Poland: UN rights expert to assess food security challenges

GENEVA (14 April 2016) – The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Hilal Elver, will undertake an official visit to Poland from 18 to 25 April 2016 to gather first-hand information on the realization of the right to food in the country.  She will assess the efforts being made to achieve food and nutrition security and the obstacles faced both at the national and international level in this regard.

“As one of the transition economies in Central Europe, Poland is now considered as one of the most important global producers of agricultural and horticultural products, and the visit will explore the implications on the right to food” said Ms. Elver.

“During my visit, I will also study how accession to the European Union and its Common Agricultural Policy has impacted on agricultural production in the country, including on the livelihoods of farmers,” she noted.

This is the first visit to Poland by an independent expert on the right to food assigned by the UN Human Rights Council to report on initiatives to ensure the full realization of the right to food.

Ms. Elver, who visits the country at the invitation of the Polish Government, will engage with the authorities to identify the challenges faced in ensuring the full realization of the right to food and propose strategies for improving the enjoyment of the right by all, including the most vulnerable in society.

During her eight-day visit, the rights expert will meet with senior Government officials, as well as representatives from the UN system, international agencies,  civil society, the Ombudsman’s Office and individual communities in various locations throughout the country. 

Ms. Elver will hold a press conference to share the preliminary findings of her visit at 11:00 p.m. on Monday 25 April 2016, at the United Nations Information Centre, Piêkna 19, Warsaw. Access to the press conference is 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.

Hilal Elver (Turkey) was appointed Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food by the  Human Rights Council in 2014. She is a Research Professor, and 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: 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.

OHCHR Country Page – Poland: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Countries/ENACARegion/Pages/PLIndex.aspx

For more information and press inquiries, please contact:
Karina Rathman (Warsaw): +48 (22) 825 57 84/+48) 501 548 508
/ karina.rathman@unic.org
Ahreum Lee (Geneva): +41 22 917 9391 (before and after the visit) /
+41 79 752 0486 (mobile number in Poland) / ahreumlee@ohchr.org

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

For your news websites and social media: Multimedia content & key messages relating to our news releases are available on UN Human Rights social media channels, listed below. Please tag us using the proper handles:
Twitter: @UNHumanRights
Facebook: unitednationshumanrights
Instagram: unitednationshumanrights
Google+: unitednationshumanrights
Youtube: unohchr