Relation between the Right to Food and Agricultural World Trade Policy: Cooperation or Confrontation?

The Right to Food is one of the most fundamental rights among human rights which its realization has the basic role in achieving of the other human rights. Therefore, the Right to Food is very especial in the context of the international human Rights. Agriculture and the global trade in agricultural products are one of the most important factors affecting food production. Today, much of this trade is done in the framework of the World Trade Organization (WTO) rules. In this context the main question is: to what extent these rules are compatible with the right to food and whether the World trade on agricultural products and the rules governing such trade may have positive or negative effects on the realization of the right to food. This Paper examines the relevant international law documents and analyses the rules and procedure of WTO, and then concludes that trade of the agricultural products in the existing framework of the WTO member states obligation to realize the right to food. Accordingly, this paper suggests that to ensure respect, protection and fulfillment the right to food, a fundamental revision of WTO rules on agricultural products is essential.