Philippines: UN rights expert to assess food and nutrition

Philippines: UN rights expert to assess food and nutrition security challenges

GENEVA (18 February 2015) – The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Hilal Elver, will undertake an official visit to the Philippines from 20 to 27 February 2015 to gather first-hand information on the realization of the right to food in the country. She will assess the efforts being made to achieve food and nutrition security and the obstacles faced both at the national and international level in this regard.

“Despite encouraging development progress made in recent years, access to sufficient and nutritious food is still reportedly limited by poverty and income levels, with the devastating impact of typhoon Haiyan placing already vulnerable communities in a precarious situation,” Ms. Elver noted.

This is the first visit to the country by an independent expert on the right to food assigned by the UN Human Rights Council to report on initiatives to ensure the full realization of the right to food.

Ms. Elver, who visits the country at the invitation of the Government, will engage with the authorities to identify the main obstacles hindering the full realization of the right to food and propose strategies for tackling these obstacles and improving the enjoyment of rights by the most vulnerable in society.

During her seven-day visit, the rights expert will meet with senior Government officials, as well as representatives from the UN system, international agencies, the development community, civil society, the National Commission on Human Rights and individual communities in various locations throughout the country.

Ms. Elver will hold a press conference to share the preliminary findings of her visit at 12:00 p.m. on Friday 27 February 2015, at the Holiday Inn Hotel, Glorietta, Makati City, Manila. Access to the press conference will be strictly limited to journalists.

The Special Rapporteur’s observations and recommendations will be reflected in her final report, which will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in March 2016.

ENDS

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