CNDH calls upon stakeholders to deepen debate on the impact of climate change on the right to food
The National Human Rights Council took part at the interactive dialogue with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to food, on the 7th of March 2016 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. It called in its statement upon all stakeholders concerned to deepen the debate on the impact of climate change on the right to food, particularly during the 22nd Conference of Parties to UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – COP22, to be hold in Morocco, 7-18 November 2016.
CNDH Secretary General Mohamed Essabbar welcomed the efforts deployed by the Government to protect the right to food, including the programs designed to combat disparities in rural areas, but stressed that many challenges remained, particularly with regards to the agricultural sector and the rights of vulnerable individuals and groups.
The Government should implement the recommendations of the UN independent expert on the right to food to develop an appropriate legal framework to address the needs of vulnerable people, including women, children, and people with disabilities, he said.
The UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food submitted a report on her country visit to Morocco from 5 to 12 October 2015, transmitted to the Human Rights Council on the 14th of December 2015. In her report, the UN expert examines “the general challenges facing Morocco in implementing measures to ensure the realization of the right to adequate food and nutrition”. She highlights the particular difficulties encountered by the most vulnerable groups affected along with the challenges preventing them from their full enjoyment of the right to adequate food.
The Report of the Special Rapporteur on the right to food (Ms Hilal Elver) recognizes “the important steps already taken by the Government to realize the right to food”, and highlights a number of recommendations for consideration by all stakeholders, in particular the development of a national framework law on the right to food. The report includes specific recommendations to the Government, particularly on the Legal and institutional framework, Morocco Green Plan, Agriculture, Environmental issues and climate change, Women, Children, Unemployed youth, and Persons with disabilities.