A/HRC/9/23 page 10 III. NATIONAL STRATEGIES FOR THE REALIZATION OF THE RIGHT TO FOOD 14. Under article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the principal obligation of States is to take steps to achieve progressively the full realization of the right to adequate food. This imposes an obligation to move as expeditiously as possible towards that goal.14 The human right to adequate food thus requires the adoption of measures which, at the national level, might better shield vulnerable segments of the population from the impact of increases in the price of food commodities: the net food buyers, whether or not they are agricultural producers, and particularly the urban poor and landless labourers. The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has insisted on the need for States to work towards “the adoption of a national strategy to ensure food and nutrition security for all, based on human rights principles that define the objectives and the formulation of policies and corresponding benchmarks”.15 Such a national strategy should comprise the establishment of appropriate institutional mechanisms in order to (a) identify, at the earliest stage possible, emerging threats to the right to adequate food, by adequate monitoring systems; (b) assess the impact of new legislative initiatives or policies on the right to adequate food; (c) improve coordination between relevant ministries and between the national and subnational levels of government, taking into account the impact on the right to adequate food, in its nutritional dimensions, of measures taken in the areas of health, education, access to water and sanitation, and information; (d) improve accountability, with a clear allocation of responsibilities, and the setting of precise time frames for the realization of the dimensions of the right to food that require progressive implementation; and (e) ensure the adequate participation, particularly of the most food-insecure segments of the population. 15. In order to ensure that the measures they take move in the right direction, States should, as a matter of priority, inform themselves about the risks to food security under their jurisdiction, and about the impact of any measures they intend to take. They should establish mechanisms ensuring the accountability of all branches of government in order to ensure that they comply with the obligations imposed on them for the realization of the right to food. They should also strengthen the rights of land users and of women. A. Mapping food insecurity and vulnerability, and monitoring 16. Acting within a human rights framework first requires States to develop policy responses based on an adequate mapping of food insecurity and vulnerability, identifying with the necessary precision how interventions should be targeted, and assessing the impact on the right to food prior to the adoption of legal or policy measures that could have a negative impact on the right to food. Guideline 13 of the Right to Food Guidelines (see paragraph I above) recommends establishing food insecurity and vulnerability mapping systems (FIVIMS) to identify those 14 General comment No. 2, para. 14. 15 General comment No. 12, para. 21.