COVID-19 measures must ensure Human Rights and build the resilient, sustainable food system we desperately need

The statement asserts that COVID-19 has exposed the fragility of a global food system where 820 million people were chronically hungry prior to the pandemic. It calls on G20 ministers to protect the rights of peasant farmers and migrant workers, curb financial speculation in agricultural futures to prevent price crises, and transition toward a sustainable food system based on food sovereignty and local production rather than long supply chains and external inputs.

• The global food system was already fragile before the COVID-19 pandemic, with 820 million people chronically hungry and 2 billion food insecure, half of whom are food producers, peasant farmers, and agricultural waged workers.
• To prevent a repeat of the 2008 food price crisis, governments must implement strict measures to stop financial speculation in food commodities, specifically by restricting the trading of agricultural futures to avoid speculative bubbles.
• The current food system is vulnerable to shocks due to its reliance on long supply chains and external inputs, while contributing to environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, and the climate crisis.
• The authors advocate for a global policy response coordinated by the UN Committee on World Food Security, grounded in food sovereignty and existing human rights instruments such as the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas.

APA

Chandrasekaran, K., Conti, M., De Schutter, O., Dove, F., Gioia, P., Guttal, S., Hitchman, J., Longley, S., Monsalve, S., Pavanelli, R., Jonas, T., Prato, S., & Thomas, J. (2020). COVID-19 measures must ensure Human Rights and build the resilient, sustainable food system we desperately need. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/covid-19-measures-must-ensure-human-rights-and-build-the-resilient-sustainable-food-system-we-desperately-need/

Chicago

Chandrasekaran, Kirtana, Mauro Conti, Olivier De Schutter, Fiona Dove, Paula Gioia, Shalmali Guttal, Judith Hitchman, et al. COVID-19 measures must ensure Human Rights and build the resilient, sustainable food system we desperately need. Friends of the Earth International, 2020. https://www.foei.org/covid-19-measures-must-ensure-human-rights-and-build-the-resilient-sustainable-food-system-we-desperately-need/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Chandrasekaran |first1=Kirtana |last2=Conti |first2=Mauro |last3=De Schutter |first3=Olivier |last4=Dove |first4=Fiona |last5=Gioia |first5=Paula |last6=Guttal |first6=Shalmali |last7=Hitchman |first7=Judith |last8=Longley |first8=Sue |last9=Monsalve |first9=Sofia |display-authors=etal |title=COVID-19 measures must ensure Human Rights and build the resilient, sustainable food system we desperately need |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=21 April 2020 |url=https://www.foei.org/covid-19-measures-must-ensure-human-rights-and-build-the-resilient-sustainable-food-system-we-desperately-need/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{chandrasekaran2020covid19, author = {Chandrasekaran, Kirtana and Conti, Mauro and De Schutter, Olivier and Dove, Fiona and Gioia, Paula and Guttal, Shalmali and Hitchman, Judith and Longley, Sue and Monsalve, Sofia and Pavanelli, Rosa and Jonas, Tammi and Prato, Stefano and Thomas, Jim}, title = {{COVID-19 measures must ensure Human Rights and build the resilient, sustainable food system we desperately need}}, publisher = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2020}, month = apr, url = {https://www.foei.org/covid-19-measures-must-ensure-human-rights-and-build-the-resilient-sustainable-food-system-we-desperately-need/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }