EU Statement – UN General Assembly 3rd Committee: Interactive Dialogue on the Right to Food

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

We thank the Special Rapporteur for the presentation of his report.

Hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition are global challenges, which are exacerbated by armed conflicts and climate change.

We agree that preventing starvation in line with Sustainable Development Goal 2 is intrinsically linked with the right to adequate food, enshrined in Article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

In the context of the conflict in Gaza, we note with utmost concernthe unacceptable number of civilian casualties, especially children, as well as the catastrophic levels of hunger and imminent risk of famine caused by the insufficient entry of aid into Gaza. We reiterate the primacy of land corridors, noting that all routes, of land, air, and sea, including the Cyprus Maritime Corridor, are valuable in helping to meet the vast humanitarian needs of civilians.

According to the IPC Famine Review Committee, about 96% of the population in the Gaza Strip face high levels of acute food insecurity, and 22% face catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity.

In 2024, the EU and its Member States allocated over EUR 460 million to support partners working on the ground in Gaza. Food security is the second largest sector in the Commission's Palestine Humanitarian Implementation Plan, with EUR 55 million so far allocated to the World Food Programme.

The EU calls for the full implementation of the terms of the ceasefire proposal according to UN Security Council resolution 2735 (2024). The EU is also very concerned about the major hunger crises in Sudan, Yemen, Afghanistan and Myanmar. As your reports points out, 25 million people in Sudan face starvation and require urgent humanitarian assistance likethe 21 million people in Yemen. In Afghanistan too, a staggering 15 million people face levels of food insecurity.Globally, over 281.6 million people face high levels of acute food insecurity in approximately 41 countries and territories.

In the context of armed conflict, which is in focus in this report, international humanitarian law and specifically the Geneva Conventions - whose 75th anniversary we celebrate this year - protect objects indispensable to the survival of the civilianpopulation and prohibit attacks on civilian infrastructure, including those which may lead to the destruction of food systems and water installations.

In line with the UN Security Council resolution 2417 (2018), the EU recalls its firm condemnation of the use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare as well as unlawful denial of humanitarian access, including wilfully impeding relief supply and access for responses to conflict-induced food insecurity.

Thank you.