A/HRC/12/31*
page 7
the policy responses.5 High-income countries will have to finance important recovery plans,
issuing debts that could crowd out many developing country issuers. Remittance flows have been
declining since late 2008. Developing countries might therefore find it increasingly difficult to
finance agriculture and rural development, subsidize food to improve its affordability for the
poorest, and establish or strengthen social protection programmes.
III. THE ROLE OF THE RIGHT TO FOOD IN ADDRESSING
THE GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS
7.
In the face of a crisis of such magnitude, it is tempting to see the right to adequate food as
a long-term objective, clearly beyond reach for the moment, and thus of little immediate
relevance. Such an attitude would, however, betray a fundamental misunderstanding of what the
right to food is about. The role of the right to food is more central, not less, in times of crisis. It is
not simply an objective; it also shows the way towards fulfilling it.
8.
An approach grounded in the right to food requires that we address the root causes of
hunger and malnutrition. The right to food should also serve as a signpost in order to achieve
increased consistency across the different sectors relevant to the realization of the right to food;
including not only food aid and agricultural and rural development, but also social protection, the
protection of agricultural workers, land policies, health and education, or trade and investment.
9.
Since the first report of the Special Rapporteur on the global food crisis (A/HRC/9/23), he
has sought to convince interlocutors, both within and outside the United Nations system, of the
importance of devising solutions to the global food crisis grounded in the right to food. At the
international level, this implies strengthening multilateralism in order to address effectively the
structural causes of hunger. The global governance of our food system needs to be reformed
without delay and the revitalization of the Committee on World Food Security represents a real
opportunity (see paragraphs 33-40 below). At the national level, the implementation of the right
to food has an institutional dimension which this section explores.
10. Grounding our efforts in the right to food first requires targeting the most vulnerable,
identified through systems mapping food vulnerability and insecurity. A number of countries,
including Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia, Iraq and Panama, have regular mapping
systems in place or have launched specific mapping exercises during the crisis period. Although
a few tools for mapping vulnerability exist, vulnerability does not seem to have been identified
fully, owing to the selective nature of coverage, which can exclude zones with good food
production. Only a few countries seem to include urban areas in such mapping (Burkina Faso,
Kenya). Some countries have used national maps of extreme poverty for food security purposes
(El Salvador, Yemen). Despite these welcome efforts, some vulnerable groups are reportedly
excluded from the mapping results. In order to be as well informed as possible, States should
develop mapping systems through participatory means.
5
World Bank, Global Economic Prospects, op. cit.
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents