Enact right to food act immediately

A law on right to food has to be enacted and implemented to ensure adequate amount of food and nutrition for the poor, said speakers at a dialogue yesterday.

Right to Food Bangladesh (RFB) and Economic Reporters’ Forum (ERF) -- in association with Christian Aid, and ICCO Cooperation -- organised the dialogue titled “Need to Enact a Food Right Act and the Role of the Media” at ERF’s conference room in Dhaka.

RFB General Secretary Mohsin Ali said, “Enacting the right to food act is a demand of the hour.”

If the law is enacted, its effectiveness will create a scope for making the authorities concerned accountable for their actions regarding the issue.

Arshad Hossain Siddiqui, lobbying and advocacy expert for South and Central Asia region at ICCO Cooperation -- a global NGO, echoed Mohsin Ali.

Siddiqui said, “An act on the right to food and safe food has to be formulated. The constitution has guaranteed the right to food. Now it should be legally established.”

In Bangladesh, the poverty rate is 21.8 percent, which is 3.55 crore out of the 16.36 crore people in Bangladesh. The extreme poverty rate is 11.13 percent, or about 2 crore, said Mohsin Ali, citing Planning Commission data.

About 2.5 crore people are suffering from malnutrition, he said.

Ali, also the executive director of Wave Foundation, said access to adequate food is seen in the light of a right. The United Nations declared it as human right, while the first two Sustainable Development Goals also address poverty and hunger, he added.

“When you make it a right, it is not a matter of giving alms any more; rather it becomes an entitlement.”

He said Bangladesh has made impressive strides in economic and social sectors. “Nobody now dies from hunger. But there is slow death and early death from not having access to required amount of food and nutritious food for years, a phenomenon which is not visible.”

Mohsin Ali said there is mistargeting in the social safety net programmes and this should be addressed.

He urged the government to take measures to provide skills training, funds and employment opportunities to people belonging to the extreme poverty group.

Siddiqui of ICCO Cooperation said as Bangladesh is moving forward to become a middle-income country, the right to food should be legally established.

About two crore people either go to bed unfed or don’t have adequate amount of food, he said. “Bangladesh’s graduation to a middle-income country will not be meaningful, if we cannot improve the condition of this group of people.”

Ziaur Rahman, editor of online news portal Arthosuchak, said the right to food has become even more important following recent revelations about the type of substandard food people are consuming.

“It is true that people in Bangladesh don’t die from hunger. But, at the same time, the country hasn’t made progress much in ensuring safe food.”

ERF General Secretary SM Rashidul Islam moderated the discussion.