[15 May 2014] GENEVA – Governments must exploit the full potential of public food purchasing in order to make food systems fairer and more sustainable, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Olivier De Schutter, urged Thursday.

“Governments have few sources of leverage over increasingly globalized food systems – but public procurement is one of them. When sourcing food for schools, hospitals and public administrations, Governments have a rare opportunity to support more nutritious diets and more sustainable food systems in one fell swoop,” said the independent expert, as he published his report* on public procurement and the right to food.

(*) Read the report The Power of Procurement: Public Purchasing in the Service of Realizing the Right to Food. This report is the final publication by Olivier De Schutter as UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food. His final official report to the UN Human Rights Council (March 2014) on transforming food systems can be found here.

In his final report to the UN Human Rights Council after a six-year term as Special Rapporteur, Olivier De Schutter today called for the world’s food systems to be radically and democratically redesigned.

What is the state of play on the right to food in Malaysia? What are the remaining challenges as the country moves towards high-income status?

Quelle est la situation mondiale du droit à l’alimentation ? Des démarches sont-elles entreprises pour concrétiser le droit à l'alimentation et quels sont les acteurs qui font avancer le processus ?