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Portugal discusses the inclusion of the right to adequate food in the national strategy on food and nutrition security

On the ground - 13.05.2021

13 May 2021, Rome- In 2018, Portugal established  a National Council of Food Security and Nutrition (CONSANP). Now, the government is drafting a national strategy on food and nutrition security and a consultation process with civil society organizations has begun (CSOs).

These organizations have formed a task force, a group that is in charge of setting the ground for promoting a national debate and ensuring that the strategy incorporates a human rights-based approach. As part of the activities of this taskforce, representatives of CSO and the Ministry of Agriculture met virtually last 27th April for discussing how to bring forward this proposal. The FAO Right to Food Team was invited to the event to advice on how to implement the right to adequate food at national level.

“Food Security and Nutrition is not any more an issue which only matters for developing countries”, FAO Right to Food Team Leader, Juan Carlos García y Cebolla, said in the keynote speech. He stressed that access to adequate food is key for maintaining a healthy diet and protecting agency in the long term. In middle- and high- income countries, poor diets are closely linked with non-communicable diseases (NCDs). They not only cause illnesses, but also hinder economic and social development, weigh heavily on health care costs and push people to live in poverty, while increasing vulnerabilities and increase the likelihood of poverty in future generations.

“Protecting and realizing the right to adequate food goes beyond providing relief to those in need, something that COVID-19 has reminded and each country has to be prepared”, García y Cebolla pointed out. He called for a change in the way food is produced and food systems are organized in order to face global challenges like climate change and to eliminate inequalities. “Human rights are not only an aspiration, it is a basis for a social contract for a future that we need to share”, he added.

In this intervention, he explained that states that ratify the International Covenant on Economics, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESC) are obliged to respecting, protecting and fulfilling the right of everyone to an adequate standard of living, including the right to adequate food, education or housing. But this is not enough, as they also have to take action, putting in place policies and programmes, and allocating resources.

Based on the experience in many countries, García y Cebolla outlined some recommendations to make effective the implementation of the right to food. Firstly, legal explicit recognition matters. Second, it is important that roles of stakeholders are defined, authorities assume their responsibilities (accountability) and people have open access to timely and reliable information on the decisions of public authorities (transparency). Finally, experts from diverse areas should work together.

As a result of the session, the taskforce submitted a public petition to the parliamentarians and the president of the Assembly of the Republic to create a commission to elaborate a right to food law.

The organization of this event was held against the background of the current Portuguese Presidency of the European Council and the "Alimentacao é Direito! project".

 About CONSANP

Chaired by the Prime Minister and lead by several ministries, CONSAP is a multisectoral platform that aims to foster an integrated view on matters relating to food security and nutrition, ensuring convergence, coherence and social participation in the development and implementation of public policies. CONSANP also responds to the commitment assumed by Portugal within the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP) to establish Councils of Food and Nutritional Security, which have been supported by FAO.

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