Transformation through Human Rights

The German Institute for Human Rights (GIHR) aims to contribute to an enhanced realization of the right to adequate food.

State of the World

Around 733 million people are affected by food insecurity according to the UN Report on the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2024. A human rights-based transformation of food systems is critical to address the structural drivers of hunger and malnutrition, and to contribute to sustainable and just responses to the triple planetary crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.

The Project

The project coooperates with committed actors from other countries, the United Nations and civil society organizations to advance the realization of the right to food at global and national levels. At the global level, the project supports initiatives to raise the profile of the right to adequate food in the international political agenda, especially in the CFS, FAO, and human rights bodies in Geneva. At the national level, the project works in collaboration with others to promote the enhanced use and application of international right to food instruments through public policies.

Project Goals

Raise the profile of the right to adequate food in the global political agenda
Strengthen the use and application of the advanced normative framework on the right to food, including the related international instruments adopted by CFS, FAO, UN General Assembly and Human Rights treaty bodies
Promote collaborative action among actors committed to the right to food.

Results and Successes

During 2024, the project co-facilitated collaborative policy processes leading to substantial conclusions of the CFS Plenary on the right to food. The project co-organized international conferences in Berlin, Rome, Brazil, and Geneva. Several articles were published, including a fact sheet on “The Right to Food in Armed Conflicts” and an essay on starvation and famine in international law. The collaborative process with the Brazilian National Food and Nutritional Security Council (CONSEA) started with the Seminar in September 2024 and will develop new tools and analyses for an enhanced use of international right to food instruments in social struggles and public policies.