NGO roots for law on right to food

ActionAid Rwanda is currently pushing decision-makers in the government to amend the constitution and put a clause on right to food by holding meetings with government officials and Members of Parliament over the issue. According to ActionAid Rwanda’s Country Director, Josephine Uwamariya, said that recognizing the right to food as a fundamental human right, is of paramount importance. “The first step is to have a constitutional amendment to recognize food as a fundamental human right like other rights. This will pave way for a special and comprehensive legislation with mechanisms aimed at achieving sustainable agriculture production that addresses the issue of food insecurity and malnutrition,”said UwamariyaShe however acknowledged the political will of the Rwandan leadership towards food security. “Having the legislation in place leads to strong commitments by the current and future leadership in as far as the right to food is concerned. It is a guarantee that the government is committed to ensuring that every person has sufficient food to meet their basic needs, be free from chronic hunger and ensure that malnutrition is addressed,” she said. Meanwhile the Minister of Agriculture, Agnes Kalibata, said that if ActionAid intends to forward the proposal, there are forums where the government holds debates on such issues with its partners. “The proposal is welcome, but it will have to go through the right channels. We may need to look at possibilities of whether we need to go through all those legal procedures,” said Kalibata. Ends

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NGO roots for law on right to food