ABSTRACT
Civil societies including academia are crucial agents not only for putting politics back into hunger but also for mobilizing human rights, particularly the right to food. Meeting in Geneva, the Committee, comprising 18 independent experts, considers each State Party's report and then engages an iterative process for assessing the progress made, or not, which includes the participation of civil society presenting parallel or 'shadow' reports. While the State holds most of the cards it falls to civil society to make sure they play them. The task is putting the right to food to work so as to reclaim public policy. The committee on economic social and cultural rights (CESCR) Periodic Review process inclusive of civil society provides a clear focus and regular checkpoints for assessing State compliance with the progressive realization of the right to food. The collaborative actions of Scottish civil society to building awareness about human rights-based approaches merit international attention.
