OMBUDSMAN CALLS FOR ACTION AT NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL LEVELS TO ENSURE FOOD SECURITY TO MASSES

IOI GLOBAL PRESIDENT AND THE AOA PRESIDENT PLEDGE TO WORK TOGETHER TO PROMOTE CORE VALUES OF OMBUDSMANSHIP

• Wafaqi Mohtasib calls for action at national and international levels to ensure food security to masses.
• Emphasises that right to adequate food is a legal obligation under international law.
• Stresses that access to food and nutrition is recognized as a fundamental right in the Constitution of Pakistan.

Wafaqi Mohtasib (Ombudsman) Mr. Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi has called upon the stakeholders at national and international levels to take concerted actions to ensure food security to masses. He was addressing launching ceremony of the research study on assessment of malnutrition in District Tharparkara Karachi. Syed Murad Ali Shah, Chief Minister Sindh was present on this occasion. The research study was conducted by the Planning & Development Board, Sindh under the arrangement of Provincial Ombudsman Sindh, Mr. Ajaz Ali Khan. International Ombudsman Institute (IOI) extended necessary support to this important initiative which was reflected in the presence of Mr. Chris Field, Global President IOI on this occasion.

Mr. Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi stated that the right to adequate food is a legal obligation of the State under international law. It is indivisibly linked to the inherent dignity of the human person and is essential for the fulfillment of other human rights enshrined in the relevant documents. He added that Pakistan is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Right of Child which entrusts the State with the responsibility to combat disease and malnutrition of children. Pakistan’s Constitution also recognized access to food and nutrition as a fundamental right. Mr. Qureshi said that any failure or shortcoming in dealing with the challenges of food insecurity and malnutrition, on the part of various stakeholders, was tantamount to maladministration and bad governance.  He stressed that the rising numbers of unnourished people in Pakistan and elsewhere required urgent corrective steps to uphold inviolability of human dignity.

Mr.Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi who is also President of the Asian Ombudsman Association (AOA) complimented the efforts of the Provincial Ombudsman Sindh and the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI) for spearheading the study on a subject of critical importance to the promotion of human rights, rule of law and good governance. He added that the AOA and the IOI shall continue to work together in promoting core value of ombudsmanship and achieving the ultimate goals of good governance through improved service delivery of governmental agencies and expeditious relief to the aggrieved citizens.