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, and in 2012 he visited Canada and Cameroon. In 2013 he visited Malawi (July), conducted a working visit to Mexico (November) as a follow-up to his 2011 mission, and will also conduct a mission to Malaysia (December).
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.
| Read | 10/03/2013: 'Mission to Malaysia', Report presented to the 25th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council. |
| Read | 10/03/2013: 'Mission to Malawi', Report presented to the 25th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council. |
| Read | 09/03/2014: Summary note of working visit to Mexico by the Special Rapporteur on the right to food 14-15 November 2013 |
| Read | 18/12/2013: End of mission statement ‘Mission to Malaysia’, from 9 to 18 December 2013 |
| Read | End of mission statement ‘Mission to Malawi’, from 12 to 22 July 2013 |
| Read | 04/03/2013: 'Mission to Canada', Report presented to the 22nd Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, also available in French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese and Arabic. |
| Read | 04/03/2013: 'Mission to Cameroon', Report presented to the 22nd Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, also available in French, and Spanish. Other language versions can be found here. |
| Read | 04/03/2013: 'Mission to Madagascar', Report presented to the 22nd Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, also available in French and Spanish. Other language versions can be found here. |
| Read | End of mission statement ‘Mission to Cameroon’, from 16 to 23 July 2012 (currently only available in French) |
| Read | 16/05/2012, Ottawa/Geneva: Canada: national food strategy can eradicate hunger amidst plenty – UN rights expert |
| Read | End of mission statement ‘Mission to Canada’, from 5 to 16 May 2012 |
| Read | 08/03/2012, Geneva: “Unfinished progress” – UN expert examines food systems in emerging countries |
| Read | 06/03/2012: "Mission to China", Report presented at the 19th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, also available in Chinese, French, and Spanish |
| Read | 06/03/2012: "Mission to Mexico", Report presented at the 19th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, also available in Spanish, and French. See also Spanish version prepared by OHCHR Mexican delegation |
| Read | 06/03/2012: "Mission to South Africa", Report presented at the 19th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, also available in French, and Spanish. |
| Read | 06/03/2012: "Mission to Madagascar", Report presented at the 19th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, also available in French, and Spanish. |
| Read | End of mission statement ‘Mission to Mexico’, from 13 to 20 June 2011 (also available in spanish) |
| Read | Report ‘Mission to Syria’, presented to the Human Rights Council [A/HRC/16/49/Add.2], March 2011 (soon available in arabic) |
| Read | Report ‘Mission to Benin’ presented to the Human Rights Council [A/HRC/13/33/Add.3], March 2010 |
| Read | Report ‘Mission to Brazil’ presented to the Human Rights Council [A/HRC/13/33/Add.6], March 2010 (also available in Portuguese) |
| Read | Report ‘Mission to Guatemala’ presented to the Human Rights Council [A/HRC/13/33/Add.4], March 2010 |
| Read | Report ‘Mission to Nicaragua’ presented to the Human Rights Council [A/HRC/13/33/Add.5], March 2010 |
For further informations, read the thematic section on national implementation of the right to food and the press releases of country missions.