Organization of American States (OAS)
The Organization of American States (OAS) is the world’s oldest regional organization, dating back to the First International Conference of American States from October 1889 to April 1890. The Organization was established in order to achieve among its member states "an order of peace and justice, to promote their solidarity, to strengthen their collaboration, and to defend their sovereignty, their territorial integrity, and their independence." It uses a four-pronged approach to effectively implement its essential purposes, based on its main pillars: democracy, human rights, security and development.
The project supported a consultation workshop and provided technical assistance to Bolivia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to prepare a draft Declaration for the Bolivian government "Food Security Sovereignty and the Right to Food: An Hemispheric Approach for the XXI Century" to be presented at the 42nd General Assembly of the Organization of American States. The Declaration of Cochabamba on “Food Security with Sovereignty in the Americas” was adopted at the meeting in Cochabamba, Bolivia on 5 June, 2012.
This declaration is very important because it addresses comprehensively all the aspects of the food security and reaffirms the countries commitments regarding the right to adequate food contained in international instruments, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
The Organization of American States declares the decision of its Member Countries to promote agriculture development with the goal of strengthening food security in the context of national, regional, and international development policies, taking into account the importance of modernization and technological innovation for increasing output and productivity as well as synergies between sustainable agriculture, conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, food security, nutrition and development policies among others.
In particular for the right to food, the Organization of American States Member Countries declare their decision to develop legal and institutional frameworks, where appropriate, for the effective realization of the right to adequate food, within the context of food and nutrition security, in particular for poor and vulnerable individuals and groups, and with gender equity.