Right to Food
RtFAs the UN Specialized Agency with the mandate to defeat hunger and achieve global food and nutrition security while preserving the planet’s resources, FAO plays a central role in the realization of human rights, most notably the right to adequate food (RTF). The right to adequate food is enshrined in the FAO Constitution in the language of freedom from hunger, raising standards of nutrition, improving livelihoods, well-being and methods of food production, distribution and consumption.
The FAO Right to Food Team supports countries to respect, protect, and fulfil the right to adequate food. It builds capacities, raises awareness and supports policies and strategies to end food insecurity and malnutrition in all its forms, using a human rights-based approach to ensure that no one is left behind.
The Team promotes the uptake of the Voluntary Guidelines to Support the Progressive Realization of the Right to Adequate Food in the Context of National Food Security which have spearheaded and inspired the development of other policy tools grounded in human rights. The Right to Food Team promotes its coherence with the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) and the Committee on Fisheries (COFI) processes and tools. The Team partners with a wide range of actors, including academia, civil society, consumers, Member States, parliamentarians, private sector, UN organizations, and the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food.
