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Prof. Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, UN special rapporteur on the right to water, emphasised the nexus of water and food. He said, “Water and food systems are deeply interconnected. Not only does the realization of the right to food largely depend on the availability and quality of water, but the availability and potability of water are being severely hampered by the current food production model. This severely affects societies, but particularly women, Indigenous peoples, and marginalized communities.”
He further spoke about enhanced coordination efforts between the water and food sectors, a vital step towards upholding human rights.
Prof. Michael Fakhri, UN special rapporteur on the right to food, reflected on the importance of bringing a nexus approach to water and food, highlighting the health of people and planet. Urging more dialogue between these sectors, he expressed particular concern about wars and conflicts that are aggravating food insecurity, increasing hunger, and exacerbating water crises.
Juan Echanove, the Right to Food team lead at the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, spoke on the interconnection between water and food from a human rights perspective. He said, “The right to food is all about two words – dignity and entitlements.”
He went on to explain key state obligations under the right to food: “Respect, protect, and fulfil the right to food. Food must be available, accessible, sustainable, adequate, safe, and culturally appropriate. This human rights approach is also applicable to right to water.”
Dinesh Suna, coordinator of the WCC Ecumenical Water Network, and WCC programme executive for Food, Water, and Land Advocacy, spoke on the role of faith-based organisations in water and food security. He drew attention to the fact that over 80% of people around the world identify with a religious group, which is about 5.8 billion individuals.
He highlighted the work of WCC in the sectors of water and food security. “WCC is a Blue Community which respects the human right to water; we say ‘no’ to the privatisation of water and ‘no' to bottled water.”
He emphasised the WCC Food for Life campaign, speaking about the “Ten commandments of Food” and the recently completed Weekend of Prayer and Action Against Hunger.
The WCC is publishing Living Planet Monitoring, a comprehensive publication on the nexus of food, water, and land and how these are influenced by climate change. The first edition is focused on South and East Africa and is set to be released in November 2024.
