人权理事会听取食物权问题特别报告员和适足住房问题特别报告员的报告（部分翻译）

人权理事会
中午/下午

2014年3月10日

人权理事会今日与食物权问题特别报告员以及适足生活水准权所含适足住房问题特别报告员举行集体互动对话。
 
两位特别报告员皆已完成了各自为期6年的任务，并向理事会呈交了任期内的最后一份报告。

食物权问题特别报告员奥利维尔•德舒特（Olivier De Schutter）呈交了两份报告，就其2013年对马拉维和马来西亚的访问进行了总结。马拉维作为世界上最贫困的国家之一，与其他举措相比最需要更加多样化的农业。他表示，近几十年来，马来西亚已在减贫方面取得了显著进步，因而特别报告员的任务尤为顺利地进行。此外，他还为该国列出了3个优先领域。特别报告员还提交了一份报告，从他6年任务负责人经历中得出结论，表明饥饿和营养不良问题的解决方案不再是增加粮食产量结合贸易与援助，而是国际社会支持各区域自给自足的能力，以及对当地生产再次进行投资。

适足生活水准权所含适足住房及在此方面不受歧视权问题特别报告员拉克尔•罗尔尼克（Raquel Rolnik）表示，影响全球数百万人的土地权无保障问题常常导致各种侵犯人权现象，不仅影响适足住房权，还波及与之相关的权利，如教育、集会自由、健康和社会安全。最贫困人口因为土地权无保障而受到冲击。特别报告员提出了一套10条针对该问题开发的简要指导原则。在访问印度尼西亚时，她表示促进获得住房方面的平等和不歧视仍需政府在各个层面采取迅速且明确的行动。而在访问联合王国时，她表示低收入人群、无家可归者、残疾人以及年轻人的处境得到了重视，评估福利改革为这些及其他人群获得住房权利所带来的影响十分重要。
 
马来西亚、印度尼西亚和联合王国作为当事国进行了发言。此外，发言者还包括马拉维人权委员会、马来西亚人权委员会和平等人权委员会、苏格兰人权委员会以及北爱尔兰人权委员会。 

在随后的讨论中，发言者表示消除饥饿和营养不良的目标是可实现的，这要求在各个层面实施由政府主导的改革并营造有利国际环境。其他发言者还提及了获取粮食政治化及粮食不安全问题。部分发言者警告称，受到大量补贴的农业部门产量过剩，为发展中国家的农业产品带来了不利影响。土著社区、难民和寻求庇护者等弱势群体最容易面临被剥夺食物权的风险。发言者就该问题表示担忧。

在谈及适足住房权相关问题时，部分发言者提出了在不考虑妇女与男性和社区成员关系的情况下确保其土地权的问题。土地权的保障问题也被提及。部分发言者认为特别报告员的指导原则极为务实，并对报告涉及了生活水准和不歧视问题表示欢迎。在土地权保障问题方面，必须确保对相关经营者的问责。
 
在集体互动对话上发言的包括：代表非洲集团发言的埃塞俄比亚、代表阿拉伯集团发言的也门、欧盟、代表伊斯兰合作组织发言的巴基斯坦、代表拉美及加勒比国家共同体发言的哥斯达黎加、突尼斯、墨西哥、阿根廷、黑山、阿尔及利亚、摩洛哥、萨尔瓦多、乌拉圭、巴拉圭、泰国、苏丹、埃及、中国、叙利亚、古巴、葡萄牙、瑞士、科特迪瓦、塞拉利昂、孟加拉、斯里兰卡、南非、巴西、安哥拉、哥斯达黎加、科威特、危地马拉、德国、卢森堡和罗马教廷。联合国粮农组织也在讨论中进行了发言。
 
阿拉伯联合酋长国、中国、大韩民国、柬埔寨和阿根廷行使了答辩权。

人权理事会将于3月11日（周二）上午9点召开下一场公开会议。届时，它将结束与食物权问题特别报告员和适足住房问题特别报告员的集体互动对话。随后，理事会将和与享有安全、清洁、健康和可持续环境相关的人权义务问题独立专家，以及各国外债和相关国际金融义务对充分行使所有人权的影响问题独立专家举行集体互动对话。

文件
 
人权理事会面前有食物权问题特别报告员奥利维尔•德舒特（Olivier De Schutter）的报告《食物权的变革潜力》（A/HRC/25/57）。 
 
人权理事会面前有食物权问题特别报告员奥利维尔•德舒特关于对马拉维访问的报告增编（A/HRC/25/57/Add.1）。 
 
人权理事会面前有食物权问题特别报告员奥利维尔•德舒特关于对马来西亚访问的报告增编（A/HRC/25/57/Add.2）。 
 
人权理事会面前有适足生活水准权所含适足住房及在此方面不受歧视权问题特别报告员的报告（A/HRC/25/54）。

人权理事会面前有适足生活水准权所含适足住房及在此方面不受歧视权问题特别报告员关于对印度尼西亚访问的报告增编（A/HRC/25/54/Add.1）。

人权理事会面前有适足生活水准权所含适足住房及在此方面不受歧视权问题特别报告员关于对大不列颠及北爱尔兰联合王国访问的报告增编（A/HRC/25/54/Add.2）。 
 
人权理事会面前有载有大不列颠及北爱尔兰联合王国意见的适足生活水准权所含适足住房及在此方面不受歧视权问题特别报告员关于对大不列颠及北爱尔兰联合王国访问的报告增编（A/HRC/25/54/Add.4）。 
 
Presentations by the Special Rapporteurs on the Right to Food and on the Right to Adequate Housing
 
OLIVIER DE SCHUTTER, Special Rapporteur on the right to food, said in his last presentation to the Council as holder of this mandate, he was presenting two reports summarizing findings from his 2013 missions in Malawi and Malaysia, and a thematic report drawing conclusions from his six years as mandate holder.  Malawi was one of the poorest countries in the world, ranking one hundred and seventieth of 186 surveyed countries in the 2013 Human Development Index.  Levels of malnutrition were alarmingly high and almost half of all children under the age of five showed signs of chronic malnutrition.  Its demographic growth was one of the strongest of the world and as a result, the pressure on Malawi’s natural resources was extreme.  Malawi needed greater diversity of agriculture and its farming programmes were in urgent need of reform.  The adoption of a Framework Law on the Right to Food would be very beneficial to it, strengthening accountability and institutional oversight of food and nutrition security programmes.  In Malaysia, impressive progress in the reduction of poverty had been made in recent decades so the mission therefore took place under particularly good auspices.  The Special Rapporteur highlighted three priority areas: the development of a comprehensive social safety net, strengthening of the land rights of indigenous peoples and regularization of the millions of undocumented foreign workers.
 
The Special Rapporteur recalled his appointment in March 2008, at the height of the global food price crisis, and his first initiative to call for a Special Session of the Council to address as an emergency the massive threat to a social right, the right to food, that resulted from irrational markets, driven by speculation and largely manufactured fears about levels of stock.  The Council had sent a message that hunger and malnutrition could be tackled, but that doing so required political will.  The paradigm through which hunger and malnutrition was addressed had changed dramatically.  The solution was no longer increased production of food combined with trade and aid to channel food from food-surplus regions to food-deficit regions.  Consensus was now that the international community must support the ability of each region to feed itself, and to reinvest in local production.  An urgent priority was better aligned trade policies on the new food security agenda.  Food sovereignty had never been about autarky.  But it was a call for food systems to be designed in a more open, transparent and inclusive way.  The objectives of food sovereignty were closely aligned with the requirements of the right to food.  
 
RAQUEL ROLNIK, Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, said she was pleased to present her final thematic report with practical guidance for States and other stakeholders on security of tenure for the urban poor.  Often, tenure insecurity led to a range of human rights violations, affecting not only the right to adequate housing but several other related rights, like education, freedom of assembly, health or social security.  Globally, tenure insecurity was responsible for many millions of people living under a daily threat of eviction, lack of access to services, or in an ambiguous situation where their tenure status became the basis for discrimination, or was used to their detriment by public and private actors.  It was evident that the poorest bore the brunt of tenure insecurity.  The concept of legitimate tenure rights extended beyond mainstream notions of private ownership and included multiple tenure forms deriving from a variety of tenure systems.    
 
There were concrete policies and practices addressing security of tenure that offered an array of examples and lessons to enhance housing and urban development policies in the years to come.  Working closely with housing public policy and human rights experts, the Special Rapporteur had developed a set of 10 short Guiding Principles, meant as a toolbox to be applied according to specific country contexts.  States had an obligation to ensure that all persons possessed a degree of security of tenure that guaranteed legal protection against all threats.  Concerning a visit to Indonesia, it was noted that the promotion of equality and non-discrimination in access to housing continued to require swift and well-defined action from the Government at all levels.  On a visit to the United Kingdom, the situation of low-income people, the homeless, persons with disabilities and young people was underscored.  It was essential to assess and evaluate the impact that the welfare reform had had on the right to adequate housing of these and other individuals and groups.
 
Statements by Concerned Countries
 
Malawi Human Rights Commission thanked the Special Rapporteur on the right to food on his report and the constructive recommendations made therein.  The Commission raised a number of issues which had not been sufficiently covered in the report, such as the lack of transparency in the management of agricultural resources and the national grain reserves, which were particularly relevant given the food insecurity that the people of Malawi faced.  With regard to politicization of access to food, the Commission said there were a number of instances where food had been distributed by politicians and used for political ends.
 
Malaysia, speaking as a concerned country, thanked the Special Rapporteur on the right to food for his visit to Malaysia and said that the visit had brought to light certain gaps which the Government was committed to improve.  Malaysia was pleased to note that the report acknowledged improvements in both Sabah and Sarawak, particularly in terms of addressing poverty and reducing food insecurity.  The Government reaffirmed that in its efforts to improve the well-being and welfare of indigenous communities, a non-confrontational and persuasive approach would be pursued, especially on sensitive and important issues such as land rights.  Malaysia firmly believed that poverty constituted the biggest stumbling block towards the full enjoyment of all human rights.  Malaysia was fortunate to have benefitted from continuous and consistent implementation of a wide range of policies and programmes in key sectors such as education, health, poverty eradication, housing and agriculture.  Malaysia reaffirmed its commitment to continue ensuring that economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to food for all in Malaysia, could be progressively realised.
 
Human Rights Commission of Malaysia welcomed the report of Mr. De Schutter.  Access to food was seldom seen as a major concern in Malaysia, given that it was seen as an agriculturally productive country.  However, the Commission was concerned that many failed to realise that other than their availability, the full enjoyment of the right to food was heavily dependent on society’s ability to access those food sources; and underscored the need for the Government to eliminate the persisting pockets of deprivation to ensure all segments of society had adequate physical and financial access to nutritious food.   Urgent priority must therefore be given to vulnerable groups who faced the highest risk of being deprived of the right to food, such as indigenous communities, refugees and asylum seekers.  Serious consideration must be given by policy-makers towards ensuring self-sufficiency for staple foods, sustainability of food production, and social safety nets.  A human rights-based approach to development was instrumental to strike the right balance between development and the fulfilment of human rights principles, leading to greater prosperity.   
 
Indonesia, speaking as a concerned country, said that it believed that the visit of the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing had provided not only a valuable experience for national stakeholders to engage with the Special Rapporteur and benefit from her expertise and views, but had also been an opportunity to reflect and take stock of progress made.  Given the huge population and spread of its territory, realising the right of adequate housing was a tremendous challenge and shortcomings were acknowledged.  The Special Rapporteur’s report had tried to provide a comprehensive picture of the situation.  What was important was that the report had helped to identify gaps that remained to be addressed by the Government in this field, and recommendations made were appreciated.  With regard to security of tenure of land, the State recognised traditional practices as long as they remained in existence and in line with societal development.
 
United Kingdom, speaking as a concerned country, recalled that the Government had issued a standing invitation to the Special Procedures and contributed to thematic studies.  Concerning the report of the Special Rapporteur, however, the United Kingdom was concerned that the suggested Guiding Principles did not fully take into account the well-established arrangements that were already in place in the United Kingdom to ensure tenure security.  Therefore while some States may find it useful to consider the Guidelines, the Government had concluded that they were not appropriate in the United Kingdom’s context.  In relation to the mandate holder’s visit to the United Kingdom, from 29 August to 1 September 2013, the Government had expressed strong concerns about inaccuracies in her interim report and, unfortunately, the final report also contained a number of inaccuracies and omissions.  The United Kingdom regretted that the Special Rapporteur’s recommendations did not accurately reflect the situation in the United Kingdom, pointing out the significant progress and notable achievements in the field of housing. 
 
Equality Human Rights Commission, the Scottish Human Rights Commission, and the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, in a joint oral statement, acknowledged Ms. Rolnik’s analysis of the impact of austerity measures, in particular, welfare reform, on the right to adequate housing.   The Special Rapporteur also highlighted the need to ensure the availability of appropriate and culturally sensitive accommodation options for Gypsy and Traveller communities across the country.  The report raised concerns regarding the situation in Northern Ireland, where equality and choice in accessing social housing remained constrained by the persistence of community divisions.  The Special Rapporteur’s report was a very timely contribution to addressing the need for a sufficient and adequate supply of housing in times of austerity; and called upon the Government to carry out the assessments, evaluations and recommendations by Ms. Rolnik so that new regulations would not discriminate unlawfully and would protect the right to an adequate standard of living.
 
Clustered Interactive Dialogue
 
Ethiopia, speaking on behalf of the African Group, said that ensuring the enjoyment of the right to food remained a challenge everywhere but the eradication of hunger and malnutrition was an achievable goal.  It required State-driven reform at all levels and an enabling international environment in which policies that affected the ability of countries to guarantee the right to food for their people were realigned with the imperative of achieving food security and ensuring adequate nutrition.  Yemen, speaking on behalf of the Arab Group, agreed with the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing that occupation and illegal settlements were an affront to human rights and Israel must put an end to forced evictions and settlements, and the international community should strengthen measures to curb illegal occupation.
 
European Union asked Ms. Rolnik to provide good practices in guaranteeing the right of women to tenure irrespective of their relationship with males or community members and also about other good examples of plans to ensure that security of tenure was respected.  The European Union then asked Mr. De Schutter to elaborate on how national policies could be shaped to adequately take into account not just the quantity but the quality of food as well.  Pakistan, speaking on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, agreed with the Special Rapporteur that availability, accessibility, adequacy and sustainability were basic requirements for ensuring the right to food, but stressed that the need to prioritize those requirements depended on local and national circumstances.  Turning to the report on adequate housing, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation said that the Guiding Principles to ensure adequate housing for the poor and vulnerable in peri-urban areas were a very important contribution and needed further deliberation.
 
Costa Rica, speaking on behalf of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, said that the main goal of the action plan approved by the Community was to improve lives of people by eradicating poverty, hunger and malnutrition.  Securing adequate housing for all was a priority and the Community was committed to improving the living conditions of the poorest in urban areas.  Tunisia said that overproduction in highly subsidized agricultural sectors had a detrimental effect on agricultural production in developing countries.  In order to achieve the right of all to food, which was an integral part of human dignity, a reform of global governance was needed. 
 
Mexico said that ongoing hunger and malnutrition were seen throughout the world, an affront to human rights protection and human dignity.  As the Special Rapporteur pointed out, the fundamental problem was the decisive interference of other factors and dimensions such as access and distribution, among others.   A comprehensive reform of food systems was needed.  Algeria said that the questions of food and sustainable production were complex.  In order to understand the whole food sector and sustainable production, economic and political issues had to be taken into account at the national, regional and international levels.  Pressure on the environment of food production and consumption patterns also needed to be taken into account.  International bodies needed to take measures to increase research analysis and breakdown of existing food systems.  Morocco said on the right to food that it shared most of the conclusions presented in the report.  Morocco’s strategy on programmes implemented by the Ministry of Health to promote healthy nutrition had improved the health of its people.  Measures to improve knowledge of nutrition had been pursued through a campaign of promoting fortified foods and foods rich in micro-nutrients.  Major efforts had been made by the Government to ensure adequate housing for all.  El Salvador believed that the implementation of the right to food was very important.  With the support of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Programme, El Salvador had been implementing programmes to guarantee this right, and part of them included programmes on food security, production centres, and regional seeds for development programmes, among others.  A globalized agricultural system had to be tackled and greater global governance was needed. 
 
Argentina said that over the past 10 years it had particularly focused on efforts to ensure that all of its population could enjoy economic, social and cultural rights.  It was the State that had to act to fill the gap when there were gaping social inequalities.  Argentina was promoting the development of a comprehensive housing policy to ensure that there was better access to housing.  Montenegro was particularly concerned by the Special Rapporteur’s discussion regarding women’s security of tenure.  States should guarantee the right of women to security of tenure, independent of their relationships with men or other community members.  The risk of tenure insecurity and homelessness was a matter of great importance that could impact other human rights concerns and violations related to women. 
 
Uruguay thanked the Special Rapporteur on the right to housing for the report, recommendations and guidelines, and agreed on the need for policies at the national and local levels in the context of an appropriate legal framework.  In rural areas, Uruguay counted with several programmes to provide certainty to people willing to build their houses and initiatives attempted to address the needs of vulnerable groups living in informal housing.  Concerning Mr. De Shutter’s report, Uruguay thought that an inter-sectorial approach was necessary and Uruguay regretted that the report’s analysis was not in-depth.  The Food and Agriculture Organization thanked Mr. de Schutter for his report and work and noted the importance of moving forward to assuring the right to food for all.  The Organization believed that the right to food was at the heart of the eradication of huger and all these challenges were interrelated, as reflected in the report of the Special Rapporteur.  The role of the Committee on World Food Security was crucial in coordinating actions, addressing main challenges and foreseeing the realization of the right.  Paraguay thanked the Special Rapporteur on the right to food for his report and, as food producer, Paraguay hoped to be able to create a sustainable trade flow that would contribute to alleviating peoples’ food needs.  Paraguay had decided to implement a national programme for poverty reduction, aimed at increasing the income and access to services for families living in poverty and extreme poverty.  
 
Thailand believed that the recommendations in the report of the mandate holder on the right to food could contribute a positive normative framework to make progress.  Concerning adequate housing, Thailand found the Guiding Principles extremely practical and welcomed that the report addressed standard of living and non-discrimination issues.  Sudan thanked the mandate holders for their presentations and welcomed the report outlining the challenges facing the right to food and the way ahead.  Sudan had spared no effort to achieve this objective through the profitable use of its immense agricultural and water resources; a number of measures and projects had been implemented, including some concerning water management, and flexible agricultural and investment policies had been implemented, but Sudan continued to suffer the effects from unilateral economic sanctions imposed by the United States.  Egypt saw the report on the right to housing as an important contribution to strengthening security of tenure, for which solutions should recognise the variety of tenure arrangements, the investments required as part of a human right-based approach to housing, and ensuring the accountability of business operators.  Concerning the report of the mandate holder on the right to food, Egypt suggested that a human rights approach to international trade policies concerning food products and associated aspects should be considered. 
 
China said that the right to food was a basic human right on which all other human rights and fundamental freedoms rested.  Developing countries needed help in producing a sufficient quantity of food and achieving food security for their people.  The issue of housing was a key one impacting human dignity and the challenge was in increasing the housing to meet the needs of middle and low-income families.  Syria outlined challenges it was facing in the absence of an enabling international environment, including the economic sanctions, which impeded efforts to provide assistance, and the activities of armed groups which hindered the Government’s attempts to provide assistance.  Cuba said that the Guiding Principles presented by the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing were highly relevant and paid tribute to the work done by Mr. De Schutter.  Cuba agreed that eradicating hunger and malnutrition was a goal that could be achieved as they were caused by an unequal global order and an unjust division of wealth, in which neoliberal forces prevailed. 
Portugal asked the Special Rapporteur on the right to food about the measures to combat inequalities in the enjoyment of the right to adequate food and concrete suggestions to improve synergies in matters of guaranteeing social protection floors.  Switzerland said that the number of persons having adequate housing had considerably diminished due to the economic and financial crisis and asked the Special Rapporteur to clarify her recommendations to promote cheaper housing through incentives to the private sector and housing subsidies.  Switzerland also asked the Special Rapporteur on the right to food about his recommendations for a greater coherence in the global governance, including in the trade area to bring about positive change.  Côte d’Ivoire said that hunger, famine and malnutrition were growing worldwide, particularly in developing countries, and the Human Rights Council must remain engaged in this issue because of its impact on human rights.  Eradicating hunger and malnutrition was an achievable objective and food sovereignty was a precondition to the enjoyment of the right to food.
 
Sierra Leone said that in today’s world, no country was immune to some form of food crisis.  Resource management and preparedness remained key elements in addressing these issues.  While economic challenges which countries such as Sierra Leone were undergoing did not always make it possible to assure housing for all, this did not mean that it was not a priority for the Government to assure, to its best capacity, a stable and conducive living environment for its people.  Bangladesh said that it had to be kept in mind that rebuilding local food systems could not be a success if it was not complemented by creating an enabling international environment that would aim at rewarding and supporting domestic efforts towards the realization of the right to food rather than obstructing them.  The report on adequate housing had not addressed tenure security of migrants and persons with disabilities.  Sri Lanka said that it had accomplished much in ensuring food availability to everyone by increasing food production and ensuring equal distribution.  New technology, innovations and research in agriculture had enabled the Government to increase its food production.  Several programmes had been implemented to support low income families in housing, including concessionary schemes and the provision of technical assistance.
 
South Africa said that it placed equal emphasis on the two core human rights covenants and the inextricability of these two instruments.  South Africa had progressively and exponentially allocated its budget to the realization of economic, social and cultural rights.  On adequate housing, its social housing policy was one way in which rental or cooperative housing could be provided for low income earners.  Brazil said that security of tenure gave people the sense of home, offered them protection from displacement and forced eviction, and facilitated their access to public services.  The lack of security of tenure imposed additional risks on vulnerable groups, especially with regard to human rights violations.  On the right to food, Brazil agreed with the main message that the eradication of hunger was achievable.  Angola said that its Government was developing national programmes focusing on durable production and poverty reduction to guarantee the access to food for all.  On adequate housing, the Government had been focusing on the construction of middle income and social housing as part of its efforts to improve the conditions of the most vulnerable.  To improve the living conditions of the population, the Government was also building various housing projects in the country.
 
Costa Rica said the Special Rapporteur’s report clearly demonstrated the indivisibility of human rights as the right to food was linked to other rights including development and drinking water.   It beggared belief that one third of food produced was wasted.  Costa Rica raised questions about food sovereignty and the dilemma faced by Governments in either deregulating imports to reduce food costs or protecting local manufactures which led to higher food prices.  Kuwait said housing helped to protect human dignity.  Kuwait welcomed the Guiding Principles of the Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing and said its laws guaranteed security of tenure and private property was protected and nobody could be expropriated except in the interest of the general public, in specific cases laid down in law, in which case compensation would be paid.  Guatemala spoke about its Zero Hunger Plan to reduce chronic malnutrition between 2012 and 2015 and related measures it had taken.  The Zero Hunger Plan sought to strengthen the rural farming economy, targeting women as beneficiaries – empowering women was key to eradicating hunger.  Guatemala worked with tenacity and firm intent to achieve its goal of food security. 
 
Germany said as a co-sponsor of the resolution on the right to adequate housing the security of tenure issue was very relevant as today 860 million people lived in un-serviced and unplanned ‘urban poor’ settlements and were particularly vulnerable to diseases, natural and man-made disasters and high rates of crime.  Germany asked about obstacles to providing services to the urban poor and about culturally appropriate local dispute resolution mechanisms.  Luxembourg said it was convinced of the need to invest in agriculture in developing countries, giving priority to food security with room for biodiversity.  Rural people must be able to meet their own needs.  Luxembourg was committed to the rights of women peasants in Africa who often produced more than 80 per cent of the food but faced wide discrimination in many forms.  Holy See said 840 million people were afflicted by hunger, which manifested in a slow death, particularly for children who failed to meet developmental standards.  Pope Francis said something had to change in themselves and their society to bring down the barriers of individualism, of the slavery of profit at all costs.  Adequate public and private investment was needed to achieve the right to food.  Solidarity at the international level was equally important.  The Council was urged to advocate a way of life that overcame the throwaway culture. 
 
Burkina Faso thanked the Special Rapporteur on the right to food for his efforts and relevant conclusions, which showed the links between the right to food and the right to development.  In order to combat food insecurity, Burkina Faso had taken some measures in recent years and the right to food remained a priority.  Cereals at special prices had been sold in some regions and to poor families.  The Government had also taken measures to increase agricultural production and a national plan for employment, aiming at combating poverty and promoting development, had also been implemented.  Chile said that the report on the right to food documented the alarming picture of people still suffering from hunger; comprehensive policies at the national level should be put in place, as well as sustainable and fair food systems to ensure access to food for the most vulnerable.  Concerning the right to housing, Chile welcomed the fact that one of the outcomes of the mandate constituted the Guiding Principles to promote measures, aiming to ensure that people could live in a home with safety and dignity.  Venezuela’s Constitution enshrined the right to food and food sovereignty and programmes were available to offer elements of a basic food basket at good prices and without intermediaries.  At the global level policies of solidarity, food aid, debt relief and cooperation for development were necessary to bring food for all.  Venezuela had ensured that access to housing was a priority and measures had been implemented, including large-scale housing initiatives, to ensure decent living for Venezuelan people. 
 
Bolivia said food security and sovereignty were important to ensure the survival of small-scale food producers, as well as securing quality, healthy and nutritious food for its people.  The rural farming system played a key role in protecting biodiversity, combating climate change and ensuring sustainability and they could make a contribution to the planet as a whole; discrimination against them was simply unacceptable.  France said it made the issue of food security a priority during its presidency of the G20.  Achieving the right to food was an achievable goal.  Could the Special Rapporteur provide concrete examples of interdependent reforms?  France attached importance to the right to housing and reiterated its invitation to the mandate holder on the right to housing.  France would like to know if the Special Rapporteur was planning any missions this year.  Benin congratulated the Special Rapporteur on the right to housing for the quality of her report.  As emphasised by the report, all States had the duty to protect and strengthen forms of tenure.  Benin had been working on housing programmes to provide housing to low-income individuals and it appreciated the recommendations of the Special Rapporteur on the financial services to provide support to such programmes.  Benin called on the Council to take into account the recommendations to allow States to ensure decent housing for their populations.  Benin also called on the Council to make use of the recommendations in the report of the Special Rapporteur on the right to food.
 
Right of Reply
 
A number of States exercised their right of reply in connection with the clustered interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteurs on torture and on human rights defenders, which was held this morning.
 
United Arab Emirates, speaking in a right of reply, said that the United Arab Emirates had answered the notifications by the Special Rapporteur and that the country had always demonstrated a will to cooperate with the human rights system.
 
China, speaking in a right of reply, rejected the accusations by the Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders and some non-governmental organizations and reiterated the support it provided to civil society.  China stressed that human rights defenders had to respect the law and that the true intention of Cao Shunli, who had been detained in connection with the Universal Periodic Review, had been illegal.
 
Republic of Korea, speaking in a right of reply, acknowledged the importance of cooperation with civil society nationally and internationally and said that it was promoting human rights in accordance with its national laws and international obligations.  The National Security Act was applied only in conditions when the national security was under threat and its provisions were not in violation of the request for clarity.  Concerning the alleged spy case, the Republic of Korea assured that there were no international humanitarian law violations in the course of legal proceedings.
 
Cambodia, speaking in a right of reply, said Cambodia was committed to the United Nations Charter and the promotion and protection of human rights and condoned all human rights violations.  However, there were individuals who were using human rights for the sake of their political agendas and the Government had the obligation to protect public law, order and property during the demonstrations. 
 
Argentina, speaking in a right of reply in response to references by the Special Rapporteur on torture, said there were currently legislative reforms on the prevention of torture to strengthen certain aspects, including meetings between different Government departments.  Argentina also referred to some of the activities undertaken to standardise the conduct of prison staff to prevent and settle situations of conflict.  In 2011 a management unit to promote the comprehensive rights of persons deprived of liberty had been set up and the Ombudsman had also created a monitoring system.  Human rights training for prison staff with an emphasis on the prevention of torture and humane treatment, as well as the State’s obligations in this regard, was being provided.
 
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For use of the information media; not an official record