US wants to delete ”food as a human right”

ROME–At 3:00 AM on Monday morning the United States stood alone among
all nations of the world in blocking further discussion of the draft
text of the declaration that governments will sign at the World Food
Summit. What was leading the U.S. to stop the all night negotiating
session? First, the U.S. wanted all references to “food as a human
right” to be deleted, and second, the U.S. wanted strong language saying
that genetically modified (GM) crops are a key way to end hunger. The
Third World nations organized in the Group of 77 wanted mandatory
language on the Right to Food, while Europe and Canada held out for the
compromise of a voluntary Code of Conduct. No other nation felt
strongly that GM crops should receive prominence.

“The U.S. is behaving in a reprehensible fashion,” said NGO delegate Dr.
Peter Rosset, co-director of Food First/The Institute for Food and
Development Policy, an American food policy think tank. “It makes me
ashamed to be an American when my government stands alone in the entire
world in opposing the recognition of food as a fundamental human right,”
he said.

Later in the day U.S. negotiators backed off from their harsh stance,
accepting “with reservations” watered-down language on the right to
food. What this means is that the discussion of the rest of the
declaration can move forward, but the U.S. reserves the right to
re-open the Right to Food issue later in the week. The U.S. may also
decide to not to sign the final declaration, as it did at the 1996
World Food Summit, and in Kyoto, Rio and other major international
negotiations.

Meanwhile, delegates and ministers from other nations report being
subject to “immense” U.S. pressure to accept strong language in favor of
GM crops. “The United States is redefining the very concept of ‘Rogue
Nation,'” said Dr. Rosset. “Any concept of human dignity and decency
would see food as the most basic of all rights for human beings, but the
U.S. somehow feels such notions would restrict the freedom to operate of
American corporations.”

For more information visit http://www.foodfirst.org/progs/global/food/wfsreportday1.html