Table 1.
Overall commitment to the right to food and disaster management in Uganda.
Year Name of agreement Description
1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights • Proclaimed by United Nations General Assembly as a common standard of achievement for all persons in all nations
• Article 1 affirms that all human beings are born equal in dignity and rights
• Article 25(1) on the right to adequate food in the context of an adequate standard of living
1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights • Binding treaty ratified by Uganda in 1995
• Article 4 commits States to respond to public emergencies without discrimination
1966 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights • Binding treaty ratified by Uganda in 1987
• Right to adequate food recognised by Article 11 in the context of an adequate standard of living
• Basis for developing United Nations General Comment 12 elaborating the right to adequate food and how it could be realised
1986 African Charter on Human and People’s Rightsa • Ratified by Uganda in 1986
• Article 18 on protection of family and vulnerable persons
1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child • Ratified by Uganda in 1989
• Articles 24 and 27 outline the right of children to adequate food and nutritional care
1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change • Regarded as the Kyoto Protocol; adopted in 1997
• Ratified by Uganda in 2002
• Urges States to put in place policies and institutions to mitigate effects of climate change
1994 Yokohama Strategy and Plan of Action for a Safer World • Endorsed by Uganda and activities coordinated under the Office of the Prime Minister
• Calls for institutional platforms on disaster risk reduction
1997 Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Responseb • Establishes and promotes minimum standards for global humanitarian response
• Coordinated by the Office of the Prime Minister
1999 United Nations Resolution 54/219 on Disaster Risk Reduction • Established the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) and its Secretariat
• Endorsed by Uganda and coordination is by the Office of the Prime Minister
2005 Hyogo Framework for Action for period 2005–2015 • Adopted at the 2nd World Conference on Disaster reduction held in Hyogo, Japan
• Proposed an enabling environment to build disaster resilient nations and communities
• Uganda was party to framework and adopted a National Platform coordinated by the Office of the Prime Minister
2009 African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons • Also called the Kampala Convention
• Entered into force in December 2012
• Commits States to offer maximum protection and assistance to displaced persons
• Articles 9.1(e) is on protection against starvation
• Article 9.2(b) is on providing food to the fullest extent practicable without delay
a
The Charter is silent on the right to adequate food.
b
It is also referred to as the SPHERE project.