A/HRC/43/44 I. Introduction 1. Over the past six years, the Special Rapporteur has carried out the right to food mandate consistent with the guidelines of the Human Rights Council, as set forth in its resolution 6/2. She has submitted 11 thematic reports to the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly, addressing pressing issues relevant to the right to food, including the justiciability of the right to food, women’s rights and empowerment, climate change, malnutrition, natural disasters and humanitarian assistance, conflict and famine, agricultural workers and fishery workers and the Sustainable Development Goals. Each report was informed by cooperation with States and consultation with international organizations, nongovernmental organizations, academia and members of civil society. The Special Rapporteur also conducted missions in 11 countries, enabling her to witness the implementation, as well as violations, of the right to food on the ground.1 She has issued numerous allegation letters and press releases, often coordinated with other Special Rapporteurs, reminding countries and key stakeholders of the importance of monitoring human rights. 2. The Special Rapporteur would like to take this opportunity to thank members of the Human Rights Council for giving her this privilege. She extends her appreciation to the administrators of the Special Procedures Branch and the human rights experts in the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), who helped her at every stage and facilitated the resolution of the many logistical and substantive challenges that arose throughout her mandate. Without their valuable contributions and warm friendship, that work could not have been realized. 3. Over the course of her mandate, the Special Rapporteur has drawn attention to those populations living on the brink of famine and those subject to the starvation that threatens more than 113 million people worldwide. 2 She has critiqued the expansion of an international economic regime that promotes the unequal distribution of resources, the exploitation of agricultural workers, a rise in monocultural production and a lessening of diversity in food systems in times of climate emergency. She has demanded remedy for the most marginalized communities facing persistent inequality and discrimination based on their gender and/or ethnic identity and illustrated how these conditions were exacerbated in the wake of severe conflicts and emergency situations, including those linked to geopolitical tensions and climate change. She has concluded that, despite the goal of “zero hunger” and malnutrition by 2030, the realization of the right to food remains a distant, if not impossible, reality for far too many. 4. Nevertheless, the Special Rapporteur is committed to using the knowledge gained in her position to show the path forward and inspire collective action. A comprehensive review of the right to food cannot be undertaken within the scope of her final report. Instead, she assesses the relevant trends that have emerged during her mandate and offers a sobering and at times promising review, recalling past thematic reports, observations from country missions and findings from leading technical experts on global food and nutrition security. After providing a critical perspective on the remaining challenges and new developments, she looks to the future, highlighting the roles and responsibilities of key players in advancing the right to food. 5. The final report is intended to facilitate the work of subsequent Special Rapporteurs and contribute to the mandate’s institutional memory. It also offers a foundation for those who wish to guarantee a world free from hunger and malnutrition for the next generation. 1 2 The Special Rapporteur visited Argentina, Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Italy (in January 2020), Morocco, Paraguay, Philippines, Poland, Viet Nam, Zambia and Zimbabwe. See Food Security Information Network, 2019 Global Report on Food Crises: Joint Analysis for Better Decisions, (September 2019). 3