SDG 2: End Hunger, Achieve Food Security and Improved Nutrition, and Promote Sustainable Agriculture

This chapter examines the relationship between SDG 2, Zero Hunger, and international law. It argues that SDG 2 is supported by international human rights law. However, international economic law (trade, investment, finance) impedes the achievement of SDG 2 by undermining the livelihoods of small farmers and restricting the ability of states to regulate in the public interest. When these bodies of law conflict, international economic law generally prevails as a consequence of the powerful mechanisms through which it is enforced, including the World Trade Organization’s dispute settlement system, investor-state arbitration under international investment agreements, and the loan conditionalities imposed by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.