A/HRC/2/8 page 5 I. INTRODUCTION 1. The Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Jean Ziegler, visited Lebanon from 11 to 16 September 2006 upon the invitation of the Government and in accordance with his mandate established by Commission on Human Rights resolutions 2000/10 and 2001/25 (which extended his mandate to include the question of drinking water) and as transferred by the by General Assembly in resolution 60/251 to the Human Rights Council which extended the mandate by its decision 102. This mission was undertaken independently from the Commission of Inquiry established on the basis of Council resolution S-2/1. 2. The visit to Lebanon was requested in relation to concerns raised by the international community regarding the impact on the right to food of the war between Israel and the armed forces of the Lebanese political party, Hezbollah. Initial concerns were raised regarding limits on humanitarian access to people trapped during the war, with certain areas in Lebanon cut off from access to humanitarian aid for prolonged periods of time during the 34 days of hostilities. In 21 July 2006, the Special Rapporteur, in concert with a number of other United Nations human rights experts, issued a press release calling for the immediate cessation of hostilities and for unrestricted and secure passage of humanitarian assistance. The massive displacement of almost 1 million people also disrupted access to food across the country. With the loss of much of this year’s harvest, the destruction of roads, agricultural and water infrastructure, fields littered with unexploded bombs and the disruption of agricultural and fishing livelihoods, serious concerns were also raised regarding the longer-term impact of the war on the right to food and water. 3. The Special Rapporteur also requested authorization to visit Israel to investigate the situation of the right to food of the affected Israeli population, but as of the time of writing, he had received no response from the Government of Israel. This report therefore covers only the situation in Lebanon, but the Special Rapporteur remains willing to visit Israel as soon as he receives permission from the Government. 4. The objective of the mission was to investigate the situation of the right to food in Lebanon from the perspective of international human rights and humanitarian law. It is a clear obligation in international human rights and humanitarian law that the right to food and water must be protected in times of armed conflict, as well as in times of peace. 5. During the visit, the Special Rapporteur held constructive dialogues with the Lebanese authorities, including the Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Ministers of Agriculture, Health, Social Affairs, Energy and Water, as well as with the Parliamentary Commission on Human Rights, the High Relief Council and members of Parliament. The Special Rapporteur wishes to express his warm and sincere thanks to the Government for the full cooperation he received during his mission. The Special Rapporteur also held meetings with a wide range of United Nations agencies, national and international non-governmental organizations, academics and individuals. He was able to visit the southern suburbs of Beirut and travelled to the south of the Litani River, where he was able to talk directly to local authorities and affected families, agricultural workers, farmers and fishermen.