Parallel Report Belgium

On November 7, 2013, Belgium NGOs, including FIAN, reported the role of the State party on the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), requesting it should be applied as part of the national legal order; informed the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on the discussions concerning the establishment of a National Human Rights Institution in accordance with the Paris Principles; and asked how rights conferred by the Covenant can be guaranteed to everyone residing in Belgium emphasizing in the situation of peasants.

Main concerns on ETO’s included European Union (EU) agro-fuels regulations, specifically surpassing the negative human rights implications, and the lack of access to adequate food and nutrition by local communities undermined from agro-energy projects co-financed by Belgium.