Oman calls for action to ensure right to food
GENEVA: The Sultanate of Oman participated in the Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food as part of the 58th session of the Human Rights Council which is being held in Geneva.
Idris bin Abdulrahman al Khanjari, Permanent Representative of the Sultanate of Oman to the United Nations and International Organizations in Geneva, delivered a speech in which he stressed that the right to food is not only a matter related to food security, but rather constitutes a fundamental pillar for guaranteeing human dignity and the right to a safe and healthy life.
Al Khanjari added: "Millions of people still suffer from malnutrition as a result of ongoing armed conflicts, climate change and economic crises that lead to disruption of supply chains which increases the suffering of the most vulnerable groups and poses a direct threat to the right to food. The challenges resulting from public debt, inflation and international financial policies complicate the issue of ensuring the right to food as countries burdened with debt are forced to divert their resources allocated to social sectors, such as food subsidy programmes, to pay off public debt. Besides, inflation affects the purchasing power making it difficult for individuals to obtain sufficient food.' Al Khanjari stressed the need to find a fair balance between financial obligations and ensuring that citizens' basic needs are met and to adopt sustainable economic and financial policies that take into account human rights and guarantee individuals' right to sufficient and safe food, indicating that achieving this goal requires radical reforms in the international financial system to enable countries to take effective measures to combat hunger and ensure food security.
Idris bin Abdulrahman al Khanjari, Permanent Representative of the Sultanate of Oman to the United Nations and International Organizations in Geneva, said that the use of starvation as a weapon of war in the Palestinian territories is a flagrant violation to the right to food and constitutes a war crime according to international law. He called on the international community to take urgent measures to stop such practices that threaten life and human dignity.
At the end of his speech, he underscored the importance of joint action to ensure the right to food for all, especially in areas of armed conflicts. — ONA
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