Towards Human Rights Coherence in Food Security, Nutrition

FIAN International welcomes the adoption of the Global Strategic Framework for Food Security and Nutrition (GSF) as an important achievement for the human rights- based approach to food security policy.

Adopted during the 39th session of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) on 17 October 2012, the GSF, as the overarching framework, will be the primary global reference for coordination and coherence in decision making on food and agricultural issues.

“The GSF constitutes a step forward in promoting a new model of governance on food, agriculture, and nutrition,” said Martin Wolpold-Bosien, from FIAN International.  “It reaffirms States’ obligations to implement the human right to adequate food through national, regional and global policies – something FIAN International has advocated for over 25 years.”

The GSF negotiations, in which FIAN International participated actively, reached an important consensus on human rights-based monitoring and accountability, which implies that States, intergovernmental institutions and the private sector are held accountable for their actions and omissions regarding their obligations under international human rights law.
In addition, the document underlines women’s rights and recognizes the central role of smallholder farmers, agricultural food workers, artisanal fisher folks, pastoralists, indigenous people, landless people, women and youth to food and nutrition security.

The GSF also recognizes that formal employment of rural workers and assurance of minimum living wages are key for food security and nutrition. The document mentions the potential of agro-ecology and provides important guidance on nutrition based on the Right to Food Guidelines. It also reaffirms the strong commitment of States to the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Lands, Fisheries and Forests, including through agrarian reform.

However, several issues that are important to civil society are not addressed in the current version of the GSF, in particular, food sovereignty.

“Together with social movements and other civil society organizations, we will bring forward the debate about the food sovereignty paradigm in the CFS,” said Natalia Landívar, from FIAN Ecuador  and member of the Coordination Committee of the Civil Society Mechanism to the CFS.