The Right to Food in Europe

Started in December 2022

In the world today, around 750 million people are hungry, two billion people are food insecure, and three billion people are malnourished, primarily in the Global South. With the Covid-19 crisis and armed conflicts, including the war in Ukraine, food insecurity has also been increasing in Europe. While responses to this food crisis in this continent are often based on social assistance or food aid, a few actors ask for the right to food to be put at the center of these responses.

A human rights-based approach to fight food insecurity, with the right to food at its core, has been effective in improving food security in countries like Brazil (between 2003 and 2014), Bolivia (between 2006 and 2019), and India (between 2001 and 2014).

The Geneva Academy has been working on the right to food since 2008, notably by providing expertise on the realization of sustainable development goals with the right to food. Between 2015 and 2022, we supervised the legal aspects of two interdisciplinary research projects on the right to food in the Global South – DEMETER and Towards Food Sustainability – jointly funded by the Research for Development Programme (r4d) of the Swiss National Science Foundation and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.

Objectives

In this project, we will provide legal expertise to a variety of stakeholders on the implementation of the right to food, and on the right to food as a legal basis for just transformation toward sustainable food systems in Europe. We will also identify lessons learned from the recognition of the right to food in the Constitution of the Canton of Geneva back in 2023.

Partners

Our partners in this project include the FAO, FIAN International, Fondazione Mater, Refettorio Geneva, Fondation Leenaards, and the ECI Campaign.

Presentations

Dr. Christophe Golay, Senior Research Fellow, gave a keynote speech at the side event under the title 'Right to Food: Right to a Future' that the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, together with WeltHungerHilfe, Right to Food Kenya, and OHCHR organized in the framework of the United Nations Civil Society Conference that took place in Nairobi on May 9 and 10, 2024. The presentation can be rewatched here.

NEWS AND UPCOMING EVENTS

News

New publications outline concrete recommendations to implement the right to food in Geneva

9 December 2024

The Geneva Academy has released one briefing in French and four research briefs in French, English, German, and Italian on the right to food in Geneva.

Read more >

RESEARCHERS

Picture of Christophe Golay

Christophe Golay

Senior Research Fellow

Dr Christophe Golay's expertise relates to economic, social and cultural rights, the right to food and the rights of peasants.

Publications

Cover of the publication

Research Brief - Droit à l'alimentation à Genève

December 2024

Christophe Golay

The Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights

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Cover of the publication

Research Brief - Recht auf Nahrung in Genf

December 2024

Christophe Golay

The Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights

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Cover of the publication

Research Brief - Diritto All'Alimentazione a Ginevra

December 2024

Christophe Golay

The Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights

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Cover of the publication

Research Brief - Right to Food in Geneva

December 2024

Christophe Golay

The Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights

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Cover of the publication

Briefing N° 24: Le Droit à l’Alimentation à Genève

December 2024

Christophe Golay

The Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights

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The Right to Food for a Just Transition Towards Sustainable Food Systems

The Right to Food for a Just Transition Towards Sustainable Food Systems

October 2023

Christophe Golay, Magali Ramel

Fian International

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Cover of the publication

Building Back Better with the Rights to Health, Food and Social Security

December 2022

Christophe Golay, Steven L. B. Jensen and Amanda Lyons

The Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights

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Cover of the publication

The Rights to Food and Food Sovereignty in UNDROP

December 2022

Christophe Golay

The Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights

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Past Events

Le droit à l’alimentation pour une transition juste vers des systèmes alimentaires durables à Genève

10 December 2024, 20:00-21:30

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A new Resolution on the Right to Food in the Council of Europe

5 November 2024, 13:00-15:00

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Implementing the Right to Food Guidelines and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants in Africa and Europe: A Civil Society Perspective

22 October 2024, 13:30-14:45

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MORE ON THIS THEMATIC AREA

News

New publications outline concrete recommendations to implement the right to food in Geneva

9 December 2024

The Geneva Academy has released one briefing in French and four research briefs in French, English, German, and Italian on the right to food in Geneva.

Read more

Human Rights Tiles News

From Signals to Action: Strengthening the UN's Conflict Prevention Effortsrch Brief Examines the Importance of Balancing Rights and Surveillance in the Digital Age

31 March 2025

Our recent research brief series explores how the United Nations' human rights system can enhance its role in early warning and conflict prevention.

Read more

Event

Reflections on the open-ended intergovernmental working group outcomes and the potential for developing a Commentary

9 April 2025, 13:00-14:00

This event aims to evaluate the Revised Fourth Draft Instrument on private military and security companies to strengthen accountability, align with international frameworks, and explore avenues for implementation.

Read more

Universal Declaration of Human Rights Booklet Training

The International Human Rights Standards and System: Monitoring and Implementation Strategies at the National Level

7-11 July 2025

This training course will delve into the means and mechanisms through which national actors can best coordinate their human rights monitoring and implementation efforts, enabling them to strategically navigate the UN human rights system and use the various mechanisms available in their day-to-day work.

Read more

Asian workers working at technology production factory with industrial machines Training

Business and Human Rights

19-23 May 2025

This training course will examine how the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights have been utilized to advance the concept of business respect for human rights throughout the UN system, the impact of the Guiding Principles on other international organizations, as well as the impact of standards and guidance developed by these different bodies.

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A destroyed camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Khor Abeche, South Darfur, Project

Understanding the Relationship between Conflict, Security and the Human Right to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment

Started in May 2023

This project will develop guidance to inform security, human rights and environmental debates on the linkages between environmental rights and conflict, and how their better management can serve as a tool in conflict prevention, resilience and early warning.

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Un plate with Rapporteur Spécial written on it Project

Support to UN Special Procedures

Started in June 2020

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Cover of the publication Publication

Briefing N° 25: Localizing Multilateralism

published on March 2025

Domenico Zipoli, Ludovica Chiussi Curzi, Kamelia Kemileva

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Cover page of the working paper Publication

AI Decoded: Key Concepts and Applications of Artificial Intelligence for Human Rights and SDG Monitoring

published on January 2025

Milica Mirkovic, Jennifer Victoria Scurrell

Read more