Global Governance
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At first glance, the question "who decides about food and nutrition?" seems to be a rhetorical one. It would seem natural that the people themselves make decisions about their own nutrition. The right to decide and to control one’s own food is inherent to the human right to adequate food. This decision is to be made by the rights-holders themselves. However, in reality, hundreds of millions of people on this planet, especially those most affected by hunger and malnutrition, have lost the power to make these decisions, at least in part.
The power of decision making
The human rights approach, as outlined in the Right to Food Guidelines, "includes certain key principles: the need to enable individuals to realize the right to take part in the conduct of public affairs, the right to freedom of expression and the right to seek, receive and impart information, including in relation to decision making about policies on realizing the right to adequate food."
As a result, based on the principles of universality, interdependency, indivisibility and the interrelation of all human rights, people are fully entitled to enjoy the rights to information and participation in decision making on food and nutrition issues, and to hold duty bearers accountable.
There is a growing international consensus on the need for governance reform. Emphasis was placed on the reform of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) which was successfully adopted in October 2009.
FIAN's Work
FIAN, together with others within the International Food Security and Nutrition Civil Society Mechanism, works towards a human rights based Global Strategic Framework for Food Security and Nutrition.
The Right to Food and Nutrition Watch has published several articles on the questions of Global Governance.
Latest News
Three quarters vote yes to peasants and rural workers’ rights at UN HRC
A wide majority of states have said yes to protecting the future of the rural world -and the planet- despite some potholes along the way.
Burying human rights violations in big data
With the High Level Political Forum praising quantitative data as the pathway to achieving the SDGs, human rights violations could easily be silenced by numbers.
Exploring new policy pathways
The world is off-track in terms of achieving sustainable development and fundamental policy changes, the Spotlight Report 2018 says
USA pulls out from HRC while smashing human rights within borders
USA announcement takes place against a backdrop of violence against migrant families and a neglect of an increasingly food insecure population in its own country.
Urban policy for food sovereignty
The third issue of the ‘Think Piece Series Food for Thought’ comes out exploring what booming cities and urban processes mean for the future of food systems.
Policy dialogue spaces and multi-actor platforms
In collaboration with UN FAO, FIAN International launches a paper analyzing the potential and challenges of policy dialogue spaces, such as multi-actor platforms, to advance human rights-based governance of tenure.
Public policies for food sovereignty
The first issue of the ‘Think Piece Series Food for Thought’ comes out looking into the political significance of leveraging public policies in support of food sovereignty.
Slamming corporate abuse of women’s rights
The chance to fill the regulatory gaps that would stop the abuse and impunity of corporations over women’s lives and bodies cannot be shut down.
2017, a year of countering mainstreamed narratives
Last year’s global political scenario led FIAN International to raise important questions on the future of human rights and bring the root causes of right to food violations under the spotlight, as presented in its 2017 Annual Report.
Is your right to food realized?
As human rights continue to regress, it is time to raise our voice and hold our governments accountable.
