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	70% of world's hungry are women by Hilal Elver Special Rapporteur on the right to food   Women account for 70 per cent of the world's hungry, and are disproportionately affected by malnutrition, yet they are responsible for more than half of global food production, said the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Hilal Elver.   'Faced with discrimination on multiple levels, women's right to access food is affected at all stages of life. Indeed women in many countries receive less food than their male partners, as a result of their lower social status', said Ms. Elver launching her latest report to the UN Human Rights Council.   'Social segregation based on gender, when combined with other forms of discrimination grounded on religion, race, ethnicity, class and caste, disadvantage women even further', added the expert.   'Despite their critical contribution to world food and agricultural production, women face difficulties in maintaining household incomes due to increased competition with imported agricultural goods, reduced prices, and declining commodity prices in international market, as well as in engaging in market activities when cultural norms make it socially unacceptable for them to interact with men. Migrant women workers with precarious immigration status and indigenous women are particularly vulnerable', said the Special Rapporteur.   'Closing the gender gap in agriculture requires the development of gender-sensitive policies. Ensuring land rights, reinforcing the rights of girls and women to education and social protection and increasing women's participation in decision-making in a meaningful manner are critical', stressed the independent expert.   'Increasing women's access to and control over assets has been shown to have positive effects on important human development outcomes, including household food security, child nutrition, education and women's well-being and status within the home and community', she added.   On International Women's Day, the Special Rapporteur encourages States to focus on gender-sensitive policies in all fields, particularly in the context of climate change, in order to achieve further improvements in women's access to their right to food.   'Respecting, protecting and fulfilling women's rights will inevitably solve broader problems in food systems in general and can help communities achieve improved development outcomes', concluded Ms. Elver.   * Access the report: http://bit.ly/1UUUtaW   Poverty and hunger prevail because of economics, not scarcity, says Hilal Elver   'The world produces enough food to feed 10 billion people. Poverty and hunger prevail because of economics, not scarcity.   The greatest challenge for the sustainable development goals (SDGs) is to eradicate poverty and hunger while maintaining sustainable food security for all in a crowded and dramatically unequal world.   Although the world has succeeded in reducing poverty in accordance with the millennium development goal (MDG) targets, food security and adequate nutrition have not been achieved.   The MDGs failed to treat food as a human right. Experience shows us that neither markets nor governments protect access to sufficient and nutritious food for everyone.   Only accountability by those who produce food and regulate society can hope to achieve this protection, and this means that access to food needs to be treated as a human right, and not just as a policy goal or an outcome of a productive economy.   Several constitutions and courts in Latin America have recently moved in this direction by making the right to food a legally enforceable right, but the international system, including the UN, still lags behind.   According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), almost 1 billion people suffer from chronic hunger and almost 2 billion are under-nourished.   Children are the most visible victims of nutritional deficiencies. Approximately 5 million children die each year because of poor nutrition.   Access to adequate food during the first 1,000 days of life is vitally important for healthy future generations. Even a temporary lack of food during that crucial time has a negative effect on physical and intellectual development.   I was shocked when told that in Haiti, even before the devastating earthquake that ruined the country, that small mud balls were being sold in the market to ease children's hunger pangs.   Of the world's hungry people, 98% live in developing countries.   The root causes of food insecurity and malnutrition are poverty and inequity rather than shortages.   FAO statistics confirm that the world produces enough food to feed the over 7 billion people living today, and even the estimated 9-10 billion population in 2050. Global agriculture produces 17% more calories per person today than 30 years ago, despite a 70% increase in population.   Despite this, for the 2 billion people making less than $2 a day, many of whom live in rural areas where resource-poor farmers cultivate small plots of land most can't afford to buy food.   It is the economic system that is responsible for this prevalence of poverty and hunger. Recently, climate change has been added to the list of causes.   Smallholder farmers tell us that this is a lifestyle for them, not a business. When they have had to leave their land for financial reasons, they have never emotionally recovered. I have heard these stories in many places; not only in poor developing countries. It is a global phenomenon.   If the international community is serious about eliminating hunger, a shift is needed from a development model based on charity and aid to one based on human rights, reinforced by accountability mechanisms.   Marginalised, disempowered and excluded groups previously locked out of development planning must have a place, including minorities, migrants, and poor, disabled, older and indigenous people. Non-discrimination and equality must underpin the entire SDG framework.   The role of women in development and food security is pivotal. Highlighting women's rights in all other targets of the SDGs should be a priority. Of those suffering chronic hunger, 60% are women. This is especially ironic as women do most of the agricultural work in developing countries.   Much of the work women do is unpaid and invisible, despite its indispensable role in feeding children and elderly people. Upholding women's financial, educational and legal rights would be the best use of funds dedicated to eradicating hunger, poverty and child undernourishment.   Food security is dependent on the sustainability of food supply. A major effort is needed to avoid practices that exacerbate the negative impacts of food production and consumption on climate, water and ecosystems.   The SDGs should make a healthy environment an internationally guaranteed human right.   The SDGs should encourage governments to work towards policy coherence: agricultural policies should be compatible with environmental sustainability and trade rules consistent with food security. This will not be easy to implement.   It will require allowing national food markets in developing countries to compete successfully against cheap imported food.   It means altering international trade rules to prevent interference with domestic policies in developing countries designed to eradicate hunger and poverty.   Placing human rights at the heart of the SDGs presupposes both a strong accountability framework and the will to enforce this.   Transnational corporations can be part of the problem, tending to undermine the livelihood of locals, displacing them from their home and land, interfering with their access to natural resources, and causing environmental destruction.   Responsibility for human rights violations must extend to the private sector. International law has traditionally been reluctant to do this.   It is encouraging to note that some modest steps have been taken recently to encourage corporate responsibility, including the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and Maastricht Principles for Extraterritorial Obligations.   The new goals should not be allowed to operate as easily ignored principles, but need to be given teeth.   We can eradicate poverty, maintain food security and ensure the right to adequate and nutritious food for all.   These fundamental aims were long ago set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and repeated in the International Covenant of the Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.   The task is huge, but the tools are there. The challenge is mainly a matter of fashioning political will strong enough to overcome entrenched interests in maintaining food insecurity'.   Climate change poses major threat to food security, warns UN expert.   Climate change poses severe and distinct threats to food security, and could subject an additional 600 million people to malnutrition by 2080, warned the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Hilal Elver.   'Increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather, rising temperatures and sea levels, as well as floods and droughts have a significant impact on the right to food', said the expert. 'All these climate incidents will negatively impact on crops, livestock, fisheries, aquaculture and on people's livelihoods', she added.   'Those who have contributed the least to global warming are the ones set to suffer the most from its harmful effects', stressed Ms. Elver. 'Urgent action is needed to respond to the challenges posed by climate change', she added, 'but mitigation and adaptation policies should respect the right to food as well as other fundamental human rights'.   'Civil society pressure is mounting on the parties of the UNFCCC to adopt a human rights approach to climate change that respects, protects and fulfills the human rights of all persons, and especially those most vulnerable. We need a clear commitment from all relevant parties to ensuring climate justice and food security for all', stressed Ms. Elver.   http://bit.ly/3B6WpGy http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Food/Pages/FoodIndex.aspx Visit the related web page
	600 million children will live in areas with extremely limited water resources by 2040 by UNICEF, FAO, agencies   Some 600 million children – or 1 in 4 children worldwide – will be living in areas with extremely limited water resources by 2040, according to a UNICEF report released on World Water Day.   The report, Thirsting for a Future: Water and children in a changing climate, looks at the threats to children’s lives and wellbeing caused by depleted sources of safe water and the ways climate change will intensify these risks in coming years.   “Water is elemental; without it, nothing can grow. But around the world, millions of children lack access to safe water -- endangering their lives, undermining their health, and jeopardizing their futures. This crisis will only grow unless we take collective action now,” said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake.   According to the report, 36 countries are currently facing extremely high levels of water stress, which occurs when demand for water far exceeds the renewable supply available. Warmer temperatures, rising sea levels, increased floods, droughts and melting ice affect the quality and availability of water as well as sanitation systems.   Population growth, increased water consumption, and higher demand for water largely due to industrialization and urbanization are draining water resources worldwide. Conflicts in many parts of the world also threaten children’s access to safe water.   All of these factors force children to use unsafe water, which exposes them to potentially deadly diseases like cholera and diarrhoea. Many children in drought-affected areas spend hours every day collecting water, missing out on a chance to go to school. Girls are especially vulnerable to attack during these times.   The poorest and most vulnerable children will be most impacted by an increase in water stress, the report says, as millions of them already live in areas with low access to safe water and sanitation.   The report also notes that:   At least 663 million people globally do not have access to adequate water sources. Over 800 children under the age of five die every day from diarrhoea linked to inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene. Globally, women and girls spend 200 million hours collecting water every day.   The impact of climate change on water sources is not inevitable, UNICEF says. The report concludes with a series of recommendations that can help curb the impact of climate change on the lives of children. Such measures include:   • Governments need to plan for changes in water availability and demand in the coming years; Above all, it means prioritizing the most vulnerable children’s access to safe water above other water needs to maximize social and health outcomes.   • Climate risks should be integrated into all water and sanitation-related policies and services, and investments should to target high-risk populations.   • Businesses need to work with communities to prevent contamination and depletion of safe water sources.   • Communities themselves should explore ways to diversify water sources and to increase their capacity to store water safely.   “In a changing climate, we must change the way we work to reach those who are most vulnerable. One of the most effective ways we can do that is safeguarding their access to safe water,” Lake said.   'Today's children are the least responsible for climate change, but they, and their children, are the ones who will live with its consequences. And, as is so often the case, disadvantaged communities face the gravest threat'.   Climate change means more droughts, floods, heatwaves and other severe weather conditions. UNICEF is underlining that these events can cause death and devastation, and can also contribute to the increased spread of major killers of children, such as malnutrition, malaria and diarrhoea.   This can create a vicious circle, a child deprived of adequate water and sanitation before a crisis will be more affected by a flood, drought, or severe storm, less likely to recover quickly, and at even greater risk when faced with a subsequent crisis.   http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/nearly-600-million-children-will-live-areas-extremely-limited-water-resources-2040   June 2015   Without ensuring universal access to water, there can be no food security, writes Lyla Mehta, from the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition.   A new report on water for food security and nutrition shows how land, food and water issues are inextricably linked.   Ensuring universal access to water is vital in order to address food security and improve nutrition, yet recognition of the links between water and food are too often missed.   A major report on water for food security and nutrition, launched by the high-level panel of experts on food security and nutrition (HLPE), is the first comprehensive effort to bring together access to water, food security and nutrition. This report goes far beyond the usual focus on water for agriculture.   Safe drinking water and sanitation are fundamental to human development and wellbeing. Yet inadequate access to clean water undermines people's nutrition and health through water-borne diseases and chronic intestinal infections.   The landmark report, commissioned by the committee on world food security (CFS), not only focuses on the need for access, it also makes important links between land, water and productivity. It underlines the message that water is integral to human food security and nutrition, as well as the conservation of forests, wetlands and lakes upon which all humans depend.   Policies and governance issues on land, water and food are usually developed in isolation. Against a backdrop of future uncertainties, including climate change, changing diets and water-demand patterns, there has to be a joined-up approach to addressing these challenges.   There are competing demands over water from different sectors such as agriculture, energy and industry. With this in mind, policymakers have to prioritise the rights and interests of the most marginalised and vulnerable groups, with a particular focus on women, when it comes to water access.   There is vast inequality in access to water, which is determined by socio-economic, political, gender and power relations. Securing access can be particularly challenging for smallholders, vulnerable and marginalised populations and women.   All around the world, water reform processes as well as large-scale land acquisitions often overlook and threaten the customary and informal rights of poor and marginalised women and men.   Moreover, women's entitlements are often recorded as belonging to the male head of the household. Removing this gender bias in farming and water and providing equal access to resources for both male and female farmers would have a big impact on food security and nutrition.   Smallholder farmers produce more than 70% of the world's food but often lack recognition of their land and water rights in formal legal systems. Women and girls frequently spend several hours a day collecting water but lack decision-making power when it comes to water management. Indigenous people are often displaced from their lands and rivers as a result of large infrastructure projects, and the interests of fisherfolk and pastoralists are rarely advanced in national policies.   Mechanisms to allocate water need to give adequate priority to water for food production as well as for the basic needs of poorest populations and those pushed to the edges of society.   There is increasing corporate interest in water, and states should ensure that investments respect basic rights to water and sanitation as well as food.   Taking these complexities into account, the report proposes ways to enhance the capacity of poor farmers to manage water and land and to increase water and agricultural productivity in a range of food production systems, improve governance and invest in metrics and knowledge.   The human right to safe drinking water and sanitation as well as the right to food are globally recognised. States should ensure the full implementation of these rights and explore how they can be meaningfully joined up.   The right to water largely focuses on safe drinking water and sanitation and rarely considers the productive uses of water. In Kenya, Colombia and Senegal, 71-75% of households use domestic water supplies for productive activities such as food gardening. Water is integral for sustainable livelihoods.   There is no doubt that land, food and water issues are linked. The barriers to joined-up national and global policies do not derive from a lack of technology or resources. Rather they are rooted in the absence of human rights, and the failure to recognise that water and food are intertwined.   The HLPE report argues for coherence on these issues at all levels of policymaking and management, from local to global. We are calling for a human rights approach to water governance to enhance food security and nutrition. Only this will ensure healthy and productive lives for all.   * Lyla Mehta is leader of the project team for the HLPE report, and professorial fellow at the Institute of Development Studies.   * Water for food security and nutrition executive summary (16pp): http://bit.ly/1L6rGcS   http://www.fao.org/cfs/cfs-hlpe/en/ http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/food-insecurity-index/   * NASA Study: Third of Big Groundwater Basins in Distress: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4626 Visit the related web page
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