UN Rights Chief says Do Not Forget The Marginalized

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High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour stated today that the solutions to the current food crisis spurred by soaring global food prices must include marginalized groups. Arbour was joining the call issued by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to the international community to respond to the problem.

The UN press release says that while Arbour acknowledges that the crisis is fundamentally humanitarian in nature, however, she said in a statement that was issued in Geneva, that it is also an obligation, thus requiring non-discriminatory food distributions and analysis of communities' needs.

“More fundamentally, and for the more medium and longer term, the underlying inequalities and inabilities to access food must be addressed by a comprehensive solution,” she noted. “When we focus on those most in need, we must include not only the poorest but also those that are particularly vulnerable to discrimination on any other grounds, including gender, ethnicity, or disability."

Arbour emphasized that all voices must be heard – directly or through representative organizations – in tackling the food crisis. In addition, she pointed out that food-related social unrest could potentially threaten other human rights, such as freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

“I think it is clear we can fix these problems,” Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes said.

"The solutions can be found; the solutions are there. They are very difficult, some of them, in the short term, but they can be done.”