Genf/Caracas. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Michael Fakhri, has called for an end to unilateral coercive measures against Venezuela.
Fakhri released a preliminary assessment at the end of his two-week visit to the Caribbean country. The Message focuses primarily on economic sanctions that have “negative impacts on food production and distribution.”
The UN expert pointed to blocked or overpriced imports and fuel shortages as direct consequences of the sanctions. The weakest population groups are disproportionately affected. “Unilateral coercive measures are cruel and vicious and hinder the realization of the right to food. I call on all States involved to immediately review and lift the sectoral sanctions imposed on Venezuela, including secondary sanctions against third parties,” he wrote.
From February 1 to 14, Fakhri, who was invited by the government of Nicolás Maduro to visit the country, met with state officials, non-governmental organizations and grassroots organizations in various states and in the capital Caracas.
The preliminary report identified widespread problems for the population in consuming high-quality food, either due to low incomes or lack of access. “As a result, families are forced to use negative coping mechanisms, such as reducing portion sizes, skipping meals and purchasing less nutritious foods,” the rapporteur noted. He described school feeding as essential for good development and school attendance and called for greater reliance on “community-led initiatives” and locally produced food.
Fakhri, a professor at the University of Oregon, noted that indigenous communities are particularly vulnerable when it comes to food security and expressed concern about general conditions in detention centers.
He called on authorities to “increase transparency” and publish more data on nutrition policy. Fakhri praised the country’s constitution and other instruments such as the 2015 Seed Law that defend the right to food and food sovereignty, but called for better implementation and enforceability.
While acknowledging that the private sector can play a role in promoting food production and distribution, Fakhri reiterated the concern voiced by popular movements over the emergence of agricultural monopolies. He recommended that the government expand existing support for small producers.
“I strongly encourage the government to develop an urgent action plan on the right to food based on the existing laws, a socially inclusive process and the existing participation mechanisms,” concluded Fakhri. He will submit a detailed report to the UN Human Rights Council.
Activist Ricardo Miranda of the Pueblo a Pueblo movement agreed with the UN rapporteur’s assessment that US sanctions remain the main obstacle to production in the country. He cited transportation, both for farm workers themselves and for transporting crops, and access to inputs as the biggest “bottlenecks.”
Pueblo a Pueblo is a grassroots movement to organize food production and distribution. The project brings together agricultural producers and city residents.
Another consequence of the blockade is the dollarization of fuel and operating resource prices. This increases production costs and creates imbalances that reduce the purchasing power of consumer families and even lead to crop failures.
Miranda praised Fakhri’s willingness to visit the communities and see their efforts to continue producing amid the economic difficulties caused by sanctions. He highlighted the work of Pueblo a Pueblo as a way to ensure food security and sovereignty in the Caribbean country. “It is essential that campesinos organize themselves into networks, communities, cooperatives, etc. to build a sustainable model of food production,” he argued. “This is a production for life, not for capital.”
The activist noted Pueblo a Pueblo’s current efforts to provide healthy food to more than 100,000 children in 305 schools in eight states. Production is ensured by 359 campesino families on around 450 hectares of land.
“If the UN and its agencies want to mitigate the consequences of the sanctions, we offer the Pueblo a Pueblo (grassroots organization and production) method, which provides nutritious food essential for children’s development and through the existing initiatives of the World Food Program,” said Miranda.