Food is Not a Weapon: A Call for Justice at UNFSS+4

What is unfolding in Gaza is not just a humanitarian crisis—it is a systematic violation of the human rights to adequate food and nutrition, water, land and self-determination, and a stark reminder that hunger is deeply political. Famine, starvation, siege, and military occupation are not unfortunate side effects; they are deliberate strategies that violate international human rights and humanitarian law. The international community cannot remain silent or accept these realities in a space that claims to promote “inclusive” transformation.  States individually and jointly must ensure that state and non-state perpetrators are accountable for those violations. On this regard, we support the efforts of The Hague Group, a relevant multilateral space mainly emerging from the global south,  and expect that the Group reinforces the connections between the measures taken and others to come and states accountability for violations of the rights to food, land and  food sovereignty in connection with the right to self-determination. 

The GNRtFN stands in full solidarity with the Palestinian people and with all those resisting displacement, occupation, and the use of food as a tool of domination. We stand alongside Palestinian agricultural organizations and farming and fishing communities, notably the family farming activities led by women, our member organization GUPAP and communities who have long struggled for food sovereignty, dignity, and justice—principles that are fundamentally absent from the corporate-led agendas shaping this Summit. 

We urge all States to reject token gestures and call instead for real accountability, public-centered governance, and global solidarity. Food must never be turned into a weapon. It is the foundation of life, dignity, and peace not only for the present but also for future generations. One of the major policies adopted by the UN Committee on World Food Security (CFS) is the Framework for Action in Protracted Crisis. The relevance and urgency to apply this framework could not be higher now.  All Member States reiterated under that agreement that food must not be used as a weapon of war. Yet Gaza, Sudan, Yemen, Congo, Haiti illustrate a growing trend of using hunger as a tactic in warfare and control. We call on FAO, WFP and IFAD to give priority to the implementation of this framework. Moreover, we call member states to involve CFS in an investigation about the health and nutritional status of the population in Gaza that The Hague group is proposing for the upcoming session of the UN General Assembly.  

There can be no meaningful transformation of food systems without the leadership of those contributing most to feed the world and on the same time most affected by systematic violations of their human rights —small-scale food producers, Indigenous Peoples, women, and youth. And there can be no right to food and nutrition without justice for Palestinians. 

Signed by: 

Consortium for Agrarian Reform (KPA), Indonesia 

ALIFA Foundation, Indonesia 

Anti-jindal & Anti-POSCO Movement (JPPSS), Odisha, India.   

Associació Observatori DESCA, Barcelona, Spain   

Ath Thaariq Ecological Islamic Boarding School, Indonesia 

BAKUMSU, Indonesia 

Bangladesh Food Security Network-KHANI, Bangladesh  

BITRA, Indonesia 

Confederation of Indonesian People’s Movements (KPRI), Indonesia  

Coordination Féministe pour la Souveraineté Alimentaire CFSA  

Ekologi Maritim Indonesia (EKOMARIN), Indonesia 

FIAN Brasil   

FIAN Indonesia  

FIAN International  

FIAN Norway  

FIAN Paraguay   

FIAN Uganda    

FIELD Indonesia (YDBN), Indonesia 

Global Solidarity Alliance for Food, Health and Social Justice  

Gaza Urban & Peri-urban Agriculture Platform (GUPAP), Palestine 

Indonesia for Global Justice (IGJ), Indonesia 

Indonesian Breastfeeding Mothers Association (AIMI), Indonesia 

Indonesian Farmers Alliance, Indonesia 

Indonesian Farmers Community Network (JAMTANI), Indonesia 

Indonesian Organic Alliance, Indonesia 

Justicia Alimentaria (Barcelona, Spain)   

KIBAR Kediri, Indonesia 

Koalisi Rakyat untuk Keadilan Perikanan (KIARA), Indonesia  

KOBETA Cooperative, Indonesia 

Komodo Indonesia Lestari Foundation (YAKINES), Indonesia 

LBH Papua Merauke, Indonesia 

Mama Aleta Foundation (MAF), Indonesia 

Mental Health and Human Rights Info, Norway    

National Fisheries Solidarity Movement, Sri Lanka    

Nusantara Lestari Ecological Foundation (EKONESIA), Indonesia 

Participatory Research & Action Network (PRAAN), Bangladesh   

Persaudaraan Perempuan Nelayan Indonesia (PPNI), Indonesia 

Puanifesto, Indonesia  

Right to Food Campaign India    

Samawa Islam Transformative, Indonesia  

Sarekat Pengorganisasian Rakyat (SPR) Indonesia, Indonesia 

Satya Bumi, Indonesia 

SHEEP Indonesia Foundation (YSI), Indonesia 

Society for International Development (SID)   

Tananua Flores Foundation (YTNF), Indonesia 

Teraju Indonesia, Indonesia  

The Flying Aunties Cooperative, Lebanon  

Transnational Palm Oil Labour Solidarity (TPOLS), Indonesia  

UBINIG (Policy Research for Development Alternative), Bangladesh   

Unity of People’s Struggle- Kesatuan Perjuangan Rakyat (KPR), Indonesia 

Vancouver Food Justice Coalition (Canada)  

Work Network of Christian Ministry Institutions in Indonesia (JKLPK), Indonesia  

World Forum of Fisher Peoples’(WFFP)  

Yayasan Bina Insani Indonesia Kendari (INSANI), Indonesia 

Yayasan Pusaka Bentala Rakyat, Indonesia 

Youth’s Forum for Protection of Human Rights (YFPHR), India   

Zambia Alliance for Agroecology and Biodiversity (ZAAB) 

All Bangla Fishermen’s Association (ABFMA), Bangladesh