Paraguay: UN rights expert to assess challenges to the right to adequate food

Spanish

 

GENEVA / ASUNCIÓN (1 November 2016) – The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Hilal Elver, will undertake an official visit to Paraguay from 4 to 10 November 2016 in order to gather first-hand information on the realization of the right to food in the country. During the visit she will assess both achievements and obstacles faced by Paraguay in ensuring the right to adequate food.

“I look forward to the opportunity to assess the level of enjoyment of the right to food in Paraguay,” said the independent expert designated by the UN Human Rights Council to monitor, report and advise on initiatives to ensure the full realization of the right to food around the world.

“I intend to discuss with the Government options to attain greater inclusion for people living in situation of increased vulnerability, paying special attention to women and children,” Ms. Elver said. “It is key that these options take into consideration the elements of availability, accessibility, adequacy and sustainability, all central to the right to food.”

The Special Rapporteur will also assess the impact on the right to food of the significant expansion of industrial large-scale soybean production in Paraguay, mainly for exportation.

This is the first visit to the country by an independent expert on the right to food mandated by the UN Human Rights Council.

During her seven-day visit, the Special Rapporteur will meet, among others, senior Government officials, representatives from the UN system, civil society members, indigenous representatives, representatives of the private sector and communities in various locations throughout the country.

Ms. Elver will hold a press conference to share the preliminary findings of her visit at 12:00 p.m. on Thursday 10 November 2016, at the UN House, Mariscal López y Saravi, Asunción. Access to the press conference will be strictly limited to journalists.

The Special Rapporteur’s observations and recommendations will be reflected in her final report, which will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in March 2017.

Ms. Hilal Elver (Turkey) was appointed Special Rapporteur on the right to food by the  Human Rights Council in 2014. She is a Research Professor, co-director of the Project on Global Climate Change, Human Security and Democracy housed at the Orfalea Center for Global & International Studies, and global distinguished fellow at the University of California Los Angeles Law School (UCLA) Resnick Food Law and Policy Center. Learn more, log on to: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Food/Pages/FoodIndex.aspx

The Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.

UN Human Rights, Country Page – Paraguay: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Countries/LACRegion/Pages/PYIndex.aspx

For more information and press inquiries, please contact:
In Asunción (during the visit):
Javier Chamorro (+595 21 607 904 / +595 971 986 360/ jchamorro@hchr.org.py)
Viktoria Aberg (+ 41 79 752 0483 / vaberg@ohchr.org)
In Geneva: Frederike Jansonuis (+41 22 917 9339 / fjansonius@ohchr.org)

For media inquiries related to other UN independent experts:
Xabier Celaya – Media Unit (+ 41 22 917 9383 / xcelaya@ohchr.org)  

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