Statement to the Eleventh Ministerial Session of the United Nations World Food Council (excerpts) PARIS, FRANCE—10 June 1985
The Baha'i International Community has a deep interest in the struggle against hunger and the provision of adequate food for every member of the human race. We would like to make some comments highlighting the most important factors in the achievement of a hunger-free planet.
Although there has been an encouraging decrease in the rate of hunger-related deaths over the past decades, the number of undernourished people in the world has never been as high as present. Since the total food supplies of the planet are adequate to satisfy the nutritional needs of everyone, the human calamity of hunger underlines the necessity of reorienting the economies of food production and distribution in the interest of human welfare.
Conspicuous advances have been made in the kind of "spirit of world solidarity" envisaged in the Baha'i Writings as "spontaneously arising out of the welter of a disorganized society," and as a process "which must increasingly engage the attention of the responsible custodians of the destinies of peoples and nations." (From the Baha'i Writings) This international solidarity can perhaps be most clearly seen in the various human rights instruments adopted by the governments of the world in the context of the United Nations, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Article 11 of the Covenant includes the recognition of "the fundamental right of everyone to be free from hunger," and requires, inter alia, that the State Parties "recognize the right of everyone to an adequate standard of living for himself and his family, including adequate food," and that they "will take appropriate steps to ensure the realization of this right." It can thus be concluded that the right to adequate food as a human right has become firmly embedded in international law, an achievement clearly reflecting an important evolution of man's consciousness. Commitment to solidarity in action, must be further promoted until it becomes a commonly and firmly held value on the part of humanity as a whole.
This is crucially important for the execution of global responsibility and a successful management of world affairs, including a coherent attack on the food problem. This further requires a comprehensive development vision, a vision which must include not only factors concerned with economic growth, but also basic values such as justice, equity, equality of men and women, cooperation and respect for nature. What is urgently needed, is development education, focusing on human as well as social and economic development. The Baha'i understanding of development is that each human being, and therefore human society as a whole, has limitless potential for development and an inner spiritual need to realize that latent capacity for the purpose of serving humanity. This understanding can give human beings the incentive "to arise and energetically devote themselves to the service of the masses, forgetting their own worldly advantage and working only to serve the general good." (From the Baha'i Writings)
The two major dimensions of the food problem, those of production and distribution, should be seen in the light of the global perspective, and a holistic approach to development. Agriculture is the backbone and foundation of the economy and this must be fully taken into account both in designing and implementing overall public policies, providing social, economic and infrastructural support for agriculture. To have its desired impact this process should result in local people taking initiatives and making organizational efforts to increase their capacity to plan and implement activities, for the self-reliance, self-sufficiency and increased welfare of all. The role of rural women, is of particular importance in this context. Women normally occupy a key role in both the production and distribution of food and must be given due support and training in order to ensure adequate food quantity and quality, as well as the equitable sharing of food within the family.
The issue of food distribution should, be seen in the context of the need to reduce the extremes of wealth and poverty at national and international levels. This would necessitate the organization of the material resources of the world for the benefit of all, free trade to stimulate economic development and a system of reserves of essential commodities to safeguard against shortages. The eradication of hunger is increasingly recognized as both a moral imperative and a most important factor in creating social stability in an interdependent world.