A/HRC/43/44
United Nations
General Assembly
Distr.: General
21 January 2020
Original: English
Human Rights Council
Forty-third session
24 February–20 March 2020
Agenda item 3
Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil,
political, economic, social and cultural rights,
including the right to development
Critical perspective on food systems, food crises and the
future of the right to food
Report of the Special Rapporteur on the right to food*
Summary
The present report marks the close of the Special Rapporteur’s mandate and serves
as her final presentation to the Human Rights Council in her official capacity. Over the past
six years, Hilal Elver has gained a unique insight into the global state of the right to food.
Such knowledge has led her to conclude that, despite the Sustainable Development Goal of
“zero hunger” and malnutrition by 2030, the realization of the right to food remains a
distant, if not impossible, reality for far too many. In the present report, the Special
Rapporteur offers a critical perspective on the trends that have led to this reality and a
review of new developments that have the potential to change the status quo. She also looks
to the future, highlighting the roles and responsibilities of key players in advancing the
right to food. The recommendations set forth in the report are intended to facilitate the
work of subsequent Special Rapporteurs and contribute to the mandate’s institutional
memory. The Special Rapporteur therefore intends for the report to provide a foundation
for those who wish to guarantee a world free from hunger and malnutrition for the next
generation.
* Agreement was reached to publish the present report after the standard publication date owing to
circumstances beyond the submitter’s control.
GE.20-00869(E)