A/HRC/43/44/Add.2 foreign investment. They also contribute to the overall atmosphere of corruption, uncertainty, food insecurity and unemployment, particularly in times of emergency. Economic sanctions gradually exacerbated existing inequalities and did not have a meaningful impact on their supposed targets. 100. The conditionalities under the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act, coupled with the failure by the Government to clear its arrears, make it extremely difficult to access credit lines from international financial institutions as well as loan scheduling and debt cancellation.19 Such conditions clearly diminish the ability of the Government to meet its obligation to adequately feed its people. 101. Given the current economic and food emergencies in the country, the Special Rapporteur urges concerned member States, development partners and international financial institutions, including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, to ease the conditions imposed on the deployment of funds to the Government for almost two decades. Similarly, the Special Rapporteur urges the termination of all sanctions, which could be used by the Government as an excuse for its poor economic performance. She also urges the Government to initiate the promised legal reforms to fulfil its human rights obligations, notably the rights to freedoms of expression, assembly and association, which are the necessary foundations of a human rights-based approach to food security. C. Partisan distribution of food 102. The Special Rapporteur received allegations about partisan distribution of food aid, favouring those who support the ruling party, the Zimbabwe African National UnionPatriotic Front. Individuals or communities perceived as belonging to the opposition or deemed insufficiently loyal to the ruling party, are reportedly being deprived of their right to food, including in the regions most affected by the food crisis. 103. The Special Rapporteur took note of the explanation of the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, according to which the Government follows a set of criteria provided by the Food and Nutrition Council to identify the most vulnerable individuals who could benefit from food distribution. 104. In accordance with the Constitution of Zimbabwe, the Government should permit all people to have access to food aid without any reference to their regional origin or residence, or political affiliation. The Government should instruct local authorities in charge of beneficiary and distribution lists to abide by the principle of non-discrimination and to follow the criteria set up by the Food and Nutrition Council. The Government should also monitor the food distribution at the local level to investigate these incidents when they occur. Moreover, efforts should be made to ensure access to highly vulnerable populations first, such as women and children head of households, the elderly, persons with disabilities and those affected by HIV/AIDS. VI. Population groups requiring special attention 105. Throughout her mission, the Special Rapporteur found that some groups or individuals, including farm workers, women and children, faced severe discrimination and obstacles to their enjoyment of the right to food that required a special focus. A. Farm workers 106. Agricultural workers play a critical role in achieving food security and fulfilling the universal human right to adequate food. They are, however, among the most food-insecure, 19 16 Zimbabwe became ineligible for multilateral loans in 1999, well before the adoption of the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act, because it stopped repaying loans owed to the international financial institutions.