Save The human right to food: International mission to Haiti

International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development

Date: 29 May 2008
Save The human right to food: International mission to Haiti,
May 26-30, 2008

MONTREAL – An international fact-finding mission organized by Rights & Democracy in collaboration with Le Groupe de Recherche et d’Appui en Milieu Rural (GRAMIR), arrives in Haiti next week. The mission will address the causes of chronic hunger in Haiti and investigate the circumstances that produced the current food crisis.

This is the third in a series of fact-finding missions on the human right to food undertaken by Rights & Democracy (Malawi 2006 and Nepal 2007). The mission takes place on the heels of the UN Human Rights Council’s special session on the current food crisis.

The mission delegation, comprised of Haitian experts on food security working in cooperation with representatives of Canadian academia and an advisor to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Food, will visit affected communities and conduct interviews with government representatives, UN and donor agencies, social movements and civil society organizations.

‘The problem of hunger is a problem of human rights’, said Jean-Paul Hubert, President of Rights & Democracy. ‘The world produces enough food to feed itself, so why are so many people experiencing hunger on a daily basis? It is not a question of need and charity, but rather of entitlement and accountability.’

Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere and is classified as a least-developed country (LDC) by the United Nations, ranking 146 out of 177 countries rated. 31% of the population lives in a situation of chronic hunger and one in twelve Haitian children dies of nutrition-related disease before the age of five. Since April 2007, the rapid rise in world commodity prices has lead to further deterioration of the situation.

Preliminary findings of the mission will be released during a public seminar in Port-au-Prince on May 30, 2008. A mission report will be released during the summer months.

Rights & Democracy works to promote human rights and strengthen democratic governance in Haiti through its office in Port-au-Prince, which opened in 2006.






With the exception of public UN sources, reproduction or redistribution of the above text, in whole, part or in any form, requires the prior consent of the original source. The opinions expressed in the documents carried by this site are those of the authors and are not necessarily shared by UN OCHA or ReliefWeb.