Regional workshop on Human Rights, Peoples Right to Land and Food at Dhaka, Bangladesh<br>

Mr. Sanjay Kumar, Under Secretary (GA), NHRC represented the Commission at the regional workshop on 'Human Rights, Peoples Right to Land and Food' at Dhaka, Bangladesh from the 4th-5th April, 2012. The workshop was jointly organized by the NHRC-Bangladesh, ALRD and IMSE-India. The workshop was divided in to five thematic sessions:
" Land Conflicts, Violation of human rights, Ensuring Justice;
" Protection of Agricultural Land and Global Trends of Commercialization;
" Women's Right to Land: Group Farming and Empowerment;
" Food Sovereignty: Right to Food and Human Rights;
" Land Rights of Marginalized People: Laws, Accords and Peace Building.
Speaking as a panelist on sessions on 'Protection of Agriculture Land and Global Trends of Commercialization' and 'Food Sovereignty: Right to Food and Human Rights', Mr. Kumar said that the NHRC's recommendations on relief and rehabilitation of displaced persons lay emphasis on rights based perspective rather than on handling the issue only as an administrative matter. The Commission believes that all affected displaced persons have the right to be treated with dignity.
Referring to the Right to Food, he said that the NHRC has consistently maintained that this right is inherent to right to life with dignity. The right to food should include appropriate level of nutrients and it is the responsibility of the state to ensure this. In this context, the Commission has been monitoring since 1987 the situation of recurring allegations of death by starvation in Kalahandi, Bolangir and Koraput Districts of Odisha and elsewhere in the country including suicides committed by farmers.