<div dir="ltr">From: <b class="gmail_sendername">Bahram Ghazi <a href="mailto:bghazi@ohchr.org">bghazi@ohchr.org</a> [INESCR]</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:INESCR-noreply@yahoogroups.com">INESCR-noreply@yahoogroups.com</a>></span><br><div class="gmail_quote"><br><br>
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<br><font size="4" face="Arial"><b>States must act now to fulfil famine victims’
right to food – UN expert </b></font></div>
<br>
<br><font size="3" face="Arial">NEW YORK (23 October 2017) – The tragic
reality of famine around the world has revealed that many States are failing
to uphold their legal responsibilities, the UN Special Rapporteur on the
right to food, Hilal Elver, told the UN General Assembly in New York
today. </font>
<br>
<br><font size="3" face="Arial">She also called for an urgent shift in thinking
away from crisis reactions and toward famine prevention.</font>
<br>
<br><font size="3" face="Arial">“Contrary to popular belief, casualties
resulting directly from combat usually make up only a small proportion
of deaths in conflict zones, with most individuals in fact perishing from
hunger and disease,” Ms. Elver said in her annual </font><a href="http://ap.ohchr.org/documents/dpage_e.aspx?si=A/72/188" target="_blank"><font size="3" face="Arial" color="blue"><u>report</u></font></a><font size="3" face="Arial">
to the General Assembly.</font>
<br>
<br><font size="3" face="Arial">The Special Rapporteur said that this year
the world had faced the largest humanitarian crisis since the creation
of the United Nations. Around 20 million people faced famine and “devastating”
starvation in crises in north-east Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria
and Yemen, all of which had arisen from conflict</font><font size="3" face="sans-serif">.</font><font size="3" face="Arial">
</font>
<br>
<br><font size="3" face="Arial">Another estimated 70 million people in 45
countries currently require emergency food assistance, an increase of 40
per cent from 2015, she said, also highlighting the serious starvation
and severe right to food violations currently affecting the Rohingya people</font><font size="3" face="sans-serif">.</font><font size="3" face="Arial">
</font>
<br>
<br><font size="3" face="Arial">Ms. Elver hailed the “essential” work of
the international humanitarian system in getting food to conflict victims
and lowering death tolls. </font>
<br>
<br><font size="3" face="Arial">But she said States and other parties involved
in conflicts needed to recognize their own duty to act, and above all,
avoid using hunger as a weapon of war. The right to food is an unconditional
human right and legal entitlement for all people, not a discretionary option,
she stressed.</font>
<br>
<br><font size="3" face="Arial">“The human right to adequate food is a core
right, indispensable for the enjoyment of all other human rights,” Ms
Elver stated. “Freedom from hunger is accepted as part of customary international
law, rendering it binding on all States.</font>
<br>
<br><font size="3" face="Arial">“It is crucial that the international community
understands that it is an international crime to intentionally block access
to food, food aid, and to destroy production of food. Such acts as crimes
against humanity, or war crimes.”</font>
<br><font size="3" face="Arial"> </font>
<br><font size="3" face="Arial">She added that the most serious cases should
be referred to the International Criminal Court for investigation and possible
prosecution.</font>
<br>
<br><font size="3" face="Arial">“If the international community is serious
about the imperative character of the right to food and the eradication
of food insecurity in times of war and peace, steps must be taken to encourage
the implementation of existing standards and to codify international law
principles applicable to the right to food,” the expert said. </font>
<br>
<br><font size="3" face="Arial">The Special Rapporteur urged all governments
to focus on long-term policies to break the vicious cycle of recurring
famines. </font>
<br>
<br><font size="3" face="Arial">“Human rights violations, war crimes, repression
and gross forms of inequality are conditions that frequently give rise
to famine,” she said. “The attention and commitment of the international
community must, as a matter of the highest priority, be directed toward
eliminating the root causes of famine, and not limited to ad hoc responses
to the agonizing symptoms of the latest food emergency.” </font>
<br>
<br><font size="3" face="Arial">ENDS</font>
<br>
<br><font size="2" face="Arial"><b><i>Ms. Hilal Elver</i></b><i> (Turkey)
was appointed </i></font><a href="http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Food/Pages/FoodIndex.aspx" target="_blank"><font size="2" face="Arial" color="blue"><i><u>Special
Rapporteur on the right to food</u></i></font></a><font size="2" face="Arial"><i>
by the Human Rights Council in 2014. She is a Research Professor, and global
distinguished fellow at the University of California, Law School Resnick
Food Law and Policy Center. She has a law degree, a Ph.D. from the University
of Ankara Law School, and SJD from the UCLA Law School. She started her
teaching career at the University of Ankara Faculty of Law. </i></font>
<br>
<br><font size="2" face="Arial"><i>The Special Rapporteurs are part of what
is known as the </i></font><a href="http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/SP/Pages/Welcomepage.aspx" target="_blank"><font size="2" face="Arial" color="blue"><i><u>Special
Procedures</u></i></font></a><font size="2" face="Arial"><i> of the Human
Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts
in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent
fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms. Special Procedures mandate-holders
are independent human rights experts appointed by the Human Rights Council
to address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all
parts of the world. They are not UN staff and are independent from any
government or organization. They serve in their individual capacity and
do not receive a salary for their work.</i></font>
<br>
<br><font size="2" face="Arial"><i>For further information and <b>media enquiries</b></i><i>,
please contact Viktoria Aberg (+41 22 917 9790 / </i></font><a href="mailto:vaberg@ohchr.org" target="_blank"><font size="2" face="Arial" color="blue"><i><u>vaberg@ohchr.org</u></i></font></a><font size="2" face="Arial"><i>)</i></font>
<br>
<br><font size="2" face="Arial"><i>For <b>media inquiries</b></i><i> related
to other UN independent experts:<br>
Bryan Wilson – Media Unit (+ 41 22 917 9826 / </i></font><a href="mailto:mediaconsultant2@ohchr.org" target="_blank"><font size="2" face="Arial" color="blue"><i><u>mediaconsultant2@ohchr.org</u></i></font></a><font size="2" face="Arial"><i>)
</i></font>
<br>
<br><font size="2" face="Arial">Concerned about the world we live in? Then
STAND UP for someone’s rights today. #Standup4humanrights and visit the
web page at</font><font size="3" face="Arial"> </font><a href="http://www.standup4humanrights.org" target="_blank"><font size="3" face="Arial" color="blue"><u>http://www.<wbr>standup4humanrights.org</u></font></a>
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