Д-р. Lida Lhotska
Right to adequate food and nutrition.
Right to adequate food and nutrition.
We appreciate that the opening paragraphs emphasize the right to adequate food. However, for the outcome document to help the still existing divide between food and nutrition, these opening paragraphs should ensure this gap begins to be closed in this Declaration by always referring to the right to adequate FOOD and NUTRITION.
With regard to the list of commitments which should be footnoted under Para 2, we wish to ensure that also the Global Strategy on Infant and Young Child Feeding (WHO 2003) with it protect, promote and support framework, and the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes and subsequent relevant WHA resolutions are listed.
Rationale: In this manner the contribution of women/mothers to the attainment of the right to adequate food and nutrition and the right to health will be at least implicitly recognized. It is important to not forget that women, by providing 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding to their child are THE perfect food system feeding a population of 0-6 months old with food which is tailored to the need of the consumer, healthy, in the right quantity and quality, available on demand and environment friendly (no packaging transport and required, no discarding of rubbish, packaging etc.). Breastfeeding continues to provide an important contribution to infant’s and young child’s food security well into the second year of the child’s life and beyond. However, this ‘food system’ is also influenced by social, political, economic and environmental contexts and requires inputs in a form of policies that ensure respect, protection and promotion (facilitation). policies and programmes that support it. Today, less than 52 of 135 million children are being optimally breastfed despite the fact that breastfeeding is cited internationally as one of the most cost effective ‘interventions’ in mother and child health. Thus apart from the poor nutritional and health outcomes and thus major gap in attainment of the right to adequate food and nutrition, this alsos means an enormous waste in resources. When we use market prices to value the milk that women produce around the world each year, it highlights that women’s capacity to breastfeed is an extremely valuable national asset. Worldwide, its value is around USD 1983 billion a year based on breastfeeding rates and demographics in the UNICEF state of the world’s children report. Therefore it’s important to act on several fronts, including this political declaration, to normalise breastfeeding, ensure mothers do not suffer discrimination and are supported in their country and community, including through their own right to adequate food and nutrition being met, as they are making this enourmous contribution to the attainment of the child’s right.
[See specific comments in the attachment, Ed.]
Please find attached and below comments on the ZERO Draft of the Outcome Document I am pleased to submit on behalf of the International baby Food Action network (IBFAN).
Best regards,
Lida Lhotska
IBFAN liaison Office
Geneva, Switzerland
1. Do you have any general comments on the draft political declaration and its vision (paragraphs 1-3 of the zero draft)?
· Para 2 comfortably concentrates only on some targets of the three international level commitments, leaving out other events, such as NUTRITION GOALS OF THE WORLD SUMMIT FOR CHILDREN together with a number of specific goals agreed with them. This is illustrated by omission to highlight that breastfeeding rates are stagnating or even declining while sales figures of infant formula and other baby foods are increasing annually as violations of the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes and subsequent relevant WHA resolutions. Furthermore, these violations are not addressed at national and international levels. This omission is surprising considering the increased recognition of breastfeeding as the optimal nutrition for infants and young children and should therefore be promoted, protected and supported (1992 World Declaration and Plan for Action for Nutrition, 1999 CESCR General Comment No 12 on the right to adequate food, 2002 Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding, 2003 CRC General Comment No 15, 2003 CRC General Comment No 16, 2010 OHCHR Fact Sheet No 34 on the Right to Adequate Food). Breastfeeding is key to shape the survival, health and wellbeing of an individual during the first 1,000 days of his or her life and thus, provides a solid foundation for the respect, protection and fulfillment of the right to adequate food and nutrition.
· Para 3 is extremely vague, avoiding any clear analysis that would identify the negative role of TNCs in the status quo. Besides, while being available, accessible and affordable, food must be adequate which “means that the food must satisfy dietary needs, taking into account the individual’s age, living conditions, health, occupation, sex, etc. For example, if children’s food does not contain the nutrients necessary for their physical and mental development, it is not adequate […] Adequate food should also be culturally acceptable.”(2010 OHCHR Fact Sheet No 34 on the Right to Adequate Food, p. 3) According to the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, adequacy also means that food must be safe for human consumption and free from adverse substances (http://www.srfood.org/en/right-to-food). Adverse or harmful substances such as PCBs, BPA, melamine, pesticides etc, have been proven for their negative effect on the attainment of the right to health and must not be accepted as ‘safe food’ within the right to adequate food and nutrition. The concept of adequacy has to be, therefore, enshrined in the Outcome document as a key element of the right to food. While we recognize that evolution of food systems may have delivered on quantity of food stuffs, we question the statement that dietary diversity was enhanced through this evolution. Finally, microbial contamination of food and water is causing numbers of communicable and non-communicable diseases and therefore should also be emphasized as one of the important causes of malnutrition.
3. Do you have any comments on the commitments proposed in the political declaration? In this connection, do you have any suggestions to contribute to a more technical elaboration to guide action and implementation on these commitments (paragraphs 21-23 of the zero draft)?
Creating enabling environments for the protection, promotion and support of optimal infant and young child feeding through full implementation of the Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding to support the mother/child pair.
Unless this is included, infants, young children and their mothers fall through cracks of this commitment.
Д-р. Lida Lhotska
Please find our contributions in the attached Pdf document.
Thank you,
Lida Lhotska
on behalf of IBFAN, the International Baby Food Action Network