The Right to Food around the Globe

  Finland

The Constitution of the Republic of Finland does not explicitly guarantee the right to adequate food. 

The Republic of Finland has become a State party to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) in 1975 by way of ratification. It has ratified the Optional Protocol (OP-ICESCR) in 2014.

CONSTITUTIONAL RECOGNITIONS OF THE RIGHT TO ADEQUATE FOOD

Other pertinent provisions for the realization of the right to adequate food

Section 1: “Finland is a sovereign republic. The constitution of Finland is established in this constitutional act. The constitution shall guarantee the inviolability of human dignity and the freedom and rights of the individual and promote justice in society. Finland participates in international co-operation for the protection of peace and human rights and for the development of society.”

1 §: "Suomi on täysivaltainen tasavalta. Suomen valtiosääntö on vahvistettu tässä perustuslaissa. Valtiosääntö turvaa ihmisarvon loukkaamattomuuden ja yksilön vapauden ja oikeudet sekä edistää oikeudenmukaisuutta yhteiskunnassa. Suomi osallistuu kansainväliseen yhteistyöhön rauhan ja ihmisoikeuksien turvaamiseksi sekä yhteiskunnan kehittämiseksi."

 

Section 19: “The right to social security - Those who cannot obtain the means necessary for a life of dignity have the right to receive indispensable subsistence and care. Everyone shall be guaranteed by an Act the right to basic subsistence in the event of unemployment, illness, and disability and during old age as well as at the birth of a child or the loss of a provider. The public authorities shall guarantee for everyone, as provided in more detail by an Act, adequate social, health and medical services and promote the health of the population. Moreover, the public authorities shall support families and others responsible for providing for children so that they have the ability to ensure the wellbeing and personal development of the children. The public authorities shall promote the right of everyone to housing and the opportunity to arrange their own housing.”

19 §: "Oikeus sosiaaliturvaan - Jokaisella, joka ei kykene hankkimaan ihmisarvoisen elämän edellyttämää turvaa, on oikeus välttämättömään toimeentuloon ja huolenpitoon. Lailla taataan jokaiselle oikeus perustoimeentulon turvaan työttömyyden, sairauden, työkyvyttömyyden ja vanhuuden aikana sekä lapsen syntymän ja huoltajan menetyksen perusteella. Julkisen vallan on turvattava, sen mukaan kuin lailla tarkemmin säädetään, jokaiselle riittävät sosiaali- ja terveyspalvelut ja edistettävä väestön terveyttä. Julkisen vallan on myös tuettava perheen ja muiden lapsen huolenpidosta vastaavien mahdollisuuksia turvata lapsen hyvinvointi ja yksilöllinen kasvu. Julkisen vallan tehtävänä on edistää jokaisen oikeutta asuntoon ja tukea asumisen omatoimista järjestämistä."

INTERNATIONAL INSTRUMENTS

Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) – 1948

International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) – 1966

Status: Ratification (1975)

Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) – 1979

Status: Ratification (1986)

Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) – 1989

Status: Ratification (1991)

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) – 2006

Status: Signature (2007)

Legislation and policies recognizing the right to adequate food

Guidance on how to progressively realise the human right to adequate food in contexts of national food security has been provided by the Right to Food Guidelines, adopted by the FAO Council and endorsed by the Committee on World Food Security.

Considering that the human right to adequate food can be implemented through a variety of legal and policy actions, we invite you to visit the FAOLEX Country Profile database for a wide-ranging collection of measures that have been taken at national level. Some of the documents you may find are legislation and policies that touch on a number of relevant Guidelines, such as those on Access to resources and assets (Guideline 8), Food safety and consumer protection (Guideline 9), Support for vulnerable groups (Guideline 13) and Natural and human-made disasters (Guideline 16).

Share this page