A/HRC/39/67
(2) should include peasants and other rural workers, and the reference to remuneration
should not be removed.
Article 14. Right to safety and health at work
70.
Only two participants intervened under this article, highlighting the need to address
the use of chemical pesticides and the responsibility of corporations, and the need for
employees to report on unsafe and hazardous work conditions without fear of reprisal. One
international organization made language proposals, which are contained in annex III. Civil
society highlighted the intensive use of chemical pesticides as a hazard for health and the
environment, the main victims being the small farmers and others working and living in
rural areas.
Article 15. Right to adequate food
71.
There were no major objections to the content of article 15, however delegations and
civil society made concrete suggestions on language. The discussion was essentially
focused on the concept of food sovereignty. For some delegations, the constituent elements
of the concept of food sovereignty had not been agreed internationally, and they called for
the use of the term food security instead. Other delegations, civil society organizations and
experts explained the difference between the two concepts and supported the inclusion of
food sovereignty as a crucial element for peasants and ensuring national food production.
The Chair indicated that the wording “food sovereignty” had been removed from the title,
as agreed in the previous session. One delegation thanked the Chair for accepting the
deletion. The same delegation also suggested deletion of “individually and collectively” in
paragraph 2 and similarly suggested deleting “food sovereignty” in paragraphs 4 and 5.
Finally, the same delegation stated that it was open to accepting food security instead of
food sovereignty. Another delegation stressed the importance of including food sovereignty
and called for its recognition throughout the article. It further noted that it supported
maintaining “individually and collectively” in the text and supported article 15 in its
entirety. Another delegation also disagreed with the proposal to replace food sovereignty
with food security. One delegation noted that it would like to maintain “individually and
collectively”. Another delegation also made language suggestions. Another delegation
supported the article, called for it to be aligned with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development, and suggested a reference to “sustainably”. Finally, another delegation also
suggested a caveat in article 5 (1) “in accordance with national legislation”. Civil society
organizations called for preserving food sovereignty in the text.
72.
One expert called for retaining “individually and collectively” and suggested
moving it to the first line of paragraph 2, after “rural areas”. She strongly recommended
that food sovereignty be retained in the text. Other experts concurred with the
recommendation to maintain food sovereignty, as the concept was recognized at
international, regional and national levels. They stated that food sovereignty was about
process while food security was about outcomes.
Article 16. Right to a decent income and livelihood and the means of
production
73.
There were no major objections to the content of article 16. One delegation made
language suggestions, which are reflected in annex III. Another delegation supported
paragraph 6 on equal remuneration. One delegation proposed that “women” be added in
paragraph 6. One organization also made a language suggestion, which is reflected in annex
III. Civil society organizations supported the text as it was, in particular on the right to
equal remuneration. Civil society representatives suggested that a provision on protection
should be included in article 16. Experts supported article 16 as it was and stated that
paragraph 2 was grounded in a Committee on Food Security resolution that States had
adopted. Reference was made to the FAO Voluntary Guidelines and to article 14 of the
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
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