IFOR co-sponsored, together with other 13 NGOs, an oral statement on the Right to Food which was delivered by Associazione Papa Giovanni XXIII during the 46th session of the UN Human Rights Council.
The statement refers as well to the last encyclical of Pope Francis "Fratelli tutti" ("All brothers"), on Fraternity and Social Friendship, and reinforces the call to
"convert the money spent on weapons and other military expenditures in a global fund that can finally put an end to hunger and favour development in the most impoverished countries".
46th Regular Session of the Human Rights Council, 22 February – 23 March 2021
Item 3: ID with Special Rapporteur on the right to food
Joint oral statement delivered by: Associazione Comunità Papa Giovanni XXIII (APG23)
Check against delivery
Madam President,
APG23 and 14 co-signing NGOs welcome the report of the Special Rapporteur on the right to food in which he highlights the issues that will inform his future thematic reports.1
According to the UN Policy Brief on the Impact of COVID-19 on Food Security and Nutrition from June 2020 “Prior to the onset of this pandemic, more than 820 million people were already identified as chronically food insecure.” 2 We expect that the pandemic will push more children and adults into food insecurity and hunger around the world, undermining the efforts to achieve SDG2 and, more worryingly, increasing malnutrition-related deaths.
In his speech for the last World Food Day in October 2020, Pope Francis remarked: “Hunger is not only a tragedy for humanity, but also a shame. It is caused largely by an unequal distribution of the fruits of the earth, compounded by a lack of investment in the agricultural sector, the consequences of climate change and the increase in conflicts in various areas of the planet.”3
In view of the incoming Food Systems Summit, we hope that the discussion on food systems will focus on putting human rights at their core, addressing inequalities, promoting accountability and ensuring that markets serve social needs above profits.
We concur with the proposal of Pope Francis in the last encyclical “On Fraternity and Social Friendship” to convert the money spent on weapons and other military expenditures in a global fund that can finally put an end to hunger and favour development in the most impoverished countries.
In this regard, we urge the Member States to make concrete actions that are needed now more than ever. The future of the next generations is in our hands, we must do our part. Thank you!
Fratelli tutti (All Brothers) is the third encyclical of Pope Francis , subtitled "on fraternity and social friendship". In the document, Francis states that the way theCOVID-19 pandemic was managed by world countries has shown a failure in global cooperation. The encyclical calls for more human fraternity and solidarity, and is a plea to reject wars.
The document was signed on October 3rd 2020, on the occasion of Pope Francis's visit to the tomb of his namesake, Saint Francis of Assisi, and was published the following day on the saint's feast day. You can download the encyclical here.