Argentina: UN expert to assess right to adequate food

Spanish

GENEVA / BUENOS AIRES (7 September 2018) – The UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Hilal Elver, will visit Argentina from 12 to 21 September 2018 to gather first-hand information on the country’s realization of the right to food.  

“I look forward to assessing the level of enjoyment of the right to food in Argentina,” said the independent expert designated by the UN Human Rights Council to report on the full realization of the right to food around the world.

Ms Elver expressed concern about the increased challenges posed by the economic turmoil in Argentina. “I intend to discuss options with the Government on how to bring about greater inclusion for people, in both urban and rural areas, whose situations have now become more vulnerable,” she said.

The Special Rapporteur will further assess the impact of industrial large-scale agricultural production models in Argentina, compared with alternative models of food production including agro-ecological practices.

This is the first visit to the country by an independent expert on the right to food and the Special Rapporteur will hold a number of meetings including with senior Government officials, representatives from the UN system, civil society members and communities in Buenos Aires and in Chaco provinces. 

Ms Elver will hold a news conference to share the preliminary findings of her visit at 12:30 local time on Friday 21 September at the Hotel Pestana,Salón Lisboa, Carlos Pellegrini 877 in Buenos Aires. Access to the news conference will be strictly limited to journalists.

The Special Rapporteur will present a comprehensive report on the findings of her visit to the UN Human Rights Council in March 2019.

ENDS

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, 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.

The Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Proceduresof 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 – Argentina

For more information and press inquiries, please contact:
In Argentina (during the visit): Ms Viktoria Aberg (+41 79 752 0486/ vaberg@ohchr.org)
Press contact, Argentina: Mr. Gustavo Poch: (+54 011 4803 7671 / poch@un.org)
 
In Geneva: Ms Soo Young Hwang (+41 22 917 9267 /shwang@ohchr.org)

For media inquiries related to other UN independent experts please contact: Mr. Jeremy Laurence, UN Human Rights – Media Unit (+41 22 917 9383 / jlaurence@ohchr.org)

This year is the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the UN on 10 December 1948. The Universal Declaration – translated into a world record 500 languages – is rooted in the principle that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” It remains relevant to everyone, every day. In honour of the 70th anniversary of this extraordinarily influential document, and to prevent its vital principles from being eroded, we are urging people everywhere to Stand Up for Human Rights: www.standup4humanrights.org.