UN rights expert warns of risks of biofuels
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food says the production of biofuels violates basic human rights.
Switzerland’s Jean Ziegler said more than 850 million people across the world were suffering from hunger and malnutrition – 12 million more than a year ago.
In a speech to the UN Human Rights Council in the Swiss city of Geneva on Tuesday, Ziegler also reiterated a call for a five-year ban on producing biofuels.
He said a massive hike in food prices was leading to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people in developing countries.
Ziegler whose mandate as senior UN expert runs out shortly, criticised Switzerland for its contradictory policy on human rights and agricultural subsidies.
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