MIDDAY
8 March 2011
The Human Rights Council at a midday meeting held an interactive dialogue with Olivier de Schutter, the Special Rapporteur on the right to food, and Raquel Rolnik, the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination in this context.
Mr. de Schutter said the world had entered in the new era of weather shocks and food prices would still change under the influence of climate change. The question now was how to enable countries to feed themselves. Old recipes were no longer valid and the world must find the way forward for agro ecology, whereby agriculture was done in sync with nature. Agriculture in this approach was seen as a cycle, where waste was used to fertilize the soil. Agro ecology had numerous advantages over industrial agriculture. Apart from the ability to increase yields spectacularly, it was a solution to rural poverty. It meant that rural households could produce more at lower costs, without the risk to enter the vicious cycle of debt. Agro ecology was the best possible response to climate change. Agro ecology provided definitive nutritional advantages to communities that practiced it. However, agro ecology would not emerge spontaneously only because it offered numerous advantages. Governments had the responsibility to prepare the transition to agro ecology and enable access for poor farmers.
Ms. Rolnik said she believed that her main contribution to the mandate during these past three years had been to support States and other stake holders in bridging the gap between the international human rights legal framework on housing and territorial polices capable of fulfilling, protecting and promoting those rights. Since the 1990s there had been a growing recognition of the importance of adopting a human rights approach in the resolution of conflicts and peace building. It had taken longer for the human rights implications of post-disaster to be clearly recognized by the international community. This recognition was a positive development but it was not enough: human rights principles and standards had to be translated into concrete policies. In both post-disaster and post-conflict situations there was an inevitable tension between the pressing need to act quickly and decisively in order to facilitate the return of the displaced to their lands and homes, and the need to be comprehensive and thorough in dealing with what were in fact very complex questions. In this context, too often human rights and in particular the rights to adequate housing had been "sacrificed" - they had not been adequately or sufficiently translated into concrete actions.
Syria, Croatia and Kazakhstan spoke as concerned countries.
In the interactive dialogue, concerning the right to food, speakers said the Special Rapporteur on the right to food had highlighted a positive relationship between agro ecology and the right to food and had underscored the importance of international cooperation with regard to agricultural production. A comprehensive approach to tackle food insecurity with a special focus on long-term structural causes was needed, otherwise, the state of food security in the world might further deteriorate. States should implement public policies supporting the adoption of agro ecological practices by devoting the maximum of their capacities and resources to the progressive realisation of the right to food. There was no question that sustainable agriculture was the preferred choice for governments and farmers, but the fundamental question remained the implementation and institutionalisation of agro ecology in policy and practice. Speakers supported the recommendation made in the report that donors should support agricultural development by investing in technical assistance and capacity building, as well as technology transfer. It was unfortunate that the vagaries of the international system often compelled States with limited resources to rationalise their national balance sheets as opposed to encourage them to introduce new methods and techniques. Speakers endorsed the recommendations of the Special Rapporteur, particularly those that urged donors to engage in long-term relationships with partner countries and support South-South cooperation on the dissemination and adoption of agro ecological practices.
With regard to adequate housing, speakers agreed with the Special Rapporteur that housing had inherent social value of vital importance to social stability, poverty alleviation and development. The impact of armed conflict and natural disasters could be devastating on communities and could force the populations into displacement. The poor and socially disadvantaged were most likely to be severely affected in those contexts. Realisation of the right to adequate housing in emergencies could take time and speakers supported the recommendation of the Special Rapporteur that governments should provide immediate and temporary shelter for those affected by armed conflict and natural disasters. Post-disaster and post-conflict situations could have devastating impacts on the populations and affect disproportionately those who were socially disadvantaged. As the world struggled to cope with the impact of natural disasters and armed conflict, the focus of the report was both topical and opportune. Speakers shared the general concern expressed by the Special Rapporteur in her conclusions and recommendations, in particular with regard to the effective consultation and direct participation of affected communities in the design and implementation of post-disaster rehabilitation responses. For a rehabilitation plan to be successful, it had to involve people and representative institutions in the decision-making process, help them to make informed choices and reflect their priorities and aspirations in programme deliverables. It also had to strengthen civil society institutions, community-based organizations, and women's groups through building partnerships and collaborations in the implementation process.
Speaking in the interactive dialogue on the right to food and the right to adequate housing were Chile, China, Brazil, Pakistan on behalf of the Organization of the Islamic Conference,
Netherlands, Maldives, Nigeria on behalf of the African Group, Cuba, Luxembourg, Germany,
Algeria, Israel, Iran, Thailand, Djibouti, United States, Serbia, Honduras, India, Timor-Leste, Zambia, Ecuador, Finland, Norway, Canada, Morocco, Australia, Ghana, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Holy See, Palestine, Qatar, Switzerland, Sudan, Venezuela, Bangladesh, African Union, Nigeria, South Africa, Rwanda, Uruguay, Ethiopia, and the European Union.
The following national human rights institutions and non-governmental organizations also took the floor: Croatian Ombudsman, European Disability Forum, BADIL Resource Centre for Palestinian Residency, Permanent Assembly for Human Rights, International Institute for Non-Aligned Studies, Indian Movement "Tupaj Amaru", Human Rights Advocates, Society Threatened Peoples, and China NGO Network for International Exchange.
The Council today is holding a full day of meetings from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. In the afternoon meeting, it will hold a clustered interactive dialogue with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children and the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.