The right to adequate food is a fundamental human right. Yet, violations of the right to adequate food, particularly forced displacement or eviction from their land occur with impunity worldwide, particularly amongst indigenous or marginalized peoples. In times of war, food, food storage and farming infructure are destroyed and food is often used as a political weapon. In many regions, groups are denied access to productive resources - especially women who have no rights over land, even though they are often responsible for the production, processing and preparation of food for their families.
The right to water is a fundamental human right because water is essential for human life. No one can survive without access to clean, safe drinking water. Yet millions of children around the world die every day from polluted water and diseases spread by dirty water. Control over water is often related to questions of power that is easily abused particularly in conflicts between different peoples.
According to the FAO, nearly 1 billion people go hungry every day. Even more people - around two billion people - get enough food but are malnourished because they cannot afford good quality, nutritionally adequate food rich in nutrients. Mothers and fathers struggle to feed their families, knowing that without adequate food, children will be stunted in their physical and intellectual development and may be therefore condemned to a life of poverty and hunger.
Yet hunger is not inevitable, or a simple fact of life. It is the direct result of human actions and policies. The current global food crisis, for example, is caused by national and international policies that have rapidly pushed up global food prices. And, as the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food argues, the poor are hungry and malnourished not because there is no food, but because they cannot afford to buy the food that is available - especially when prices have risen so radically. Focusing attention on the human right to adequate food should be at the center of government policies.
Problems of water are often portrayed as stemming only from natural phenomena such as drought, climate change, or the scarcity of water. But most water shortages and water contamination stem from concrete human actions or policies. Rather than focusing only on water shortages, we need to look at the distribution of existing water supplies and who controls them. Rather than blaming contamination of water on poverty, we also need to look at who is polluting water supplies and why regulatory frameworks are not preventing pollution. Recognizing a human right to water is an important step toward holding decision-makers accountable and recognizing the social and political dimensions of water use and management. Fighting for the right to water promotes access to safe water for all.
