UN High Commissioner says international food crisis will affect marginalized groups like people with disabilities

On May 1 the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour joined the UN Secretary-General in urging the international community to promptly address the crisis caused by the rapid growth in food prices around the world.

“As the Secretary-General has stressed, the first priority must be to feed the hungry,” said the High Commissioner in a statement, adding that this should be humanitarian response, not an act of charity, but a matter of obligation.

“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,” Arbour said. “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 stressed that addressing the plight of the socially excluded, and the causes of any such discrimination, will be essential to resolving the current crisis. In this effort, all voices must be heard, whether directly or through representative organizations.

The High Commissioner added that food-related social unrest could also result in other human rights risks - to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly – which must also be addressed.