RES/12/10 Follow-up to the seventh special session of the Human Rights Council on the negative impact of the worsening of the world food crisis on the realization of the right to food for all

GE.09-16585

UNITED NATIONS

A

General Assembly Distr. GENERAL

A/HRC/RES/12/10 12 October 2009

Original: ENGLISH

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Twelfth session Agenda item 3

PROMOTION AND PROTECTION OF ALL HUMAN RIGHTS, CIVIL, POLITICAL, ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS,

INCLUDING THE RIGHT TO DEVELOPMENT

Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council*

12/10. Follow-up to the seventh special session of the Human Rights Council on the negative impact of the worsening of the world food crisis on the realization of the right to food for all

The Human Rights Council,

Reaffirming all previous resolutions and decisions on the right to food adopted in the framework of the United Nations, in particular Council resolutions S-7/1 of 22 May 2008 and 9/6 of 18 September 2008,

Recalling the United Nations Millennium Declaration, in particular the first Millennium Development Goal of eradicating hunger and extreme poverty by 2015,

Noting the outcome of the High-level Conference on World Food Security: the Challenges of Climate Change and Bioenergy, held in Rome from 3 to 5 June 2008,

Resolved to act to ensure that the human rights perspective is taken into account at the national, regional and international levels in measures to address the current world food crisis,

* The resolutions and decisions adopted by the Human Rights Council will be contained in the report of the Council on its twelfth session (A/HRC/12/50), chap. I.

Welcoming the panel discussion on the realization of the right to food in the context of the global food crisis, held by the Council on 9 March 2009, which offered an opportunity for persons affected by the crisis to participate and provide input to the discussions,

Acknowledging the task force established by the Secretary-General, and supporting the Secretary-General to continue his efforts in this regard,

Recognizing the complex character of the current global food crisis, as a combination of several major factors, both structural and conjunctural, also negatively affected by, inter alia, environmental degradation, drought and desertification, global climate change, natural disasters and the lack of the necessary technology, and also that a strong commitment from national Governments and the international community as a whole is required to confront the major threats to food security,

Concerned by the fact that the effects of the world food crisis are not over and that they continue to have serious consequences on the most vulnerable people, particularly in developing countries, which have been further aggravated by the world economic and financial crisis,

1. Acknowledges with appreciation the report of the Special Rapporteur on the right to food (A/HRC/12/31), and takes note of his recommendations;

2. Expresses grave concern at the fact that the current world food crisis seriously undermines the realization of the right to food for all, and especially for one sixth of the world population, mainly in developing and least developed countries, suffering from hunger, malnutrition and food insecurity;

3. Encourages States to mainstream the human rights perspective in building and reviewing their national strategies for the realization of the right to adequate food for all, which could include, inter alia, the mapping of the food insecure, the adoption of relevant legislation and policies with a right to food framework, the establishment of mechanisms to ensure accountability so that rights-holders are able to claim their right to food, and the establishment of mechanisms and processes that ensure the participation of rights-holders, particularly the most vulnerable, in the design and monitoring of such legislation and policies;

4. Also encourages all States to invest or promote investment in agriculture and rural infrastructure in a manner that empowers the most vulnerable and affected by the current crisis in order to ensure their realization of the right to food;

5. Calls upon States, individually and through international cooperation and assistance, relevant multilateral institutions and other relevant stakeholders, to take all necessary measures to ensure the realization of the right to food as an essential human rights objective, and to consider reviewing any policy or measure that could have a negative impact on the realization of the right to food, particularly the right of everyone to be free from hunger, before instituting such a policy or measure;

6. Stresses that States have a primary obligation to make their best efforts to meet the vital food needs of their own populations, especially of vulnerable groups and households, such as by enhancing programmes to combat mother-child malnutrition, and to increase local

production for this purpose, while the international community should provide, through a coordinated response and upon request, international cooperation in support for national and regional efforts by providing the necessary assistance for increasing food production, particularly through agricultural development assistance, the transfer of technology, food crop rehabilitation assistance and food aid, with a special focus on the gender-sensitive dimension;

7. Encourages all relevant international organizations and agencies to bring a human rights perspective and the need for the realization of the right to food for all to their studies, research, reports and resolutions on the issue of food security;

8. Requests the Special Rapporteur to continue to promote the right to food as outlined in his mandate and, as part of it, to continue to follow up on the world food crisis through a continued dialogue with stakeholders at all levels, including with all relevant international organizations and agencies of the United Nations system, in order to contribute to identifying means to implement the right to food;

9. Also requests the Special Rapporteur, within the framework of his mandate, to inform the Council on the crisis, the impact of the crisis on the realization of the right to food and progress made and obstacles encountered in relation to the implementation of measures to respond to the world food crisis and of evolving best practices in this regard;

10. Requests the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to bring the present resolution to the attention of all relevant international organizations and agencies;

11. Decides to remain seized of the implementation of the present resolution.

30th meeting 1 October 2009

[Adopted without a vote.]