ReliefWeb

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 crisis is exacerbating food insecurity and malnutrition in the Pacific region as measures to halt the spread of the virus have had unintended impacts on people’s lives, such as rising unemployment and poverty. Moreover, lockdowns and mobility restrictions have caused disruptions in trade within and between states, reducing the availability and accessibility of adequate food, and threatening the sustainability of agrifood systems.

Urgent steps are needed to address food insecurity for the poorest, the most vulnerable and marginalized communities. Measures aimed at providing immediate support to satisfy people’s dietary needs should be put in place, including the provision of food and nutrition assistance.

INTRODUCTION

The COVID-19-pandemic is a test of societies, governments, communities, and individuals. It is a time for solidarity and cooperation to tackle the virus, and to mitigate the negative effects – often unintended – of measures designed to halt the spread of COVID-19. Respect for human rights – including economic, social, cultural, civil, and political – is fundamental to the success of the public health response and recovery from the pandemic. For example, countries with stronger social protection systems were better able to provide adequate and inclusive responses to the pandemic’s socioeconomic impacts on people’s lives (Roelen and Carter, 2022). Those impacts have been devastating: the World Bank warns that the pandemic has exacerbated income inequality and pushed an additional 97 million people into poverty in 2020 (Gerszon Mahler et al., 2021). With rising numbers of people facing unemployment, disruptions to food access, reduced purchasing power and the limited number of choices available, the enjoyment of the human right to adequate food has become increasingly jeopardized.

Those already living in precarious socioeconomic circumstances, such as people from marginalized groups and persons in vulnerable situations, have been hit the hardest. Depending on the given context, this may include, among others, women, informal workers, subsistence farmers and ethnic minorities. National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs), civil society and local communities can assist in identifying people who may otherwise be left behind or excluded.
They can do this by supporting the flow of accessible information to these groups, and providing feedback to authorities on the impact of measures on communities and their access to adequate food.