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The number of people affected by hunger globally rose to as many as 828 million in 2021 (9.8 percent of the world population), an increase of about 46 million since 2020 and 150 million since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, 3.1 billion people can not afford a healthy diet, and 45 million children under the age of five suffer from wasting, the deadliest form of malnutrition. Looking forward, projections are that nearly 670 million people will still be facing hunger in 2030.

The realization of the right to adequate food is more than a moral duty or a policy choice. It is a human right of every person everywhere to be fulfilled through appropriate actions by governments and non-state actors.

Progress on the recognition of the right to food

Over the years, important advances on the right to food have been made at various levels. Globally, the starting point was the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, which developed into legally binding agreements such as the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cutural Rights (ICESCR). Additional legal guarantees have been afforded to specific groups, such as the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) or the Convention on the RIghts of the Child (CRC).

In 2004, FAO Member Nations adopted by consensus the Voluntary guidelines to support the progressive realization of the right to adequate food in the context of national food security (Right to Food Guidelines), which provide guidance on ways to implement the right to adequate food. The Right to Food Guidelines is a policy tool endorsed by the Committe of World Food Security (CFS).