CALL TO ENSHRINE RIGHT TO FOOD IN BOTSWANA LAW

Article By: Phenyo Babusi

Botswana has been urged to legally recognise the right to food as a basic human right.

Food Systems Legal Advisor Chawapiwa Masole says access to food should be protected in law, on the same level as the rights to life, health and education.

She notes that Botswana’s Constitution does not explicitly guarantee the right to food and relies on outdated legal frameworks.

Masole adds that while Botswana has signed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it has not ratified the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, leaving citizens without enforceable legal protection to food.