20th anniversary of the Right to Food Guidelines - Call for inputs on the realization of the Human Right to Adequate Food
2024 marks the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Voluntary Guidelines to Support the Progressive Realization of the Right to Adequate Food in the Context of National Food Security (RTFG).
The right to food is a legally binding right, guaranteed in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. It is realized when everyone has physical and economic access at all times to adequate food or means for its procurement, as established in General Comment 12, Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR).
The Right to Food Guidelines provide practical guidance for States on how to realize the right to adequate food through the development of strategies, programmes, policies and legislation. They were endorsed by the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) and adopted by FAO Council in November 2004, after two years of intergovernmental negotiations and multi-stakeholder participation.
Governments have legal obligations to ensure the right to food, while everyone is entitled to enjoy it as a universal right, without discrimination. Moreover, all of us, individuals or collectives, including government officials, lawmakers, local communities, non-governmental organizations, academics, consumer organizations, youth groups, Indigenous Peoples, small holders, women’s organizations, civil society organizations as well as the private sector are crucial actors in the realization of the right to adequate food.
The RTFG anticipated the urgency of today’s most pressing global challenges to achieving sustainable development, including conflicts, inequalities, diseases, climate change, and loss of biodiversity. In our complex world with ever-growing and changing challenges, the Guidelines prove as relevant as ever. They remind us of the importance of international cooperation and collaboration towards the collective public good of ending hunger, malnutrition in all its forms, poverty and inequality. Their full implementation contributes to our efforts towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), themselves grounded in human rights.
The last 5 years have been particularly challenging with the COVID-19 pandemic, increased hunger and malnutrition in all its forms, rising inequalities, and a cost-of-living crisis. Innovative responses have been implemented by governments and other actors globally. 20 years on, it is time to take stock of progress and consider key takeaways.
Have your say where it matters!
Looking towards the 20th anniversary of the Right to Food Guidelines, the results of this call will help inform on efforts made to realize the right to adequate food at local, national, regional or global level, and provide an important stock taking opportunity for countries and their people.
The FAO Right to Food Team and the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) invite stakeholders to:
1. |
Share your experiences and good practices on the realization of the right to food for everyone, always. |
2. |
Identify any gaps, constraints and challenges encountered in realizing the right to food or in implementing the Right to Food Guidelines. |
3. |
Share any lessons learned and suggest recommendations for improvement in realizing the right to adequate food. |
4. |
Next steps: are there any concrete plans to (further) use and apply the Guidelines? |
How to take part in this Call for Submissions
Please share your experience(s) using the following template: Link to Template
Submissions can be made in any of the 6 UN languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish). Please keep the length of submissions limited to 1,000 words. You can upload the completed form here or, alternatively, send it to [email protected].
The Call for Submissions is open until 8 January 2024.
We thank you very much for your valuable contributions and look forward to learning from your experiences.
Co-Facilitators:
- Marie-Lara Hubert-Chartier, Right to Food Specialist
- Claire Mason, Right to Food Adviser
- Sarah Brand, Associate Professional Officer
- Chiara Cirulli, Economist (Food Security and Nutrition Policy), the CFS Secretariat
References
- Right to Food Guidelines
- Fifteen years implementing the RTFG
- RTF Handbooks
- RTF Methodological Toolbox
Please read the article on more FAO publications on this topic here.
- Read 112 contributions
![](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/default_images/user.png)
Juliana Cortez Danese
Cordial saludo,
La Alianza Latinoamericana de Asociaciones de la Industria de Alimentos y Bebidas (ALAIAB) se complace en presentar su contribución. Como una organización empresarial que representa a las industrias de alimentos y bebidas en América Latina y el Caribe, ALAIAB está formada por veinticinco asociaciones de quince países de la región, lo que nos convierte en la institución líder y representativa en los foros técnicos, científicos y políticos, incluyendo los órganos de las Naciones Unidas.
Nuestro enfoque se basa en trabajar en estrecha colaboración y guiarnos por los documentos de referencia de los organismos internacionales relevantes en relación con el derecho a la alimentación, como las Directrices de la FAO. Mantenemos un seguimiento constante de las discusiones y consideramos que este espacio es de suma relevancia en el ámbito del derecho a la alimentación. Como sector, estamos comprometidos en contribuir de manera significativa a estas discusiones y promover soluciones sostenibles.
Apreciamos sinceramente este valioso espacio de participación y la oportunidad de compartir nuestra perspectiva y experiencia. Estamos comprometidos a colaborar activamente en la búsqueda de soluciones y aportar nuestra experiencia en la industria de alimentos y bebidas. Juntos, podemos promover la seguridad alimentaria, la nutrición adecuada y el desarrollo sostenible en nuestra región.
Agradecemos sinceramente la oportunidad de contribuir y esperamos con interés un diálogo constructivo y enriquecedor con todos los participantes.
Atentamente,
JULIANA CORTEZ DANESE
Directora de Asuntos Publicos, Comunicacion y Sostenibilidad
Senhores da Organização das Nações Unidas para Agricultura e Alimentação (FAO),
A contribuição do trabalho “ Atitudes sustentáveis em unidades de alimentação e nutrição: utilização da Política Pública de compras agroecológicas ” para a garantia do direito humano à alimentação saudável, adequada e sustentável.
Agradeço desde já a atenção.
Bruna Delgado Arid
Dear colleague,
Enclosed is my submission.
Best
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Emel KARAKAYA AYALP
İzmir Democracy University, Department of City and Regional Planning
Por medio de la presente les hago llegar nuestras contribuciones al derecho humano a la alimentación adecuada.
Saludos,
Rafael Mier
Director General
Fundación Tortilla
Dear FSN moderator,
Please find attached my input in respect of the above.
Regards, and Happy celebration!
Gbolagade Ayoola
Professor of agricultural economics and policy
Dear FSN Forum Team,
Please find attached input on the realization of the Human Right to Adequate Food provided by Germany.
Thank you very much and kind regards
Silke Stallkamp
Permanent Representation
of the Federal Republic of Germany
to the UN Organizations in Rome, Italy
Good practices on the realization of the right to food for everyone, always.
Dear Sir,
I am appending the details attached with this file.
Best Regards
Anohar John
Dear Colleague,
Please find enclosed input from the European Commission, DG INTPA, on the realization of the Human Right to Adequate Food.
We focus on a nutrition programme in Mozambique which contributed to the realization of the right to food for all Mozambican.
Let us know if you have any question on the attached.
Kind regards,
Helena GUARIN
Head of Sector – Nutrition and One Health
European Commission
Directorate-General for International Partnerships
INTPA/F.3 – Agri-Food Systems and Fisheries
Belgium
This is a contribution from the Brazilian National Institute for Science and Technology Fight against Hunger, which aggregates more than 80 researchers, from Brazilian Universities and partners from foreign Universities.
Realisation of Human Rights to Adequate Food
Dr Rod Everett Backsbottom Farm
Lancaster UK
Affiliation Private + Food Futures for North Lancashire
Awareness Through UNFSS
Best practice examples Andra Pradesh Community Managed Natural Farming
APCNF.in .
Change from farmers committing suicide over dept to seed companies and fertilizer sales. Change from multinational control which extracts wealth from poor countries to one where farmers make their own natural fertilizers and natural pesticides at minimal cost. This form of farming enriches the soil and the nutritional value of food produced. This is regenerative and builds fertility and resilience over time.
These farmers have been teaching peasant farmers in Africa how to make biofertilizers.
IPEN in Tanzania is a farmer led training in Permaculture so that a great diversity of local food can be produced with careful management of soil water and human resources.
A key factor is crop diversity, using local seed, and keeping the soil covered at all times.
In contrast the major use of glyphosate and roundup ready seed throughout the world is destroying soil structure, chelating minerals so they are unavailable to the plants and cause long term health problems such as obesity is making food inadequate nutritionally and making farmers in debt.
The only future for adequate food lies in local regenerative farming.
For more details on farmer produced biofertilizers see Biofertilizer Manual 2nd ed JuanFranLopez. He has been teaching these techniques around the world.
See also Elaine Ingham Soil School Web where the soil is enhanced and enlivened by a balanced mix of soil organisms. These bring back soil fertility and make the plants rich nutritionally.
Please say no to multinational extraction of wealth and fertility.
Blessings
Rod Everett
This activity is now closed. Please contact [email protected] for any further information.