NHRC Chairperson H E Maryam bint Abdullah AI Attiyah
Doha, Qatar: An International Conference on Food Justice, which began yesterday in Doha, has emphasised that food justice will not be achieved amid ongoing wars and the denial of peoples’ right to self-determination, as justice is essential for peace and development.
Under the patronage of Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, a two-day event has been organised by Qatar’s National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) under the theme, 'From A Human Right Perspective - Challenges of Reality and Future Stakes'.
The event was attended by Speaker of the Shura Council H E Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim; Minister of Environment and Climate Change H E Dr Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie; Minister of Municipality H E Abdullah bin Hamad bin Abdullah Al Attiyah; Minister of State for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs H E Lolwah bint Rashid Al Khater; Deputy Speaker of Shura Council H E Dr Hamda bint Hassan Al Sulaiti and President of Planning and Statistics Authority H E Dr. Saleh bin Mohammad Al Nabit with other dignitaries and guests.
Speaker of the Shura Council H E Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim (fourth right) with Their Excellencies Ministers and dignitaries at the event yesterday.
Addressing the opening session of the conference, Chairperson of the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) and President of Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) H E Maryam bint Abdullah AI Attiyah said Palestinian people are still under the control of the settler occupation and the brutal aggression against the Gaza Strip.
“It is unfortunate that despite the scale of the crime that recently reached to the International Court of Justice, and demonstrations all over the world rejecting the continuation of the aggression, the international system, with its institutions, is still unable to deliver humanitarian, relief and food aid to the Gaza Strip,” said AI Attiyah.
She said that Gaza people are suffering from mass starvation in a difficult test of the credibility of the human values enshrined in international law.
“NHRC was a partner with all parties concerned with the right to food in Qatar, at the level of legislation, policies and programmes, which contributed to its global ranking, thirtieth globally and first in the Arab world in the Global Food Security Index 2022.
"Qatar also ranked third in the world in terms of agriculture according to the organic hydroponic system,” said AI Attiyah.
Speaking about the food crisis in some parts of the world, Al Attiyah said,“The crisis is not the result of a shortage of resources as much as it is a crisis of distribution, and the pursuit of justice in an era of scientific and technical progress and even the ability to harness resources in order to increase production and provide a decent life for people.”
However, she said that the food crisis represents one of the most serious obstacles to the effective enjoyment of human dignity and rights. “Food has become a cause of conflicts and wars, and there have been many examples of this over the past few years.”
“The responsibility falls on all of us to face the food challenge in order to achieve the goals of the United Nations and international human rights conventions of freedom, equality, justice, peace and development,” said AI Attiyah.
Speaking at the same event, Secretary-General of the GCC H E Jassim Mohammed Al Budaiwi said that International laws recognise the human right to adequate food, but there is still a prevailing gap around the world, most of whom are in developing countries who suffer from food shortages and hunger as a result of natural disasters, the increase in conflicts and wars, and the use of food as a political weapon in the process of pressure.
United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights H E Nada Al Nashif said that world is facing many economic crises and climate change, and that this calls for joint efforts to protect those suffering from food shortages.
“The Gaza Strip, for example, has 2.5 million people, which means that the majority of the population, if not the entire population, suffers from famine, as 500,000 of them suffer from acute hunger due to the collapse of food systems due to the siege,” said Al Nashif.
Deputy Secretary-General of Arab League H E Ambassador Haifa Abu Ghazaleh said that Arab League supports the joint efforts made by Qatar and Egypt, aimed at reaching a permanent ceasefire and delivering basic life-saving aid to the people of Gaza.
Technical representative and head of office of the United Nations Development Programme in Qatar H E Biplove Choudhary said that there is an urgent need to confront the global challenges related to food security, and it is a very important matter, expressing his hope to come up with effective recommendations from the conference.
