UNGA 73: Promotion and Protection of Human Rights

73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly
Third Committee
Agenda item 74. Promotion and Protection of Human Rights

Carla Mucavi, Director, FAO Liaison Office with the United Nations in New York

 

 

Chair, thank you for giving me the floor.

World hunger is on the rise again. The absolute number of undernourished people was at nearly 821 million in 2017, up from around 804 million in 2016. We are losing almost a decade of progress, as revealed by this year’s State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, SOFI.

As emphasized by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food in her report, that FAO welcomes, agricultural workers are amongst the most food insecure despite their critical contribution to the realization of the right to adequate food. In addition, rural families are often forced to leave their homes because of factors such as prolonged or recurrent climate extremes and conflicts.

The relationship between migration, agriculture and rural development is the topic of the 2018 edition of the FAO flagship publication State of Food and Agriculture, SOFA. The Director-General of FAO and the principals of IFAD and WFP will discuss the state of food security, nutrition and agriculture in the world in a high-level briefing on November 6, 3:30 pm at the ECOSOC Chamber. I invite you to participate.

 

Chair,

I would also like to welcome the report of the Chair of the open-ended working group on the declaration on the rights of peasants and other people living in rural areas. We are honored to have supported this process and will continue to do so.

The Declaration refers to people who, despite their huge contributions to the fight against hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition, ironically, are ranked among those most affected by hunger and extreme poverty.

In many rural contexts, the prevailing patterns of land rights, specifically the lack of recognition and protection of the rights of family farmers and other smallholders, explain why some people are more vulnerable to hunger than others. Therefore, ensuring that norms, customs and law guarantee their rights to land, especially women and indigenous peoples, is, a priority.

 

Distinguished delegates

The UN Decade of Action on Nutrition and the UN Decade on Family Farming, offer the opportunity to acknowledge the vital role that peasants, pastoralists, nomadic peoples, fishers and indigenous peoples have ensuring sustainable and healthy food systems. The Decade of Farming that is set to start as the Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and other rural workers is adopted, can provide an operational framework to act on some of the issues raised in the declaration.

 

Chair,

Allow me to conclude by recalling the connections between the Right to Food and the Declaration on the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas with principles and guidelines adopted by FAO Governing Bodies the Committee on World Food Security, and that Governments, FAO and partners are now working together to implement. These include:

• the Voluntary Guidelines to Support the Progressive Realization of the Right to Adequate Food in the Context of National Food Security;
• the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security;
• the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication; and,
• the Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems

Ensuring the right to food and of peasants and rural workers are necessary steps to fulfill the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Thank you for your attention.