cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/18629062
According to the debate, they had their reasons. But still – when one hundred and eighty six nations say one thing, and two say another, you have to wonder about the two.
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When even the most reviled dictatorships in the world are voting in favour of the UN recognising food as a right, it sure does make the US look uniquely scummy.
Um. You know you can sell it, right?!
(/s just in case)
Are we the baddies?
(I still can’t post images to lemmy.blahaj.zone)
Yes
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Fucking hell this is the strongest argument I’ve seen thus far that I need to get out of the US. What the hell.
The only issue is to where. I think better to stay but position yourself in a situation were you can make an impact even if a small one.
This Committee is meeting at a time when the international community is confronting one of the most serious food-security emergencies in modern history. Hunger is on the rise for the third year in a row, after a decade of progress. And now, for communities already experiencing poverty and hunger, the COVID-19 pandemic is disproportionately affecting lives by harming how people provide for themselves and feed their families – both today and long after the pandemic subsides. More than 35 million people in South Sudan, Somalia, the Lake Chad Basin, and Yemen are facing severe food insecurity exacerbated by the global pandemic, and in the case of Yemen, potential famine. The United States remains fully engaged and committed to addressing these complex crises.
This resolution rightfully acknowledges the hardships millions of people are facing, and importantly calls on States to support the emergency humanitarian appeals of the UN. However, the resolution also contains many unbalanced, inaccurate, and unwise provisions the United States cannot support. This resolution does not articulate meaningful solutions for preventing hunger and malnutrition or avoiding their devastating consequences.
The United States is concerned that the concept of “food sovereignty” could justify protectionism or other restrictive import or export policies that will have negative consequences for food security, sustainability, and income growth. Improved access to local, regional, and global markets helps ensure food is available to the people who need it most and smooths price volatility. Food security depends on appropriate domestic action by governments, including regulatory and market reforms, that is consistent with international commitments.
We also do not accept any reading of this resolution or related documents that would suggest that States have particular extraterritorial obligations arising from any concept of a “right to food,” which we do not recognize and has no definition in international law.
For these reasons, we request a vote and we will vote against this resolution.
https://usun.usmission.gov/explanation-of-vote-on-a-resolution-on-the-right-to-food/
It all sounds like some very reasonable language, and yet no other countries raised the same objection, including not only countries we are not allied with and don’t generally seem to respect, but also countries we are allied with and do generally seem to respect.
I read it as “hey guys let’s all agree to do this thing, and then we can figure out the details” and US is the singular guy in the meeting who is like “nope, we can’t agree to do it until we’ve split every hair about exactly how it will be done.”
It doesn’t sound reasonable. Its argument is neoliberal economics at its worst:“we don’t want countries to be able to control their own domestic food markets because we want them to be forced to take our exports”, only counched in paternalistic We Know What’s Best For You rhetoric.
Oh I completely agree with that. I was essentially saying “it’s bad things presented with nice words” - I was just trying to be nice about how I said it. Sorry if that didn’t come across. 🙂
Sorry I misinterpreted you! :-)
All good!
correction to what I wrote below: turns out there was a new vote, in a meeting with a bunch of things voted on. The 2021 vote is on page 15 of the English pdf. You can find it using a PDF search: “right to food”.
The usa and Israel voted against, no members abstained.
the meeting with votes in the doc from 2021:
https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/3984859
I just looked up the vote on the un website. This post is bs, only one country voted against.When North Korea votes for something like this, it’s almost as if it’s just meaningless bullshit.
Which is actually why the US voted against it basically it was to lodge a complaint against wasting UN resources on unenforceable feel good actions that don’t actually change anything.
Everyone being pissy and suggesting this is some moral reflection against America are basically the equivalent of people calling the one guy who voted against everyone getting free unicorns a party pooper because “even if we can’t actually do it why do ya gotta go against the vibe man‽”
I have news for you: The United States, with its trillions of dollars of economic power at its disposal, could vote for such a “feel good action” and then, on the other side of it, propose a UN resolution against North Korea for abusing it’s citizens.
Food scarcity is not a production problem. It is a political one. We can, in fact, completely secure everyone a full belly but we don’t because of $madeUpReason.
The US (and Israel) not backing the decision because it’s a “free unicorn” is absolutely absurd.
Hell the US distributes food throughout the world in the most remote places. Of all the countries that could do this by themselves is the US.
Food scarcity is not a production problem. It is a political one.
It’s not a production problem it’s a logistics problem. It’s the ultimate last mile problem. Distributing food across the globe to even remote villages shouldn’t be the goal, self sufficiency trumps reliance. Environmental impacts aside, if the US has a problem halting transport for weeks that would result in global starvation of all who rely on the deliveries.
Or maybe it’s because of all that food aid distribution that the US knows in particular why this is such a “free unicorn” move?
Where’s China’s matching contributions to food aid with all that just as good farm land that they’re able to harvest twice a year?
That’s the political bullshit getting in the way of this being anything but a free unicorn, the only country that gives as much to food aid as America is Ireland, and that’s because of a national trauma they’re still recovering from.
Right now major world powers are doing more to block food aid or even just regular food commerce, because that means Ukraine gets to have working ports and Russia no likey.
Get the fuck off your high horse about the one country that is already doing a lot because you don’t like them being a dick about calling out how everyone else either isn’t doing anything at all or actively making the problem worse for geopolitical goals.
The comparison is faulty : we are actually able to produce enough food to feed everyone on earth. The issue is the shitty economical paradigm. If this vote can lead to a change in the paradigm, then it’s free unicorns for everybody! But this probably won’t happen, sadly.
