The right to food

All human beings have a right to food. It is the right of every person to have regular access to sufficient, nutritionally adequate and culturally acceptable food for an active, healthy life. It is the right to feed oneself in dignity, rather than the right to be fed.

Not only that, The Right to Food is also the theme of the World Food Day 2007 which will be observed on October 16. The event is organised by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations each year on October 16, the day on which the FAO was founded in 1945. Since then, it has been observed in more than 150 countries.

This year's events include a ceremony at the FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy on October 16, a Run-for-Food race on October 21 also in Rome, a ceremony at the UN, New York on October 18, a TeleConference in Washington DC and national-level activities in many countries.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 first recognised the right to food as a human right. It was then incorporated in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights adopted in 1966 and ratified by 156 states. The Right to Food Guidelines were adopted by the FAO Council in 2004 and provide practical recommendations on concrete steps for the implementation of the right to food.

Severe food insecurity affects at least one-seventh of the world's human population. Around the world, 850 million people remain hungry and undernourished while 200 million children below the age of five suffer from symptoms of acute (severe) malnourishment. This increases further during periods of famine and social unrest.

Malnutrition is a primary factor in over 13 million children under five years dying annually from preventable diseases.

Ninety five per cent of the undernourished people (798 million) live in developing countries with the Asia Pacific region accounting for three fifths (505 million) of them.

Heightening awareness about this food problem and strengthening cooperation in the struggle against hunger, malnutrition and poverty are the aims of the World Food Day.

Getting rid of poverty everywhere

Remember us telling you that this week is full of special days and events. Another such event in the calendar this week is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on October 17.

The Day was declared by the UN General Assembly in 1992, following on the fact that certain non-governmental organisations, on the initiative of one of them (the French-based International Movement ATD Fourth World), had been observing October 17 as the World Day for Overcoming Extreme Poverty.

The Day seeks to promote increased awareness of the need to eradicate poverty in all countries, especially in developing countries, and serves to remind all people that sustained and joint efforts are needed to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of halving the number living in poverty by 2015.

The observance of the Day can be tracked down to October 17, 1987, when thousands of people gathered at the Trocadero in Paris, where the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was signed in 1948, to honour the victims of extreme poverty, violence and hunger.

They declared that poverty is a violation of human rights and emphasised the need to come together to ensure that these rights are respected. Since then, people of all backgrounds, beliefs and social origins have gathered every year on October 17 to renew their commitment and show their support to the poor.

The Day presents an opportunity to acknowledge the effort and struggle of people living in poverty, a chance for them to make their concerns heard, and a moment to recognise that poor people are the first ones to fight against poverty.

Participation of the poor themselves has been at the centre of the Day's celebration since its very beginning. It also reflects their willingness to use their expertise to contribute to the eradication of poverty.