This overview of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Progressive Realization of the Right to Adequate Food in the Context of National Food Security is meant for users of the accompanying right-to-food briefs. The overview outlines the purpose, nature and contents of the guidelines, but is not meant to interpret or summarize or provide a substitute for them. The Voluntary Guidelines (VGs) are a practical, human-rights-based tool to help implement the right to adequate food in the context of national food security. They are voluntary and not legally binding as such, although they do build on international law and provide guidance on implementing existing obligations. The VGs are addressed to all States Parties to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), as well as those states that are yet to ratify the Covenant, including developing and developed countries. The VGs can also be used by stakeholders wishing to advocate for better implementation of the right to adequate food at a national level. The VGs take into account a wide range of important considerations and principles, including equality and non-discrimination, participation and inclusion, accountability and rule of law and that all human rights are universal, indivisible, interrelated and interdependent.