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Universal Declaration on the Eradication of Hunger and Malnutrition

Adopted on 16 November 1974 by the World Food Conference convened under General
Assembly resolution 3180 (XXVIII) of 17 December 1973; and endorsed by General
Assembly resolution 3348 (XXIX) of 17 December 1974

The World Food Conference,
Convened by the General Assembly of the United Nations andentrusted with developing ways and means whereby the internationalcommunity, as a whole, could take specific action to resolve the worldfood problem within the broader context of development andinternational economic co-operation,

Adopts the following Declaration:

UNIVERSAL DECLARATION ON THE ERADICATION OF HUNGER AND MALNUTRITION

Recognizing that:

(a) The grave food crisis that is afflicting the peoples of thedeveloping countries where most of the world's hungry and ill-nourishedlive and where more than two thirds of the world's population produceabout one third of the world's food - an imbalance which threatens toincrease in the next 10 years - is not only fraught with grave economicand social implications, but also acutely jeopardizes the mostfundamental principles and values associated with the right to life andhuman dignity as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of HumanRights;

(b) The elimination of hunger and malnutrition, included as one ofthe objectives in the United Nations Declaration on Social Progress andDevelopment, and the elimination of the causes that determine thissituation are the common objectives of all nations;

?? The situation of the peoples afflicted by hunger and malnutritionarises from their historical circumstances, especially socialinequalities, including in many cases alien and colonial domination,foreign occupation, racial discrimination, apartheid andneo-colonialism in all its forms, which continue to be among thegreatest obstacles to the full emancipation and progress of thedeveloping countries and all the peoples involved;

(d) This situation has been aggravated in recent years by a seriesof crises to which the world economy has been subjected, such as thedeterioration in the international monetary system, the inflationaryincrease in import costs, the heavy burdens imposed by external debt onthe balance of payments of many developing countries, a rising fooddemand partly due to demographic pressure, speculation, and a shortageof, and increased costs for, essential agricultural inputs;

(e) These phenomena should be considered within the framework of theon-going negotiations on the Charter of Economic Rights and Duties ofStates, and the General Assembly of the United Nations should be urgedunanimously to agree upon, and to adopt, a Charter that will be aneffective instrument for the establishment of new internationaleconomic relations based on principles of equity and justice;

(f) All countries, big or small, rich or poor, are equal. Allcountries have the full right to participate in the decisions on thefood problem;

(g) The well-being of the peoples of the world largely depends onthe adequate production and distribution of food as well as theestablishment of a world food security system which would ensureadequate availability of, and reasonable prices for, food at all times,irrespective of periodic fluctuations and vagaries of weather and freeof political and economic pressures, and should thus facilitate,amongst other things, the development process of developing countries;

(h) Peace and justice encompass an economic dimension helping thesolution of the world economic problems, the liquidation ofunder-development, offering a lasting and definitive solution of thefood problem for all peoples and guaranteeing to all countries theright to implement freely and effectively their development programmes.To this effect, it is necessary to eliminate threats and resort toforce and to promote peaceful co-operation between States to thefullest extent possible, to apply the principles of non-interference inthe internal affairs of other States, full equality of rights andrespect of national independence and sovereignty, as well as toencourage the peaceful co-operation between all States, irrespective oftheir political, social and economic systems. The further improvementof international relations will create better conditions forinternational o-operation in all fields which should make possiblelarge financial and material resources to be used, inter alia, fordeveloping agricultural production and substantially improving worldfood security;

(i) For a lasting solution of the food problem all efforts should bemade to eliminate the widening gaps which today separate developed anddeveloping countries and to bring about a new international economicorder. It should be possible for all countries to participate activelyand effectively in the new international economic relations by theestablishment of suitable international systems, where appropriate,capable of producing adequate action in order to establish just andequitable relations in international economic co-operation;

(j) Developing countries reaffirm their belief that the primaryresponsibility for ensuring their own rapid development rests withthemselves. They declare, therefore, their readiness to continue tointensify their individual and collective efforts with a view toexpanding their mutual co-operation in the field of agriculturaldevelopment and food production, including the eradication of hungerand malnutrition;

(k) Since, for various reasons, many developing countries are notyet always able to meet their own food needs, urgent and effectiveinternational action should be taken to assist them, free of politicalpressures,

Consistent with the aims and objectives of the Declaration on theEstablishment of a New International Economic Order and the Programmeof Action adopted by the General Assembly at its sixth special session,

The Conference consequently solemnly proclaims:

1. Every man, woman and child has the inalienable right to be freefrom hunger and malnutrition in order to develop fully and maintaintheir physical and mental faculties. Society today already possessessufficient resources, organizational ability and technology and hencethe competence to achieve this objective. Accordingly, the eradicationof hunger is a common objective of all the countries of theinternational community, especially of the developed countries andothers in a position to help.

2. It is a fundamental responsibility of Governments to worktogether for higher food production and a more equitable and efficientdistribution of food between countries and within countries.Governments should initiate immediately a greater concerted attack onchronic malnutrition and deficiency diseases among the vulnerable andlower income groups. In order to ensure adequate nutrition for all,Governments should formulate appropriate food and nutrition policiesintegrated in overall socio-economic and agricultural development plansbased on adequate knowledge of available as well as potential foodresources. The importance of human milk in this connection should bestressed on nutritional grounds.

3. Food problems must be tackled during the preparation andimplementation of national plans and programmes for economic and socialdevelopment, with emphasis on their humanitarian aspects.

4. It is a responsibility of each State concerned, in accordancewith its sovereign judgement and internal legislation, to remove theobstacles to food production and to provide proper incentives toagricultural producers. Of prime importance for the attainment of theseobjectives are effective measures of socio-economic transformation byagrarian, tax, credit and investment policy reform and thereorganization of rural structures, such as the reform of theconditions of ownership, the encouragement of producer and consumerco-operatives, the mobilization of the full potential of humanresources, both male and female, in the developing countries for anintegrated rural development and the involvement of small farmers,fishermen and landless workers in attaining the required foodproduction and employment targets. Moreover, it is necessary torecognize the key role of women in agricultural production and ruraleconomy in many countries, and to ensure that appropriate education,extension programmes and financial facilities are made available towomen on equal terms with men.

5. Marine and inland water resources are today becoming moreimportant than ever as a source of food and economic prosperity.Accordingly, action should be taken to promote a rational exploitationof these resources, preferably for direct consumption, in order tocontribute to meeting the food requirements of all peoples.

6. The efforts to increase food production should be complemented byevery endeavour to prevent wastage of food in all its forms.

7. To give impetus to food production in developing countries and inparticular in the least developed and most seriously affected amongthem, urgent and effective international action should be taken, by thedeveloped countries and other countries in a position to do so, toprovide them with sustained additional technical and financialassistance on favourable terms and in a volume sufficient to theirneeds on the basis of bilateral and multilateral arrangements. Thisassistance must be free of conditions inconsistent with the sovereigntyof the receiving States.

8. All countries, and primarily the highly industrialized countries,should promote the advancement of food production technology and shouldmake all efforts to promote the transfer, adaptation and disseminationof appropriate food production technology for the benefit of thedeveloping countries and, to that end, they should inter alia make allefforts to disseminate the results of their research work toGovernments and scientific institutions of developing countries inorder to enable them to promote a sustained agricultural development.

9. To assure the proper conservation of natural resources beingutilized, or which might be utilized, for food production, allcountries must collaborate in order to facilitate the preservation ofthe environment, including the marine environment.

10. All developed countries and others able to do so shouldcollaborate technically and financially with the developing countriesin their efforts to expand land and water resources for agriculturalproduction and to assure a rapid increase in the availability, at faircosts, of agricultural inputs such as fertilizers and other chemicals,high-quality seeds, credit and technology. Co-operation amongdeveloping countries, in this connection, is also important.

11. All States should strive to the utmost to readjust, whereappropriate, their agricultural policies to give priority to foodproduction, recognizing, in this connection the interrelationshipbetween the world food problem and international trade. In thedetermination of attitudes towards farm support programmes for domesticfood production, developed countries should take into account, as faras possible, the interest of the food-exporting developing countries,in order to avoid detrimental effect on their exports. Moreover, allcountries should co-operate to devise effective steps to deal with theproblem of stabilizing world markets and promoting equitable andremunerative prices, where appropriate through internationalarrangements, to improve access to markets through reduction orelimination of tariff and non-tariff barriers on the products ofinterest to the developing countries, to substantially increase theexport earnings of these countries, to contribute to thediversification of their exports, and apply to them, in themultilateral trade negotiations, the principles as agreed upon in theTokyo Declaration, including the concept of non-reciprocity and morefavourable treatment.

12. As it is the common responsibility of the entire internationalcommunity to ensure the availability at all times of adequate worldsupplies of basic food-stuffs by way of appropriate reserves, includingemergency reserves, all countries should co-operate in theestablishment of an effective system of world food security by:

Participating in and supporting the operation of the Global Information and Early Warning System on Food and Agriculture;

Adhering to the objectives, policies and guidelines of the proposedInternational Undertaking on World Food Security as endorsed by theWorld Food Conference;

Earmarking, where possible, stocks or funds for meetinginternational emergency food requirements as envisaged in the proposedInternational Undertaking on World Food Security and developinginternational guidelines to provide for the co-ordination and theutilization of such stocks;

Co-operating in the provision of food aid for meeting emergency andnutritional needs as well as for stimulating rural employment throughdevelopment projects.

All donor countries should accept and implement the concept offorward planning of food aid and make all efforts to providecommodities and/or financial assistance that will ensure adequatequantities of grains and other food commodities.

Time is short. Urgent and sustained action is vital. The Conference,therefore, calls upon all peoples expressing their will as individuals,and through their Governments, and non-governmental organizations, towork together to bring about the end of the age-old scourge of hunger.

The Conference affirms:

The determination of the participating States to make full use ofthe United Nations system in the implementation of this Declaration andthe other decisions adopted by the Conference.