Putting people first: Nepal’s drive for rights-based food systems transformation

Kathmandu, Nepal -  Over 100 representatives from government, civil society, farmer’s associations, academia, international organizations, and development partners came together for a sensitization clinic to discuss how to firmly embed the human right to adequate food as a guiding framework for the implementation of Nepal’s national pathway for food systems transformation.

Held in Kathmandu and streamed online, the event was co-organized by the National Planning Commission (NPC) of Nepal and FAO. It is part of a new initiative under the project “Sensitization clinics: embedding the human right to adequate food into national agrifood systems transformation.” Financially supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the clinic marked an important step forward in efforts to strengthen the implementation and monitoring of the right to food in Nepal.

The session opened with strong messages from key national and international speakers, all underlining the urgency of turning existing constitutional commitments on the right to adequate food into action for the people of Nepal. “Nepal has laid the foundation by enshrining the right to food in its Constitution. The real test now lies in effective implementation, especially amid mounting challenges from climate change, environmental degradation, and economic instability,” said Mr. Ken Shimizu, FAO Representative for Nepal and Bhutan.

Paolo Tedeschini Lalli, Right to Food Specialist at FAO, stressed the importance of rights-based democratic governance and accountability: “Participatory spaces for food systems governance prioritizing the voices of most marginalized and proactive rebalancing of the power asymmetries at play in food systems” are essential, he stated, calling for broader uptake of FAO’s Right to Food Voluntary Guidelines.

Participants explored current challenges and bottleneck hindering the implementation of existing policy and legal frameworks on the right to adequate food in Nepal, and how these frameworks can be operationalized on the ground.

Working groups focused on key dimensions such as equity in food access, institutional strengthening, financing for food-related initiatives, and the establishment of monitoring frameworks.

The clinic concluded with strategic recommendations including the establishment of food systems councils at provincial level, the creation of a National Observatory on the Right to Food, and the design of gender-sensitive and participatory monitoring systems. These efforts are grounded in the principle of subsidiarity and aimed at empowering local communities.

The outcomes of this clinic will feed into upcoming global discussions, including the second UN Food Systems Summit Stocktaking Moment (UNFSS+4), to be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in July 2025.

The clinic in Nepal is part of a broader initiative that will roll out similar events in three other countries—Honduras, Uganda, and Ethiopia—to accelerate the adoption of a human rights-based approach to agrifood transformation. With a dynamic public debate and concrete proposals for action now in motion, Nepal is poised to take a leading role in advancing the right to food as a cornerstone of its national pathways for transforming food systems.