The National Right to Food Community of Practice (CoP) and several of its member organizations -- the University of Miami Law School's Human Rights Clinic, West Virginia University's Center for Resilient Communities, and WANDA (Women Advancing Nutrition Dietetics and Agriculture) -- will attend a crucial meeting at the White House on September 18th where the US Government will respond to the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD)'s recommendations regarding the US Government's compliance with this treaty. (See the press release below).
In its report, the CERD Committee emphasized the need for the U.S. to guarantee the right to adequate food and to adopt a comprehensive, rights-based national plan to combat hunger and food insecurity—issues that disproportionately affect racial and ethnic minorities, especially women and children. The Committee encouraged the U.S. to engage stakeholders, particularly those from communities most affected by food insecurity. Because the US has ratified the treaty, it now must respond to the Committee’s recommendations.
The National Right to Food Community of Practice joined with members in submitting a shadow report to CERD in 2022 about U.S. violations to the treaty at the intersection of race, social discrimination and food insecurity as experienced by its citizens. Read more here. And the CoP hosted a listening session with the Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Racism during her official visit to the United States in November 2023. Read more here.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Groups Convene at the White House with a Call for a National Food and Nutrition Security Council and Food Bill of Rights
Washington, D.C. (September 17, 2024) — The White House will host a crucial meeting with human rights organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Human Rights Watch, and the National Right to Food Community of Practice, on Wednesday, September 18, 2024, at 10:00 AM ET. This meeting will be followed by a press conference at the National Press Club at 1:30 PM ET.
This opportunity arises from the dedicated efforts of the University of Miami Law School’s Human Rights Clinic and advocates to include the Right to Food in discussions during the 2022 U.N. Committee on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD). Because it has ratified the treaty, the U.S. must now respond to the Committee’s recommendations.
The CERD Committee emphasized the need for the U.S. to guarantee the right to adequate food and to adopt a comprehensive, rights-based national plan to combat hunger and food insecurity—issues that disproportionately affect racial and ethnic minorities, especially women and children. The Committee encouraged the U.S. to engage stakeholders, particularly those from communities most affected by food insecurity.
“The federal government is complicit in a food system that segments people along racial and economic lines,” said Joshua Lohnes, Research Assistant Professor at West Virginia University and Co-Founder of the National Right to Food Community of Practice. “We face extremely problematic concentrations of power in the agri-business and corporate food sectors that reinforce those inequalities. I hope the U.N. CERD recommendations will continue building momentum toward a national conversation about food democracy and food as a human right.”
Tambra Raye Stevenson, founder and CEO of WANDA: Women Advancing Nutrition Dietetics and Agriculture and adjunct professor at the American University School of Communication, championing the Food Bill of Rights, stated, “This meeting is a critical step toward acknowledging food as a human right and addressing the systemic injustices that have marginalized communities for far too long. We must harness the momentum from the U.N. recommendations to create a food system that is equitable, just, and inclusive for all Americans.”
Denisse Córdova Montes, Assistant Professor at the University of Central Florida and Co-Founder of the National Right to Food Community of Practice added, “It has been a privilege to accompany advocates at the forefront of advancing the right to food in the U.S. The U.S. must now take urgent action toward the domestic implementation of the U.N. recommendations and adopt a rights-based framework that addresses hunger and food system violations.”
The discussion emphasized the urgent need to address the structural barriers within the food system that contribute to inequities in health and nutrition. According to USDA data, Black households experience food insecurity at a rate of 20% and Latinx households at 16%, compared to just 7% for White households. “Our current food system is fragmented and siloed,” Tambra added. “We must adopt a more integrated approach that links nutrition with food access, environmental impacts, and economic productivity.”
The proposed National Food and Nutrition Security Council would coordinate efforts across more than 50 federal agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of Agriculture. This council would issue annual reports and policy recommendations and ensure that every American has the right to access safe, affordable, and nourishing foods.
This meeting marks a significant opportunity for civil society stakeholders to provide recommendations on how executive agencies can advance food justice and the right to food in the United States.
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Contact:
Kayla Holden | hello@iamwanda.org
Alison Cohen | alisonmcohen@righttofoodus.org