Food is necessary to sustain life and health. It is a human right. The right to food means that everyone must have regular, permanent and unrestricted access (either directly or through financial purchase) to adequate and sufficient food.
The right to food is protected by Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services…” The right to food is further clarified in Articles 11 and 12 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). Article 11 recognizes the right to an adequate standard of living which includes access to adequate food, clothing, housing and the continuous improvement of living conditions. Article 12 protects the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.
General comments are issued by a United Nations treaty body and are official interpretations of an international human rights treaty. General Comment No. 12 describes the right to adequate food as having 4 key elements.
Availability of food refers to the possibility of feeding oneself directly from agricultural land or other natural resources (fishing, hunting, gathering) and the efficient distribution and processing of foodstuff in accordance with demand.
Accessibility means that food must be affordable. Economic accessibility means that individuals can afford the food which meets an adequate diet without threatening financial access to other basic human needs. Physical accessibility means that adequate food must be available to everyone regardless of (dis)ability.
Adequacy of food means that it must satisfy dietary needs, be safe for human consumption, and free from adverse substances.
Sustainability means that food should be accessible for present and future generations.
Learn more about the Right to Food from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Governments have a legal obligation to take deliberate and concrete steps to continually improve people’s access to adequate food without discrimination-- referred to as the principle of progressive realization.
The Right to Food in War
During armed conflict, the right to food is protected by both international human rights law and international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions. It is a war crime to use starvation as a method of warfare.
The weaponization of food is increasingly a tactic of contemporary warfare which violates international humanitarian law and threatens human rights. In the context of conflict, warring parties often disrupt or threaten to disrupt critical food supplies in order to exert domestic control. This can include destroying farms and infrastructure, imposing blockades to prevent food from reaching people, or manipulating food supplies to induce famine conditions.
In July, 2024, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food reported that globally, over 281.6 million people faced high levels of acute food insecurity in approximately 41 countries or territories. Palestine, Sudan, and South Sudan, were among the highest level of concern.
Security Council Resolution 2417 on Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict
The United Nation Security Council passed Security Council Resolution 2417 (2018) which protects civilians in armed conflict from conflict-induced hunger and famine, recognizing the link between armed conflict and food insecurity. It noted that 74 million people faced crisis-level food insecurity in conflict contexts in 2018 - a number that has only increased. The resolution condemned the starvation of civilians as a method of warfare. It demanded that all warring parties comply with international humanitarian law regarding the protection of civilian objects essential to civilian survival.
The Resolution also condemns the weaponization of food. Under Resolution 2417, weaponization of food refers to three main actions.
The manipulation of food access and humanitarian aid: manipulation of food supply routes, looting of aid trucks and facilities, and blockages of food delivery routes.
The use of food insecurity as a tool for recruitment and retention: using food as leverage by promising an increase in food supplies in exchange for compliance
The strategic targeting of agricultural infrastructure and supply chains: destruction of modern and/or traditional methods of farming and the destruction of crops, harvest, livestock, water sources, storage facilities, and disruption of transportation of products.
Despite the passage of Resolution 2417, food continues to be weaponized in war with little enforcement action by the United Nations Security Council.
Case Studies on the Weaponization of Food
Sudan
Sudan is facing a catastrophic human-induced hunger crisis. Over 29 million civilians in the Sudan and fleeing the Sudan are being starved and require urgent humanitarian assistance because of the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces. Both parties are using food as a weapon against civilians, committing crimes against humanity and creating a risk of genocide. War fighting, mass displacement, and the deliberate destruction and withhold of humanitarian aid threatens nearly has caused acute food insecurity and nearly half of Sudan’s population is at risk of starvation.
Gaza
In July 2024, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Michael Fakhri, published his report on the Right to Food and later testified about its findings in a public briefing, Starvation and the right to food, with an emphasis on the Palestinian people’s food sovereignty. The report emphasizes that starvation is a human rights issue.
As an occupying power, Israel has obligations under international law, including the duty of ensuring that food and medical supplies reach the Palestinian population in Gaza. Since October 2023, nearly 98% of agricultural infrastructure, cropland, wells and orchards have been destroyed by the demolition of Gaza. The Israeli military has repeatedly blocked humanitarian aid from reaching Palestinian civilians in Gaza and has restricted access for humanitarian aid organizations, prompting the International Court of Justice to impose provisional measures including ensuring the provision of humanitarian aid. The destruction of food systems and the continued blockade of incoming aid has led to a famine in Gaza. By August 2025, 90% of the population of Gaza faced food insecurity. In December 2025, 75% of the population faced extreme levels of acute food insecurity and critical malnutrition risks. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification analysis (IPC) estimated that the number of children expected to be at severe risk of death from malnutrition by the end of June 2026 is 43,400.
Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh
During the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijan used starvation as a weapon of war by blockading the Lachin Corridor which linked Armenia to the ethnic Armenian population living in the de facto autonomous region of Nagorno-Karabakh. This blockade prevented the delivery of food, medical supplies, and fuel from reaching its 120,000 inhabitants. By September 2023, the combination of starvation, lack of access to humanitarian aid, and an increase in violence caused the mass exodus of approximately 100,000 ethnic Armenians. Independent human rights investigations determined that these were acts of ethnic cleansing and genocide perpetrated by Azerbaijan against the Armenian people, including the former prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno Ocampo, who identified starvation as a means of genocide.