A/HRC/43/44/Add.2 again declined sharply, from 10.6 per cent in 2012 to 3.8 per cent in 2014, owing to deteriorating trade, a severe drought in 2012–2013 and continued political uncertainty. Zimbabwe was placed 150 out of 189 countries on the United Nations Development Programme’s inequality-adjusted human development index. 3 Revenues from diamonds, platinum and gold-mining – the country’s most productive sector – rarely reach the national treasury. As a result, an insolvent Government was unable to pay civil servants and pensioners on time, instead giving priority to the armed forces and war veterans. 15. Since then, Zimbabwe has been facing challenges relating to fiscal consolidation and financial stabilization. Until 2019, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe printed money to fund the budget deficit, but this caused high inflation. Therefore, a multi-currency basket was adopted, allowing various currencies, including the United States dollar, to be used locally in order to reduce inflation. Meanwhile, international financial institutions require Zimbabwe to implement significant fiscal and structural reforms before granting new loans. Fiscal imbalances remain at the core of the country’s financial crisis. External debts prevented Zimbabwe from gaining access to international capital markets. 16. The country also faces challenges due to the continued imposition of economic sanctions, which has hampered the realization of human rights, especially socioeconomic rights, and impacted the livelihoods of ordinary people. In addition, despite adherence to the minimum standards, Zimbabwe still faces hurdles in selling its diamonds on the international markets. This has resulted in depressed revenue inflows into Government coffers, thus making it difficult for the Government to allocate adequate resources towards social spending. 17. The country’s economic crisis led to drastically reduced household incomes. The main challenges faced by households were reported to be high inflation and its correlated price increases for basic needs; low salaries; many forced layoffs due to economic contraction; lack of livelihood options; and high exchange rates. The food poverty line for an average household of five persons was 639 United States dollars as of July 2019. At least 38 per cent of urban households are considered to be poor and 10 per cent extremely poor. The inflation rate was informally recorded at 481 per cent and 521 per cent in November and December 2019, respectively, while the Government suspended the calculation and publication of annual inflation rates until February 2020. 18. The poor performance of the economy negatively affected the livelihoods of rural and urban households, with up to 81.5 per cent of households suffering from cash shortages. Prices of cereal increased by up to 78.8 per cent, while salaries remained low.4 The proportion of household expenditure on food rose to 68 per cent, compared with 55 per cent in 2018. This proportion keeps on increasing owing to high inflation. III. Legal and policy framework on the right to food A. International and regional levels 19. Despite facing a series of economic and political crises, Zimbabwe is one of the few countries where the right to food is explicitly recognized in the Constitution. 20. As a State party to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Zimbabwe has a duty to respect, protect and fulfil the right to an adequate standard of living and, specifically, the right to adequate food (art. 11, para. 1) and the right to be free from hunger (art. 11, para. 2). Zimbabwe has committed to take the appropriate steps, to the maximum of its available resources, to ensure the realization of this right. However, the Government has not ratified the Optional Protocol to the Covenant. 21. The right to food is an inclusive right and should be understood holistically to encompass other related rights, including the rights to health, housing, social security, water 3 4 hdr.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/ZWE. Southern African Development Community, “Synthesis report on the state of food and nutrition security and vulnerability in Southern Africa” (Gaborone, SADC Secretariat, 2019), p. 21. 5