“I will pay special attention to the situation of peasants and smallholders, including women, and the efforts made to improve their livelihoods,” Ms. Elver said, launching the first visit to the country by an independent expert on the right to food mandated by the Human Rights Council.
Around 60% of the Zambian population lives in poverty, mostly subsistence farmers in rural areas.
There is a strong concern about the levels of malnutrition in this context, leaving around 40 percent of children under the age of five at below average height.
“I will also assess the impact of economic policies including large-scale investments in land for commercial agriculture, on the right to food and in this sense I am interested in the current revision of Zambia’s Lands Act policy, which aims to protect the country’s land against indiscriminate sales,” said Ms. Elver
The Special Rapporteur will seek to provide practical policy recommendations to further the realization of the right to food.
She will discuss with the Government, options to secure greater inclusion for vulnerable people and the protection of Zambia’s valuable resources for the future.
During the visit, the expert will meet senior Government officials, representatives from the UN, civil society and local communities in various locations throughout the country, including in the Central Province.
She will also visit the Mayukwayukwa-refugee camp in Kaoma, Western Province.
Ms. Elver who is from Turkey was appointed Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food by the Human Rights Council in 2014.
She is a Research Professor, co-director of the Project on Global Climate Change, Human Security and Democracy housed at the Orfalea Center for Global & International Studies, and global distinguished fellow at the University of California Los Angeles Law School (UCLA) Resnick Food Law and Policy Center.
They should as well why they are stup1d in my eyes and backwards
Thanks
BB2014,2016
The UN is a joke. Reasons for malnutrition well known….The main one being lack of vision by the Edgar Lungu and the PF govt. Creating the 500 000 thousand jobs Edgar promised would reduce malnutrition by 50%. Reducing the cost of Ministers cars/perks ( money to be used for agric extension services) will reduce malnutrition by another 15% .
This is embarrassing. Main reason of malnourishment is not lack of food, it is ICHIKASHA.
Will she be hosted by state house? Which minister is in charge of feeding children?
@obatala,
all you see in that visit is ECL and not the bigger picture that hunger has been with us from time immemorial and has to be fought tooth and nail to eradicate the scourge by all well meaning zambians.
if suppose i had to indict your hh in this for not paying his workers decent wages thus contributing to the scourge how would you feel? be sensible…
Its well known that we are a mono cropping nation (maize), no diversification in action but paper, no nutrition community sessions, and above all capitalism rides on the backs of the lower classes to enrich those at the top. the main problem with Africa and Zambia in particular is public officers are the richest and we don’t see anything wrong with that.
Zambians cannot afford protein, let alone mealie-meal..In the final analysis of the triger causality, it is Lungu and his PF bunck of thieves and minions who are busy tenderpreneuring and buying property abroad from stollen Eurobond money. Thank yiu IMF for refusing this midiocre gvernment money which would have just ended up in more property acquisition abroad.. Ask that PF guy in Kitwe who lost his seat to an independent candidate in Chimwemwe.
The most important thing in Zambia at the moment is for someone to be recognized. The the welfare of the people will be looked into.
This is not true.
It’s a lie contrived by the West, to discredit a progressive government.
Copper production is burgeoning
Agricultural export is escalating
The brain drain has been stemmed
Load-shedding is a thing of the past
Tourism is booming
The catalyst to this has been investments by Chinese, Indians and Lebanese
In the process, we will teach Zambians how to run a profitable business
Dear Mwenye, you Indians have come to Africa to stay. That’s why you won’t teach any African how to be self-sustaining. You are the new colonialists. You are the new enemies, apart from PF.
As crazy as what you have said is, it is the reality. Africans need to awaken.
I see politics here. Last week pipo wanted land takeb back fro foreigners. Now this lady is looking at the same issue .
She wants to look at refugee camp.
We have been encouraging investment from turkey which has stopped access to wikipaedia.and presiden has absulute power.
Why do we look for investment from countries in conflict. Turkey has a refugee problem are we the solution
Zambians be alert
There’s nothing to investigate. I can tell this UN person the answer right now and she does not need to come to Zambia just to get her allowances : ZAMBIA IS THE THIRD HUNGRIEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD BECAUSE OF PF CORRUPTION AND THIEVING. There’s no other reason.
I implore all bloggers pf upnd etc to google hilal elver at wiki. Makes for interesting reading as she appears to be controversial
Please read then look at our involvement with turkey
Kikiki when nez says that things are bad people throw insults at me. Look how upset pf cadres like mushota are. You cannot tell me that the United nations is now upnd. Learn to take constructive criticism positively. I advice you all to not take that ugly goat mushota seriously because she is not even based in Zambia and does not care about you or your family. Pf has failed and even a blind man can see
Sumar bhagat, can u please quote the figures and the source so we can all applaud tbe progress
Even lungu is malnourished because my penis is bigger in girth than his wrist and arm
Lusakatimes I’m 62 and I want to see this person banned. I have never seen someone use profanity and you are happy on a worldwide read site like this. Even people like kudos or mushota don’t reach this extent.
In the interest of all please ban this person like you have done in the past.
You are 62 and very f00lISh because a person as old as you should know by now that we are entitled to our own views and opinions. If the words I have used are vulgar then Lusaka times wouldn’t have published them. I advise you to seek retirement from online blogging. Try farming and taking care of your grandchildren. Useless man. You will block me muzalema
@nez,
its you who said “up votes do not lie”. look at the voting since you believe in them.
why can’t you just own up on this one and retract your post or is it that you are full of hatred?
that post @ harold muna is spot on.
if people challenge the LT to ban you, you think they will not oblige to the demand just because you are nez and supporter of hh?
remember what happened to your useless watch dog?
LT, I am equally concerned with NEZ’s improper language and heavy insults. He is even insulting the Head of State! This NEZ is surely uncultured and not fit to be associated with our country. LT, could you kindly start blocking articles loaded with bad language like NEZ’s to make this site descent.
Sad that Zambia is the 3rd hungriest nation on earth while Lungu and his minions are spending lots of money on harassing the opposition
Zambia has 2nd largest bodies in Africa (after DRC), has fertile soils plenty.
Anyway, I’ve been to plenty countries and I can say is Zambians are generally LAZY & prefer white collar jobs, politics, nchekeleko, get-rich-quick schemes etc.
We need the 500,000 jobs Mr. President. We are tired of being embarrased to the whole world.
Don’t wory HH will take over soon.He has been baptized to take over state machinery soon.All will see what he can do.
He will just bring genocide, be warned old chap.
Did you investigate why Americans are fat?
That one’s easy: because they do not share or play well with others.
Its looks like as a country we do not think and can’t address our own issues. The issues raised by the un expert are very true and need urgent attention, sure does it need to take outsiders to address long standing and recouring problems in our country. The problem we have as a country is that we are good at talking and very poor at acting were land ownership and poverty alievation is concerned. The problem we have as a nation especially government workers is selfish individuals whose interest is bent on satisfying themselves and their fsmilies at the expense of many zambians.When are we going to be serious as a nation.
This is an unnecessary investigation when all know that Zambia is governed by incompetent people. The president is a thief who cares more about enriching himself, dancing and drinking than taking care of the economy. He has a bunch of extremely stup!d people (Sata said so) to help him plunder the nation. You have a scenario like this do you have to wonder why Zambians are malnourished?
Ms. Elver, please don’t waste your time and ours. Or are you another of these people that just travel the world, collect huge allowances, stay in $1000 a night hotels and then make public statements about how bad things are like our useless globe trotting wanabe President vasco de gama?
If you REALLY want to help, just donate the huge cost of your trip to any honest NGO that effectively uses the money. Or are you going to recommend more aid that will just be STOLEN by PF cadres that are already millionaires and are so fat on poor taxpayers money they can hardly walk?
@ Harod Muna, urge LT PF mouth piece to ban Mushota, Ndobo, Nostradamus, etc messengers of vile rule in Zambia that has damaged our reputation of peaceful nation than NEZ who is progressive with ideas in Zambia.
Catch 22, plead for kaloba at astronomical interest of starve
Waste of resources, please let her go back where she has come from
Whom is the pompous lout calling ” peasants .” As Zambians we should never always accept anything with out scrutiny. Look at the comments above and Zambians are each others throats, but shall not call out this so called envoy or her blatant insult.
Do not be cheated by the UN they are only pursuing their agenda it has nothing to do with malnutrition I am still doing my research interests will update you all when I get facts on the ground.My suspicion is that they want to acquire land for GM crops.Since when was malnutrition their concern if they want to eradicate malnutrition in Zambia why don’t they let african countries price their own resources.My view i think the UN must be defunct it is very deceitful.
The reason why 60% of people in Zambia are suffering of Malnutrition is because ubupuba bwachila. There are busy persecuting others instead of improving people lives. They have not even done anything about the promises they made during campaign period but Lungu is only interested to talk about 2021 elections. What kind of leaders are these? Why did God give us Lungu who has no plan for the Country?
Making sure everyone is fed is the strong foundation on which a better future should be built. Until that foundation is secured, all the flash money in the world is pure vanity. I want to see a strong Zambia that can stand on its own two feet, and I think the world will benefit from seeing that too.