A/HRC/43/44 19). Similarly, austerity measures have “ravaged” communities in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, leaving populations without access to basic services and vulnerable to human rights violations (see A/HRC/41/39/Add.1). New developments 12. The Special Rapporteur has previously warned that these policies, in conjunction with cuts to fuel and food subsidies, rising food prices and corruption, exacerbate inequality and stir unrest, as seen in Haiti, the Sudan and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. During the Special Rapporteur’s recent visit to Zimbabwe, she observed a dire situation of food insecurity and poverty throughout the country. Economic sanctions and conditionalities imposed by the United States of America and to a lesser extent by the European Union, as well as the austerity measures adopted by the Government have made these conditions worse.8 13. Globally, such policies are creating social and economic instability. In October 2019, the President of Ecuador came to an agreement with indigenous leaders to cancel an economic austerity package that had catalysed violent protests and attacks in Quito.9 There is growing social anger and support for strikes in France as a result of pension cuts and austerity measures. Demonstrations in Algeria, Chile, Iraq and Lebanon represent a broad international resurgence of the class struggle, driven by social inequality. States should reject neoliberal austerity measures before they ignite conflict or contribute to additional food crises. B. Marginalization of smallholder farmers and peasants 14. Globalization and financialization of food systems has enabled big agricultural firms to dominate the market, unilaterally deciding what and how much to produce. That power imbalance leaves small and medium enterprises without food sovereignty and with almost no alternative but to accept the rules set by big agriculture. An estimated 80 per cent of the world’s poorest people live and work in rural areas,10 half of whom are small-scale and traditional farmers, 20 per cent are landless and 10 per cent subsist through fishing, hunting and herding activities.11 Despite producing more than 70 per cent of locally consumed food, peasants and smallholders have become dispensable, experiencing displacement and facing barriers to markets as a result of technical trade requirements and infrastructural deficiencies. New developments 15. While these challenges have persisted over the past six years, there have been significant advances in the legal protections afforded to small-scale producers and peasants. In 2018, the General Assembly adopted the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas, reinforcing the obligation of States to provide inclusive, unobstructed access to productive resources for rural populations, including women, and the rights to decent work and livelihood. After a prolonged battle, the adoption of the Declaration represents an important step forward. Formal recognition of peasants’ rights aligns with target 2.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals, which promotes agricultural productivity and the incomes of small-scale producers, guaranteeing access to resources for women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists and 8 9 10 11 See preliminary observations of the Special Rapporteur on the right to food, on her visit to Zimbabwe from 18 to 28 November 2019. See José María León Cabrera and Clifford Krauss, “Deal struck in Ecuador to cancel austerity package and end protests”, The New York Times (13 Oct. 2019). See Ana Paula De La O Campos and others, “Ending Extreme Poverty in Rural Areas. Sustaining Livelihoods to Leave No One Behind” (Rome, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)). See CETIM, “A UN Declaration on the rights of peasants”, available from www.cetim.ch/a-undeclaration-on-the-rights-of-peasants/. 5