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the Human Rights Commission, billion people suffer from malnu- in Oslo and, at the end of the ses-
the Food and Agriculture Organi- trition. The World Food Report sion, someone asked me how is it
zation (FAO) and Kofi Annan (who publishes the figures each year possible that you can buy potatoes
was the UN Secretary-General at in April. So the first Millennium from Saudi Arabia in Norway. I re-
that time) would not have woken Development Goal is far from plied that it is impossible! The fol-
up and understood the importance being fulfilled, despite the fact that lowing day, three people came and
of the Right to Food. It would modern agriculture could feed 12 picked me up at my hotel and took
never have been possible. billion people with 2,200 calories me to different supermarkets in
per day -- this is almost twice the Oslo and, indeed, there they were
If you are not too familiar with hu- world's population today. -- beautiful bags with labels saying
man rights issues, let me explain. "Saudi Arabian Potatoes". I retur-
Paragraph no. 1 in the Human For the first time in the history of ned to Geneva and I asked my as-
Rights Convention concerns the mankind, the problem today is not sistants to look into the issue, and
economic and socio-cultural rights a matter of food production but they found out that in southern
and under these you will find the rather the lack of access to food. Ethiopia, Sheik Alamoudi and the
Right to Food as one of several eco- When a child dies of hunger, for Saudi Development Cooperation
nomic and socio-cultural rights. me it's an assignation, a murder have acquired 550,000 hectares of
Eide, who was a member of the because you can identify the me- land where they cultivate potatoes,
sub-committee at the time, wrote chanisms that kill. This is totally flowers and other vegetables. And
the General Comments describing outrageous. There are many other to which countries do they export
what the Right to Food meant. It's problems in the world, but this is them? Norway and Switzerland
an interpretation that is not stated one we can do something about. -- rich countries where people can
in the Convention itself but has afford these products.
become accepted by international The mechanisms that kill are, first
law. The General Comments are of all, market speculation on agri- The fourth mechanism is the exter-
now attached to the Convention. cultural products. Geneva has be- nal debt of the country. Most Third
The Right to Food has become a come the world capital of trading. World countries have a debt that
priority of the United Nations be- In 2008 and 2009, there was the is creating huge problems. Every-
cause of Norway - and Asbjorn financial crisis, and large specula- thing they earn on exports goes
Eide. tors lost billions on the stock mar- directly to the banks to pay inte-
ket, so many of them migrated into rest, and many of these countries
One of the consequences of his agricultural speculation. They are do not have the money to invest in
actions is that today we have a now-- completely legally -- making their agriculture -- although they
Special Rapporteur for the Right huge profits on wheat, maize, rice, are mainly agricultural countries.
to Food and who is accountable to etc. The result is that in the slums Among the forty-five African
the Human Rights Council. This around the world, where more countries, thirty-seven are agricul-
concept has become very powerful. than one billion people live earning tural countries. When there are no
less than $i per day, mothers can- problems of locusts or other pests
In South Africa, for instance, the not buy enough food to feed their and diseases, a hectare in Bur-
city of Johannesburg sold its water children. I give you an example kina Faso or Mali provides 600-
rights to a French company, and that I experienced quite recently in 700kg of cereal. In Norway, Swit-
the result was disastrous for the Lima, Peru, where the NGO Terre zerland or in Europe in general,
poor who could not pay the high des Hommes is carrying out a pro- the same field produces 10 tonnes
price for a fresh water supply. The ject. I went to one of the slum areas or 10,000kg. This does not mean
case was then taken to the courts where this organization works and that the Norwegian farmer is more
and the High Court ordered the stayed there watching the sale of competent than the African pea-
city to cancel its agreement with rice. I remained there until mid- sant, but rather that he has access
this company. This example is one night and during all that time I did to the fertilizers, tractors, irriga-
among many others which shows not see a single woman who was tion, access to markets, selected
the strength of this concept. able to buy one kilo of rice. They species of seed, etc. In other words,
all bought a plastic beaker of rice. he has access to everything that
Q: How is it that you are so God only knows how many child- African farmers do not -- and that's
concerned by the Right to ren they can feed with that! So spe- a consequence of the debt.
Food? culation kills!
The last mechanism consists of
This is the scandal of our time. The next mechanism is bio-fuel agricultural dumping. The Euro-
There are the FAO figures that and land grabbing. In many very pean Union pours their agricultu-
nobody disputes - 55,000 people poor countries, they rent out or ral surplus, which is heavily subsi-
die of hunger every day, nearly one sell farmland. I held a conference dized, into the African continent.

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