UN food-rights rapporteur warns famine is becoming normalized amid global hunger rise
Sofia Monsalve, the new UN special rapporteur on the right to food, called for a radical overhaul of the food system and warned that famine is being treated as a weapon of war.
At a conference in Turin, Sofia Monsalve, appointed UN special rapporteur on the right to food, urged a comprehensive transformation of the world food system based on land redistribution, agroecology, relocalisation and democratic decision-making. She warned that humanitarian aid is at historic lows and that hunger levels, which fell after a pandemic surge, have not returned to 2016 figures. Monsalve cited the use of famine as a weapon in Gaza and Sudan, accusing states such as Israel, the United States, Germany and the United Arab Emirates of undermining International Court of Justice rulings.
She condemned the dominance of large agribusinesses, noting their subsidies, tax avoidance and ecological costs, and called for a narrative shift that treats food as a right rather than a tradable commodity. While acknowledging the fragility exposed by crises in Ukraine and Iran, she noted emerging discussions within the FAO about diversifying supplies and building reserves. Finally, she argued that digital tools could enable more democratic food-system planning if political will materialises.
Why it matters
The rapporteur's warnings highlight how geopolitical tensions and corporate power threaten global food security and human rights.
In this story
