European Parliament stresses the Human Right to Food
Strasbourg/Heidelberg, 23.05.08: The European Parliament approved in yesterday’s plenary session in Strasbourg a resolution on Rising Food Prices in the EU and in developing countries. FIAN, the International Human Rights Organisation for the Right to Food, welcomes the main focus of the EP resolution, which “stresses the fundamental nature of the right to food” (paragraph 1 of the conclusions) as the principal perspective towards the world food crisis.
The resolution, which was adopted with 485 votes in favour, 52 against and 7 abstentions, “underlines that States have the obligation to protect, respect and fulfil this fundamental human right; that 2 billion people still live in dire poverty and 850 million human beings are hungry daily demonstrates systematic violations of the right to food, as enshrined in international Human Rights Law.”
The European Parliament “urges the Council to ensure coherence of all food related national and international policies with the obligations under the right to food”. Martin Wolpold-Bosien, FIAN Coordinator of the European Face-It-Act-Now Campaign, highlights this request: “This implies that EU policies on agriculture and fishery, trade and investment, development and energy, should promote and never undermine the full realization of the right to adequate food.”
Therefore FIAN also welcomes the parliament’s call upon the Commission to carry out “a food security assessment of current policies in the fields of Common Agricultural Policies, renewable energy targets, development aid and international trade agreements”.
The EP also “stresses that priority needs to be given on food over fuels and that biofuels production should be linked to strong sustainability criteria”. The Parliament “accepts that EU subsidisation of crops intended for biofuel production is no longer justified”.
However, FIAN warns that biotechnology or the second generation of agrofuel production will not solve hunger. “We consider that the main focus of the Parliament’s Resolution, to recognise states obligations and to overcome violations of the right to food is the most effective way to fight against hunger and its causes”, states Martin Wolpold-Bosien.
Read EP press release on resolution Read full text of resolutionFurther Information
Martin Wolpold-Bosien: wolpold@fian.org