On October 18, 2024, Mr. James Harrison Greenwood, a member of our UN delegation, delivered a statement at the United Nations General Assembly Third Committee on the subject of the “Right to Food.”
Opening the session, Mr. Michael Fakhri, Special Rapporteur on the right to food, presented his report to the Committee, highlighting the increasing use of food as a weapon against civilians and the growing risk of global starvation.
Mr. Fakhri emphasised that conflict is a primary driver of hunger and malnutrition, noting that hunger can lead to conflict, while conflict invariably results in hunger. He spoke on the enduring impact of famine, which he described as a cause of deep social trauma that reverberates through generations. The Special Rapporteur further stressed that starvation is a profound human rights violation, infringing upon international humanitarian and criminal laws, and he reaffirmed that there is never any justification for its use.
Referencing the escalating humanitarian crisis in Sudan, Mr. Fakhri underscored that over 25 million people there are now at risk of starvation, marking an unprecedented level of need. He also noted the ongoing, underreported famine in Yemen, where over 2.7 million children are acutely malnourished, with nearly half of children under five experiencing stunting. Crises in the Palestinian Territories, Haiti, Somalia, Myanmar, Lebanon, Syria, and Sierra Leone were also cited as areas of serious concern.
In this statement, Mr. Greenwood underscored the urgent need to address global food insecurity and malnutrition, highlighting how conflicts, natural disasters, and shifting international focus often leave affected populations unsupported in the long term. He called attention to the disparity between high levels of food waste in developed nations and severe food shortages in developing countries, stressing the importance of achieving the Sustainable Development Goal of zero hunger.