20th anniversary of the Right to Food Guidelines - Call for inputs on the realization of the Human Right to Adequate Food
2024 marks the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Voluntary Guidelines to Support the Progressive Realization of the Right to Adequate Food in the Context of National Food Security (RTFG).
The right to food is a legally binding right, guaranteed in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. It is realized when everyone has physical and economic access at all times to adequate food or means for its procurement, as established in General Comment 12, Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR).
The Right to Food Guidelines provide practical guidance for States on how to realize the right to adequate food through the development of strategies, programmes, policies and legislation. They were endorsed by the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) and adopted by FAO Council in November 2004, after two years of intergovernmental negotiations and multi-stakeholder participation.
Governments have legal obligations to ensure the right to food, while everyone is entitled to enjoy it as a universal right, without discrimination. Moreover, all of us, individuals or collectives, including government officials, lawmakers, local communities, non-governmental organizations, academics, consumer organizations, youth groups, Indigenous Peoples, small holders, women’s organizations, civil society organizations as well as the private sector are crucial actors in the realization of the right to adequate food.
The RTFG anticipated the urgency of today’s most pressing global challenges to achieving sustainable development, including conflicts, inequalities, diseases, climate change, and loss of biodiversity. In our complex world with ever-growing and changing challenges, the Guidelines prove as relevant as ever. They remind us of the importance of international cooperation and collaboration towards the collective public good of ending hunger, malnutrition in all its forms, poverty and inequality. Their full implementation contributes to our efforts towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), themselves grounded in human rights.
The last 5 years have been particularly challenging with the COVID-19 pandemic, increased hunger and malnutrition in all its forms, rising inequalities, and a cost-of-living crisis. Innovative responses have been implemented by governments and other actors globally. 20 years on, it is time to take stock of progress and consider key takeaways.
Have your say where it matters!
Looking towards the 20th anniversary of the Right to Food Guidelines, the results of this call will help inform on efforts made to realize the right to adequate food at local, national, regional or global level, and provide an important stock taking opportunity for countries and their people.
The FAO Right to Food Team and the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) invite stakeholders to:
1. |
Share your experiences and good practices on the realization of the right to food for everyone, always. |
2. |
Identify any gaps, constraints and challenges encountered in realizing the right to food or in implementing the Right to Food Guidelines. |
3. |
Share any lessons learned and suggest recommendations for improvement in realizing the right to adequate food. |
4. |
Next steps: are there any concrete plans to (further) use and apply the Guidelines? |
How to take part in this Call for Submissions
Please share your experience(s) using the following template: Link to Template
Submissions can be made in any of the 6 UN languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish). Please keep the length of submissions limited to 1,000 words. You can upload the completed form here or, alternatively, send it to [email protected].
The Call for Submissions is open until 8 January 2024.
We thank you very much for your valuable contributions and look forward to learning from your experiences.
Co-Facilitators:
- Marie-Lara Hubert-Chartier, Right to Food Specialist
- Claire Mason, Right to Food Adviser
- Sarah Brand, Associate Professional Officer
- Chiara Cirulli, Economist (Food Security and Nutrition Policy), the CFS Secretariat
References
- Right to Food Guidelines
- Fifteen years implementing the RTFG
- RTF Handbooks
- RTF Methodological Toolbox
Please read the article on more FAO publications on this topic here.
- Read 112 contributions
In Pakistan, like many other countries, the right to food is a fundamental human right that is enshrined in various international agreements and also recognized in the Constitution of Pakistan. The right to food entails that every person has the right to access safe, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food in sufficient quantities to lead a healthy and active life. However, there are several problems related to food security and access to adequate nutrition in Pakistan, and addressing these issues is essential to ensure the realization of the right to food for all its citizens.
1. Poverty and Income Inequality: A significant portion of the Pakistani population lives in poverty, and income inequality is a pressing issue. Poverty and income disparities directly affect people's ability to afford nutritious food. To address this problem, Pakistan needs policies that promote economic growth, job creation, and income distribution.
2. Food Insecurity: Many people in Pakistan are food-insecure, meaning they do not have reliable access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food. This is often due to factors like crop failure, natural disasters, and food price inflation. Addressing this issue requires a robust social safety net, better agricultural practices, and policies to stabilize food prices.
3. Malnutrition: Pakistan faces high levels of malnutrition, including stunting and wasting in children and anemia among women. Malnutrition is a significant obstacle to realizing the right to food. To tackle this problem, the government should invest in nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive programs, such as fortification of staple foods and nutrition education.
4. Lack of Clean Drinking Water and Sanitation: Access to clean drinking water and proper sanitation is closely linked to food security and nutrition. Contaminated water and poor sanitation can lead to waterborne diseases that affect nutritional status. The government should invest in improving water and sanitation infrastructure.
5. Agricultural Challenges: Pakistan's agriculture sector faces several challenges, including water scarcity, outdated farming practices, and inadequate access to credit and resources for smallholder farmers. To ensure food security, Pakistan should invest in modernizing agriculture, improving irrigation, and supporting small-scale farmers.
6. Land Rights: Land tenure issues and landlessness can lead to food insecurity, especially among vulnerable populations. Ensuring secure land tenure rights and equitable land distribution is vital for addressing this issue.
7. Food Safety: Ensuring the safety of the food supply is crucial for protecting the right to food. Improving food safety standards, inspection mechanisms, and regulation of the food industry is necessary.
8. Legal Framework and Governance: Pakistan has a legal framework in place to protect the right to food, but its implementation and enforcement often fall short. Strengthening the legal framework and improving governance and accountability are critical for addressing these issues.
To solve these problems and realize the right to food in Pakistan, a comprehensive and multi-pronged approach is necessary:
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Policy Reforms: The government should develop and implement policies that address poverty, income inequality, and food security. This may include social safety nets, targeted subsidies, and measures to improve agricultural productivity.
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Investment in Agriculture: Modernizing the agricultural sector, providing support to smallholder farmers, and improving irrigation systems are essential to enhance food production.
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Nutrition Programs: Implement nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive programs that address malnutrition and ensure access to diverse and nutritious foods.
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Water and Sanitation: Invest in clean drinking water and sanitation infrastructure to reduce waterborne diseases and improve nutritional status.
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Land Rights: Ensure secure land tenure rights and equitable land distribution to address landlessness and food insecurity among vulnerable populations.
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Food Safety Regulations: Strengthen food safety standards, inspection mechanisms, and regulatory enforcement to ensure the safety of the food supply.
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Legal Reforms: Strengthen the legal framework for the right to food and improve governance and accountability to ensure its effective implementation.
Realizing the right to food in Pakistan is a complex challenge, but it is essential for the well-being and development of the population. A multi-sectoral and holistic approach is required, involving government agencies, civil society, and international organizations to address these problems and ensure food security for all.
Bonjour à tous, 20 ans déjà! 20 ans de combat pour un meilleur accès à l'alimentation pour tous et 20 de challenges. Sans regarder de statistique, l'actualité démontre que l'accès à l'alimentation économique ou physique est entravé par le grand retour des conflits armés internationaux. La guerre en Ukraine et la peur de voir le monde sombrer dans la famine et désormais la guerre dans la bande de Gaza. A tous ces grands conflits, il en existe combien qui sont internes et qui se sont peu à peu internationalisés, le Yémen, la Syrie, etc. L'impact de ces conflits sur l'accès à l'alimentation rappelle au monde à quel point, la paix est un préalable pour la vie et l'établissement de tous les droits fondamentaux. Le droit à l'alimentation n'échappe à ce constat. Dans ces conditions, pour les 20 ans des Directives sur le droit à l'alimentation, quoi de mieux de se questionner sur les raisons de l'échec du droit international à sauvegarder la paix internationale. Il semblerait que l'effritement du multilatéralisme, la crise de l'ordre international et plus spécifiquement des normes internationales soient à l'origine du recul de la sécurité alimentaire dans le monde. Pour un meilleur respect du droit à l'alimentation, il semblerait nécessaire de se repenser le droit international afin de le renforcer et de reposer les jalons d'un droit international qui soit suffisamment contraignant pour obliger ses membres à respecter les règles de la guerre afin de faciliter à tous, un accès correct à l'alimentation, même en période de conflits armés. Pour finir, juste rappeler que partout où il y a un effondrement de l'édifice de la paix, il y a une rupture potentielle de l'accès à l'alimentation, en raison des violations souvent flagrantes du droit international humanitaire. Mais dans un monde où la raison du plus fort prime, les civils se retrouvent exposés à bien des maux dont la famine.
Dear colleagues,
2024 marks the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Voluntary Guidelines to Support the Progressive Realization of the Right to Adequate Food in the Context of National Food Security (RTFG). With its Special Event on the Right to Food held on 27 October 2023, the 51st session of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS 51) highlighted the importance of the Guidelines and framed a constructive dialogue between stakeholders focusing on the interlinkages between the RTFG and other CFS policy products in the context of the present-day agrifood systems transformations.
The FAO Right to Food Team and the CFS Secretariat are inviting you to continue this enriching dialogue in submitting your contribution to the second phase of the Call for Submissions on the “20th anniversary of the RTFG – Call for inputs on the realization of the Human Right to Adequate Food”. The Call will re-open from 31st October to 17th December 2023.
We thank all participants who contributed to the first phase of the Call for Submissions, which run for 6 weeks during May-June 2023, and would like to encourage responses to this second phase from all regions, in any of the six UN official languages.
Looking towards the celebrations of the Right to Food Guidelines in 2024, the results of this call will help inform on efforts made to realize the right to adequate food at local, national, regional or global level, and provide an important stock taking opportunity for countries and their people.
We look forward to learning from your experiences and thank you in advance for your valuable contributions.
The joint team of co-facilitators Ms Hubert-Chartier, Ms Claire Mason and Ms Sarah Brand from the Right to Food, and Chiara Cirulli from the CFS Secretariat
Dear participants,
We would like to thank all participants who contributed to the online Call for Submissions on the “20th anniversary of the Right to Food Guidelines – Call for inputs on the realization of the Human Right to Adequate Food”. We truly appreciate the time and effort that you put into submitting your contributions and have been reading your inputs with great interest!
Looking towards the celebrations of the Right to Food Guidelines in 2024, the results of this call will help inform on efforts made to realize the right to adequate food at local, national, regional or global level, and provide an important stock taking opportunity for countries and their people. We encourage you to review all the insightful contributions shared on the FSN website.
Should you wish to share any additional contribution, please do not hesitate to contact the FAO Right to Food Team ([email protected]).
The joint team of co-facilitators Ms Hubert-Chartier, Ms Claire Mason and Ms Sarah Brand from the Right to Food, and Chiara Cirulli from the CFS Secretariat
Mylene Rodríguez Leyton
Dear moderators of the Forum on Right to Food Guidelines:
I send my contribution to this forum, I apologize for making it out of time; It is part of an investigation that we carried out in the Nutrition and Dietetics Program of the Metropolitan University in Colombia.
I hope that these contributions will be oriented towards the fulfillment of the objective of the forum. If you wish to delve into any information, I remain attentive to respond.
Mylene Rodríguez Leyton
Docente Investigador, Programa de Nutrición y Dietética
Universidad Metropolitana, Grupo de Alimentación y Comportamiento Humano
Dear FSN-Moderator,
Thank you for your consideration. Attached please find my inputs on the realization of the Human Right to Adequate Food.
Sincerely,
Nepal C Dey
Mothers First input 20th anniversary of the Right to Food Guidelines
Overview
We have carried out this review of the right to food guidelines by assessing the human rights-based framework they adhere to. In recent years, progress on the right to food has shifted from gradual stagnation to regression. This regression can be attributed to multiple factors, including poverty, climate change, and conflict. Since the ratification of the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015, hunger has increased every year both in terms of numbers and severity.
This submission on the right to food guidelines speaks on behalf of approximately 230 million individuals who are now in need of humanitarian interventions, which are currently underfunded by 75%.
We will present an argument that the financing of life-saving Humanitarian Response Plans is not solely a matter of moral duty but also a legal obligation of the International donor community. The interface is the pivotal role international cooperation plays with the human rights framework as well as the United Nations founding principles.
Framework of the submission.
The submission will be structured into three chapters.
Chapter 1: The first chapter will provide an analysis of the humanitarian crisis, focusing on the scale of food insecurity in terms of both numbers and severity. This section will also highlight the extent of underfunding and its immediate impacts on those that are furthest behind in achieving food security and the Right to food.
Chapter 2: The second chapter will present an overview of the international framework of human rights, specifically addressing the right to food and the crucial role that international cooperation plays within this human rights framework. In this chapter, the focus will shift from considering the financing of humanitarian response plans as a moral duty to recognizing it as a legal obligation that we in the international donor community must fulfill.
Chapter 3: The third chapter will examine the accountability framework of the Human Rights Treaty-based system. It will analyze how the issue of international responsibility is articulated within the periodic reviews and independent expert mechanisms and compliance by State parties to the human rights treaty bodies of human rights. This section will also explore how the right to food is integrated into the United Nations framework, including the knowledge bearer system.
In conclusion, the submission will propose a set of recommendations aimed at amplifying the voices of those who are furthest behind within the Right to Food guidelines. These recommendations will be based on a comprehensive analysis presented in the preceding chapters, with the goal of advancing the cause of food security and human rights.
Pat Mc Mahon
Founding Director and Head of Advocacy
Mothers First
Bonjour.
Bien vouloir trouver ci-joint ma contribution.
Bien cordialement.
BEKO'O ABONDO Alain Jean Pierre
Chambre d'Agriculture du Cameroun.
Buenos días
Lamentablemente no he podido disponer de tiempo para preparar un trabajo adecuado.
SoSolamente envio el siguiente comentario general
En la experiencia de los grupos con que he trabajado, pocas veces en los territorios se refieren a la palabra derecho asociada con la palabra alimentos y recursos de producción. Lo cual es llamativo, al menos en region pampeana argentina, porque los programas de producciones urbanas, y luego peri urbanas datan de mas de 25 años. Esto puede ser pensado como que no requieren alimentos? Trabajar en el agro o se productorxs de unidades pequeñas en superficie indicaría que esto no debería estar presente porqué podrían producir sus alimentos. El tema es que los alimentos deben ser procesados, cocinados, paralo cual se deben tener energías alternativas acceso a agua, cuando por ejemplo en el tema agua, entre el 25-30% de población mundial dispone de acceso a la misma potabilizada o libre de contaminantes. En las experiencias de trabajo en los territorios incluso con nutricionistas, se expresa en las mujeres conque iban a cocinar, sin caer en el sostén de energía vinculada aplanes gubernamentales. Cuando los alimentos son dispensados por planes gubernamentales, Argentina tiene la tarjeta Alimentar, que se implementa en Pandemia, los alimentos a comparar mas económicos consisten en base de harinas. Las legumbres requieren diferentes preparados, y por ende también fuentes de energía alternativas. Existen, se preguntan, como hacia hace 30-40 años quiénes vivián en el campo?. Las dinámicas sociales y las posibilidades de acceso a recursos eran otros. Las fuentes pueden estar, incluso y las mas frecuentes promocionadas fuentes de energías solares. Pero requieren practicas sociales cotidianas diferentes, y esto se expresa en crisis recurrentes en los territorios bajo expresiones com ^porque ahora dicen tal cosa, si siempre se hizo de tal o cual manera^. Se coconfrontan las tradiciones que ocnstituyen en identidad y que se relamna y aquellas que son perjudiciales desiguales en derechos, aunque deesas trasgresiones haya conocimiento, se habla en voz baja,porque temas dificiles de trabajar.
El acceso a alimento, las nociones de derecho en los territorios estan atravesadas por multiples conflictos y que no siempre son considerados en los pprogramas, en las capactiaciones, que se requieren abordar.Por mi trabajo enlos ultimos años con mujeres lo expreso desde el tema de genero, sin embargo se ha incrementado y creo no ser espurea al afirmar que se incrementa el abandono escolar, y con ellos se difuminan las nociones de derecho,mas en territorios, que tienen tiempos sociales diferentes, y cuyo acceso a la comunicacion es dificultosa.
Durante COVID tengo en las conferencias de FAO, se brinadaron experiencias respecto a como se actuo en los territorios,desde el punto de vista geografico-administrativo, para llevar alimentos. Sin embargo la continuidad y propuestas de las mismas poblaciones con perspectiva integral ,sigue siendo dificultosa para los temas de genero y esto se expresa en los diferentes continentes,segun fuetes mismas de FAO. Por ejemplo en los planes de acceso y titularizacion de tierras para las muejres y menos aun si se habla de diversidad, y comunidades.
El derecho a acceso alimento,la calidad y los conflictos que se expresan contienen multiples dimensiones. Como accionar con los programas de mediano y largo plazo?
Saludos y disculpen que solamente envie un comentario.
Marisa Gonnella
Dear Right to Food team,
Please find attached WHH’s submission to your Call for inputs on the realization of the Human Right to Adequate Food.
Kind regards,
Andrea Sonntag
Andrea Sonntag
Program Manager ‘Strenthening Rural Governance for the Right to Food’
Policy and External Relations
This activity is now closed. Please contact [email protected] for any further information.