Effectiveness of the Right to Food in Mali

Abstract

The right to food is a fundamental right recognized since the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Article 25 of the Declaration states that “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food ()”. The same provisions are included in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which was adopted in 1966 by the United Nations General Assembly and came into force in 1976. Article 11 of the Covenant states that “everyone has the right to an adequate standard of living for himself and his family, including adequate food”, as well as “the fundamental right of everyone to be free from hunger”. These two international legal instruments recognizing the right to food are part of the preamble to Mali's constitution. This implies that Mali recognizes the right to food, even if its constitution does not explicitly protect the right to adequate food. However, despite the enshrinement of this fundamental right, there are several obstacles preventing it from becoming effective in Mali. These include the country's security situation, which makes farming impossible in some parts of the country.  There are also the effects of climate change, which lead to poor yields even in agricultural zones.