How can global governance be improved to progressively realize the right to food?
One of the most significant outcomes of the 2007-2008 global food price crisis was a new commitment by the international community to improve the governance of global food security, in particular through the reform of the Committee on World Food Security.
Since he started his mandate, the Special Rapporteur has demonstrated how the right to food could guide the necessary improvements of global food governance. He established the added value of a pragmatic approach based on the right to food for several key topics of global governance.
The Special Rapporteur is engaged with global governance processes at four levels: 1) at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, 2) at various international high-level conferences and summits in Rome and Madrid, 3) at the Committee on World Food Security (CFS), and 4) within the wider United Nations system, including contributions to the Comprehensive Framework of Action of the High-Level Task Force on Global Food Security.
| Leer | 04/04/2014: Submission to the G20 Development Group Food Security Review |
| Read | 10/03/2014: The transformative potential of the right to food, Final report drawing conclusions from his mandate, presented to the 25th Session of the UN Human Rights Council, also available in French, and Spanish. |
| Leer | 11-12/03/2014: Contribution of the Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Mr. Olivier De Schutter, to the workshop “Human Rights and Transnational Corporations: Paving the way for a legally binding instrument” convened by Ecuador, 11-12 March 2014, during the 25th session of the Human Rights Council |
| Read | 22/05/2013: Letter to UK Prime Minister David Cameron on G8 Nutrition for Growth event (June 8) and leaders' summit (June 17-18). |
| Read | 21/05/2013: 'Grounding development priorities in human rights: incentives to improve equality, social security and accountability' - Statement by special procedure mandate-holders of the human rights council on the post-2015 development agenda (21 May 2013). |
| Read | 11/05/2013: 'The contribution of Fair Trade to securing human rights in agriculture' - Q&A from the Special Rapporteur (11 May 2013). |
| Read | 15/04/2013: 'Rights' section co-authored by the Special Rapporteur from 'A New Dialogue : Putting People at the Heart of Global Development', prepared for the Dublin Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Climate Justice (15-16 April). |
| Read | 18/04/2013, Geneva: 'World Bank-led privatization of Burundian coffee industry must not repeat errors of the past' – UN experts warn |
| Read | 04/03/2013: 'Mission to the FAO', Report presented to the 22nd Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, also available in French, and Spanish. See also Guardian op ed entitled 'The FAO must do more to promote food as a human right' |
| Read | 18/02/2012: "The need to include a rights-based approach to Social Protection in the Post 2015 Development Agenda" Note Verbale to Permanent Missions to the Human Rights Council, from Magdalena Sepúlveda, UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights, and Olivier De Schutter. |
| Read | 18/02/2013: "Why should social protection become a central theme in the EU development agenda?" Information note from Magdalena Sepúlveda, UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights, and Olivier De Schutter. |
| Read | 17/12/2012: "Contribution of the Special Rapporteur, Mr. Olivier De Schutter, to the inquiry launched by the International Development Committee of the Parliament of the United Kingdom in advance of the June 2013 G8 Summit" |
| Read | 28/11/2012: "Foreign Direct Investment and Human Development", A new book edited by Olivier De Schutter. |
| Read | 09/10/2012: "Underwriting the Poor: a Global Fund for Social Protection", Briefing Note 7, by the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food and the Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights. See also executive summary and note to CFS |
| Read | 27/09/2012: "A Rights Revolution: Implementing the right to food in Latin America and the Caribbean", Briefing note by the Special Rapporteur on the right to food, also available in Spanish |
| Read | 01/10/2012: The Special Rapporteur's Contribution to the 39th session of the Committee on World Food Security. |
| Read | 03/07/2012: The SR's comments on the Comments on the International Guidelines on Securing Sustainable Small-scale Fisheries. |
| Read | 20/07/2012: The SR's address to the opening session of the Regional Food Security and Nutrition Council (CONSAN) established by the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP), also available in Portuguese. |
| Read | 03/07/2012: The SR's comments on the HLPE report on social protection for food security and CFS decision box on social protection for food security. |
| Read | 27/06/2012: The SR's Contribution to the workshop of the Open Ended Working Group on principles for responsible agricultural investments. |
| Read | 26/06/2012: The SR commented on the Second Draft of the "Global Strategic Framework", which should guide the efforts of the Commitee on World Food Security (CFS) and its member States in the years to come. |
| Read | 20/06/2012: "From Charity to Entitlement: Implementing the right to food in Southern and Eastern Africa", Briefing Note 5, by the Special Rapporteur on the right to food, also available in French |
| Read | Project Syndicate (Intl) — Underwriting the poor (07-06-2012) |
| Read | 08/05/2012: The SR commented on the First Draft of the "Global Strategic Framework", which should guide the efforts of the Commitee on World Food Security (CFS) and its member States in the years to come. In particular, Olivier De Schutter suggests five principles for the monitoring of the CFS. |
| Read | Guardian (United Kingdom) — Climate change is a human rights issue – and that's how we can solve it (24-04-2012) |
| Read | Guardian (United Kingdom) — Human rights and accountability will ensure the road to Rio isn't a dead end (27-03-2012) |
| Read | 14/03/2012: An Open Letter from Special Procedures mandate-holders of the Human Rights Council to States negotiating the Outcome Document of the Rio+20 Summit “If Rio+20 is to deliver, accountability must be at its heart”, also available in French, and Spanish. |
| Read | 14/03/2012: Background note to the Open Letter from Special Procedures mandate-holders of the Human Rights Council to States negotiating the Outcome Document of the Rio+20 Summit “Human rights essential role for sustainable development”, also available in French, and Spanish. |
| Read | 14/03/2012: Background note to the Open Letter from Special Procedures mandate-holders of the Human Rights Council to States negotiating the Outcome Document of the Rio+20 Summit “The right to food as a global goal”. |
| Read | 06/03/2012: "Guiding Principles on Human Rights Impact Assessments of Trade and Investment Agreements”, Report presented at the 19th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, also available in French, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic and Russian. |
| Read | Project Syndicate (Intl) — Taking Back Globalization (25-01-2012), reprinted in The Business Day (South Africa), The Korea Times (South Korea) and New Europe (Intl) |
| Read | 26/01/2012, Geneva: “Human Rights-Proofing” Globalization — UN right to food expert |
| Read | 31/10/2011, Geneva: Key chance for G20 to tackle negative impacts of biofuels and speculation on human rights |
| Read | Op-ed: “Food Crises: 8 Priorities for the G20”, Project Syndicate, 28 January 2011. |
| Read | Press release: “In Rome, the Committee on World Food Security reinvents global governance”, 21 October 2010. |
| Read | “The 36th session as ‘Year 1’ of the reformed CFS: proposals for steps towards enhanced governance on food security”, Contribution in advance of the 36th session of the Committee on World Food Security, 5 October 2010. |
| Read | Op-ed: Millennium development goals need more emphasis on human rights", The Guardian, 21 September 2010. |
| Read | Press release: "Food riots: Predictable crisis, unprepared governments”, 7 September 2010. |
| Read | “Five proposals for a genuine integration of the right to food in the Revised Comprehensive Framework of Action (CFA)” Contribution to the Dublin Consultation (17-18 May 2010), Olivier De Schutter, Special Rapporteur of the United Nations Human Rights Council on the right to food, 10 April 2010. |
| Read | Press statement: "UN Special Rapporteur on WTO Ministerial: Trade negotiations need to reflect the new global consensus on hunger", 1 December 2009. |
| Read | “A Call for Coherence and Responsibility: Realizing the right to food by improving global governance” Message of Mr. Olivier De Schutter, Special Rapporteur on the right to food, 6 November 2009 |
| YouTube | Message of the Special Rapporteur in advance of the World Summit on Food Security, 6 November 2009 |
| Read | Report 'Crisis into opportunity: reinforcing multilateralism' presented to the Human Rights Council, Follow-up session on the Global Food Crisis at the 12th session, 17 September 2009 |
| Read | Contribution of Mr. Olivier De Schutter, Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Contact Group to support the Committee on World Food Security (CFS), 22 May 2009 |
| Read | Contribution for the 17th session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-17) “The right to food and a sustainable global food system”, 4-15 May 2009, New York, 4 May 2009 |
| Read | Statement at the interactive Thematic Dialogue of the UN General Assembly on the Global Food Crisis and the Right to Food, 6 April 2009 |
| Read | The Global partnership on agriculture and food: a response grounded in the human right to food, Statement ahead of the Madrid High-Level Meeting on Food Security for All, 6 January 2009 |
| Read | The 'Cordoba Declaration' on the right to food and the governance of the global food and agricultural system (10 December 2008) |
| Read | Seminar report “Solutions for hunger: a policy seminar on the right to food” (7 November 2008, Ottawa, Canada) |
| Read | Analysis by the Special Rapporteur on the right to food of the Comprehensive Framework for Action, adopted by the United Nations High-Level Task Force on Food Security, 23 June 2008 |
| Read | Statement at the High-Level Conference on World Food Security: The Challenges of Climate Change and Bioenergy, 6 June 2008 |
| Read | Analysis of the World Food Crisis by the U.N. Special Rapporteur, Olivier De Schutter, 2 May 2008 |