Skyrocketing prices continue to threaten the right to food

GENEVA, Sept. 10 (Chinese media) -- The global food crisis

caused by soaring prices is jeopardizing the right to food, and any potential

solution to the problem must be viewed through the lens of human rights, an

independent United Nations expert said Wednesday.

Presenting his latest report to the Human Rights

Council in Geneva, Olivier De Schutter, the special rapporteur on the right to

food, said that international assistance and cooperation are key to achieving

that right under international human rights law.

Speculation in the futures market of primary

agricultural commodities is one of the factors responsible for driving up the

cost of food, he said.

The expert pointed out the role of agrofuel

production in food price volatility. But discussions of whether production of

the fuels should be halted or promoted in the best interests of farmers should

be guided by the consideration of human rights, he added.

De Schutter stressed that the council must ensure

that acting in the interests of tackling climate change does not impede food

protection and protecting human rights.

To date, with the exception of Brazil, production of

biofuels has not proven to be a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels, given

the use of fertile land, water and energy necessary. De Schutter called on the

47-member council to quickly adopt global agreements and guidelines to

scrutinize agrofuel production.

Although the surge in food prices caught people

around the world off guard, the poor are hungry because they cannot afford to

eat, not because of a lack of food, he said.