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Global movements demand accountability for Israel’s weaponisation of food

Calls for immediate action on genocide in Gaza

Representatives from hundreds of civil society and Indigenous Peoples organisations worldwide have gathered in Rome to denounce the inaction and complicity of governments in fueling the genocide and campaign of mass starvation that the State of Israel is currently imposing on the Palestinian people in Gaza. They are also condemning the illegal assaults on food sovereignty and the right to food of people across Palestine and in Lebanon.

Rome, Italy. From 21 to 25 October 2024, representatives from most governments will gather in Rome for the 52nd plenary session of the UN Committee on World Food Security (CFS). While they will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Right to Food, there is nothing to celebrate. Hunger, malnutrition, and violations of the fundamental right to food are on the rise. This is not inevitable; it is the result of political inaction and a lack of accountability.

Instead of celebrating, hundreds of delegates from Indigenous Peoples, social movements and civil society organisations worldwide will deliver a clear message to governments and the global community: No more silence in the face of impunity for countries and governments that systematically violate the right to food and weaponise food in illegal wars, occupations, and protracted conflicts.

The Civil Society and Indigenous Peoples Mechanism is urging states gathering at the CFS to:

  • Ensure the CFS fully assumes its mandate and role as the foremost and inclusive UN body working to ensure food security and nutrition for all, to ensure coordinated action in situations of crisis.
  • Lead by example and take decisive steps to condemn and end the weaponisation of food, starvation, and ethnic cleansing in Gaza and throughout historical Palestine.
  • Put on the agenda urgent actions that must be taken by all member states to respect, protect, and fulfil the right to food for the people in Gaza, especially regarding unhindered access to humanitarian relief.
  • Recognise that the ongoing genocide in Gaza and the enduring occupation of Palestine represent violations of the right to food and impede food sovereignty for the Palestinian people.
  • Call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon, along with the unconditional withdrawal of the occupation forces and access to humanitarian relief.
  • Ensure consistent and adequate funding for UNRWA.
  • Commit to adopting a ‘common but differentiated responsibilities’ approach in future efforts to rebuild Gaza’s food systems and infrastructure.
  • Ensure peace and uphold the right of peoples to self-determination and justice, in Gaza and elsewhere.
  • Hold violators accountable for breaches of international law and the Right to Food and Nutrition, especially in situations of prolonged crisis, occupation, and war.
  • Ensure human rights-based monitoring and support for peoples’ self-determination in maintaining their food systems in areas of conflict and colonial occupation.
  • Secure funding for humanitarian support to ensure food security for people in conflict zones; and protect and strongly condemn attacks on aid and humanitarian workers delivering food and medical aid.
  • Promote and effectively use the CFS Framework for action on protracted crises (CFS-FFA) to comply with human rights obligations.

The ongoing genocide in Gaza and the denial of the right to food are deeply rooted in patriarchal norms and the legacy of colonialism, perpetuated by corporate and financial power amidst rising authoritarianism worldwide. In Gaza, 96% of the population has been pushed into severe food insecurity by the latest round of violence and siege by the Israeli government. Similarly, in Yemen and Sudan, millions are forced to live on the brink of starvation. Globally, conflicts fuelled by occupation, disasters, and multiple and intersecting inequalities are pushing 135 million people into food crises. In Lebanon, 1.3 million peasants and farmers have been forcibly displaced from their villages in the South and East – regions that form the largest agricultural area. Their lands have been bombed and burned, which is expected to have a devastating effect on the country’s food sovereignty. 

During the CFS plenary week, civil society and Indigenous Peoples’ organisations are reminding the international community that it cannot remain silent in the face of such crimes. The credibility of multilateral institutions, including the CFS, rests on their ability to take decisive action against protracted violations of human rights and the use of food as a weapon—a war crime and an act of genocide, whether in Gaza, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo or elsewhere. States must uphold international human rights and humanitarian law, and abide by their international obligations, to protect these rights.

#StopGazaStarvation #SolidarityWithPalestine #RightToFood

Media contact: Betsy Díaz betsy.diaz.millan@csm4cfs.org

More information at: csm4cfs.org

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