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To Achieve Human Rights, Start with Food — Global Issues


The gravity of the situation calls for a holistic approach to tackling hunger. We must adopt a human rights-based approach to apply human rights principles in our efforts. Credit: Patrick Zachmann/Magnum Photos/FAO
  • Idea by Maximo Torero (Roman)
  • Associated Press Service

The basic right to which each of us is entitled – to not go hungry – is under threat today more than ever. Against the backdrop of many global crises such as climate change, pandemics, conflict, growing inequality and gender-based violence, more and more people are falling into the hunger trap.

Up to 828 million people face hunger in 2021, an increase of 150 million since 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic broke out. Most recent projections indicate that more than 670 million people will still not have enough to eat by 2030.

It is a far cry from the “zero hunger” goal to which the world was so ambitiously committed less than a decade ago. It also shows how deep inequality runs in societies around the world.

There is enough food to feed everyone in the world today. What is missing is the ability to purchase food that is readily available due to high levels of poverty and inequality. The war in Ukraine has made things worse. It shocked global energy markets, sending food prices even higher. Only this year have seen $25 billion increase in food import bills of the 62 most vulnerable countries in the world, an increase of 39% compared to 2020.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, a health crisis quickly evolved into a food crisis, as the virus caused labor shortages on farms and threatened to disrupt food supply chains. It teaches us the importance of understanding the interconnected challenges of meeting growing food needs while safeguarding environmental, social and economic sustainability, as is intended. ​in the Sustainable Development Goals.

80% of the global poor live in rural areas and rely on agriculture to survive. Many of them — women, children, indigenous peoples and people with disabilities — have no access to food and are struggling with failed crops, expensive seeds and fertilizers, and a lack of resources. Financial services. They are directly affected by the risks and uncertainties facing our agri-food system.

The gravity of the situation calls for a holistic approach to tackling hunger. We must repair our broken agri-food systems to make them more inclusive, resilient and sustainable.

That means we must take a human rights-based approach to applying human rights principles in our efforts. International frameworks provide legal and policy guidance for achieving fundamental, universal human rights.

For example, the United Nations Commission on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights states that The right to food is indispensable to exercise other human rights. It emphasizes sustainability in that food must be accessible for both present and future generations. From availability, accessibility and healthy diets to food safety, consumer protection and the obligation of states to provide enough food for their people, it provides the foundation to rebuild our agricultural system.

Creating a consistent policy and regulatory framework around those core issues will promote the right to food.

Since human rights are indivisible and interdependent, one human right cannot be fully enjoyed if other human rights are also not exercised. Supporting policies that promote other human rights — such as health, education, water and sanitation, employment and social protection — can also positively impact the right to food.

Human Rights Day calls for dignity, freedom and justice for all. Let us remember the important role the right to food plays in achieving these important principles. And without these principles, we cannot eradicate poverty or improve welfare for all.

Food is the foundation of life. And that is key to underpinning our global efforts to find lasting solutions to today’s challenges.

© Inter Press Service (2022) — All rights reservedOrigin: Inter Press Service

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