Is RTFN recognized in the legal system?

The Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh has directive principles that contribute to the realization of the right to adequate food.

The People's Republic of Bangladesh has become a State party to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in 1998 by way of accession.

Directive principles of state policy

Article 11: “The Republic shall be a democracy in which fundamental human rights and freedoms and respect for the dignity and worth of the human person shall be guaranteed, and in which effective participation by the people through their elected representatives in administration at all levels shall be ensured.”

Article 15: “It shall be a fundamental responsibility of the State to attain, through planned economic growth, a constant increase of productive forces and a steady improvement in the material and cultural standard of living of the people, with a view to securing to its citizens-

(a) the provision of the basic necessities of life, including food, clothing, shelter, education and medical care;

(b) the right to work, that is the right to guaranteed employment at a reasonable wage having regard to the quantity and quality of work;

(c) the right to reasonable rest, recreation and leisure; and the right to social security, that is to say to public assistance in cases of undeserved want arising from unemployment, illness or disablement, or suffered by widows or orphans or in old age, or in other such cases.”

Article 18(1): “The State shall regard the raising of the level of nutrition and the improvement of public health as moving its primary duties […].”

Despite the lack of an express constitutional right or a comprehensive framework law securing the right to food, prevailing laws in Bangladesh protect different facets of the right. For example, several laws aim to ensure food safety and punish food adulteration. Quality is protected in laws on grading; laws on the environment, agriculture and hoarding all address food sustainability, accessibility and availability.

The most important fundamental right in relation to the right to food is the right to life. Article 32 of the Constitution of Bangladesh states:

‘No person shall be deprived of life or personal liberty, save in accordance with law.’