In 2009, the Special Rapporteur led country missions in Benin, Brazil, Guatemala and Nicaragua. In 2010, he conducted missions in Syria and in China. In 2011, his missions covered Mexico, South Africa and Madagascar, while in 2012 he will visit Canada and Cameroon.

Country missions are an important component of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur. The aim of country missions is to assess the efforts of States in the progressive realization of the right to food, to report on his findings and to propose, in a spirit of cooperation and assistance, recommendations to improve situations identified as matters of concern. It is through these missions, which are done at the invitation of the governments concerned, that the dissemination of the best practices can be accelerated, and that the national debate on the implementation of the right to adequate food can be stimulated, in particular through a dialogue involving government, national parliaments, and civil society organisations, including farmers' organisations.

The reports based on these country missions demonstrate the transformative potential of the right to food, which can significantly improve the effectiveness and legitimacy that aim to improve food security. These country reports also illustrate the challenges that lie ahead to further implement the principles established in international human rights law as well as in the 2004 FAO Voluntary Guidelines on the progressive realization of the right to food in the context of national food security.

For further informations, read the thematic section on national implementation of the right to food and the press releases of country missions.