adopting a national human-rights-based strategy and propose a variety of measures.

	Economic development; strategies; institutions; monitoring and indicators; access to resources
		Economic development policies Guideline 2 seeks to strengthen diversified and sustainable economic development in support of food security, based on an assessment of the economic and social situation and the level of food insecurity. Economic development policies should be coherent, inclusive and non-discriminatory, and should consider both rural development and urban poverty.

Strategies
Guideline 3 advocates adopting a national human-rights-based strategy for the right to food, with a thorough assessment of the institutional, legal and policy frameworks. It is also essential to incorporate a human rights perspective into existing strategies, which should be transparent, inclusive and comprehensive, and elaborated in a participatory manner.

Institutions
Guideline 5 stresses the importance of public institutions and the usefulness of having a specific institution to coordinate application of the Voluntary Guidelines.

Stakeholders
Guideline 6 encourages a multistakeholder approach to food security, with the full participation of civil society and the private sector.

Access to resources and assets
Guideline 8 informs States how to apply the obligations to respect, protect and fulfil the right to adequate food, obligations assumed by States Parties to the International Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. States should ensure sustainable, non-discriminatory and secure access to natural resources, if need be through land reform. This guideline puts forward recommendations on labour, land, water, genetic resources, sustainability and services.

Monitoring, indicators and benchmarks
Guideline 17 advocates the establishment of systems to monitor and evaluate the realization of the right to food, especially for vulnerable groups, including women, children and the elderly.