Preliminary study of the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee on discrimination in the context of the right to food

This study on discrimination in the context of the right to food was produced for the fourth session of the Advisory Committee of the UN Human Rights Council held in February 2010. The study covers discrimination in terms of region, markets, prices, subsidies, resources and infrastructure services looking at peasants, the urban poor, women, children, refugees and other vulnerable groups.

It details anti-discriminatory policies and strategies including the question of land and agrarian reform for these groups and highlights what it considers to be good practice in addressing discrimination through trade practice, forms of cooperation, promoting clean agriculture, education and nutrition programmes, microfinance and other good practices relating to the urban poor.

The report calls for policies and reforms to be designed, implemented and monitored with the participation of all stakeholders, including the most vulnerable. In particular it concludes that:

• concrete strategies to eliminate discrimination against women require not only changes in institutions and laws, but more importantly in cultural practices. School meals programmes and
  combating child labour should be essential components of strategies to eliminate
  chronic malnutrition among children.
• more attention needs to be paid to agrarian reform that benefits small-scale land holders and promotes security of tenure and access to land, particularly for women.
• the concept of food sovereignty offers an important new form of cooperation and association between producers and consumers. 
• further study on the significance and importance of a possible new instrument on the rights of peasants and other people living in rural areas, including from traditional fishing, hunting and herding activities.