Colombia
Intersectoral Commission on the Human Right to Food
Colombia replaced its food and nutrition security commission in 2024 with the Intersectoral Commission on the Human Right to Food (Comisión Intersectorial del Derecho Humano a la Alimentación) built around the right to food. It leads the national system for the progressive guarantee of that right and coordinates with the zero hunger programme and the national observatory. It can be classed as a single-level multisectoral mechanism with built-in arrangements for non-state participation.
Institutional set-up and structure
Created by decree in 2024, the Commission transformed the Intersectoral Commission on Food and Nutrition Security that had operated since 2009. It is chaired by the Minister of Equality and Equity and leads the National System for the Progressive Guarantee of the Right to Food. It works through thematic tables organised by component, and coordinates with the zero hunger programme and the observatory on the right to food and nutrition.
Mandate and decision-making power
Its mandate is to direct and coordinate national food and nutrition policy, serve as a forum for consultation between the actors involved, harmonise policy across sectors, and monitor the decisions taken. The shift from a food security framing to a rights-based one is intended to guarantee adequate food and address hunger and malnutrition. The shift was well received, and several ministries have taken up the agenda actively. Policy instruments and governance arrangements for the new system are still being developed.
The Commission is tasked with the following roles (building blocks):
Agenda setting: advocacy and dialogue; deciding on goals and strategic priorities
Policy formulation and decision making: providing technical advice; coordinating policy development; developing policies for consideration by the relevant authorities; deciding and enacting them
Implementation: coordinating policy and programme delivery
Monitoring and evaluation: tracking progress, evaluating and reporting
Who is involved
The Commission's design convenes and represents a wide range of actors, including organisations rarely present in national policy forums.
Government, with voice and vote: equality and equity (chair); interior; agriculture and rural development; health and social protection; trade, industry and tourism; education; environment; housing; science, technology and innovation; transport; culture; alongside the presidential and national planning departments
Civil society, as permanent guests with voice: academia, peasant, indigenous, Afro-descendant and Rrom organisations, fishing organisations, trade union confederations, food producers' unions and permaculture organisations
Development partners: United Nations agencies supporting the transition to a rights-based approach
How it works in practice
Through its meetings and thematic tables, the Commission creates a standing space for dialogue with social organisations on the right to food.
Meets at least twice a year, with extraordinary sessions at the request of the President of the Commission
A technical secretariat convenes the meetings, which may be held virtually
A quorum is half the membership plus one
Work is organised through thematic tables by component
Implementation runs largely through the zero hunger programme and the agriculture sector
Evidence base: key informant interviews and policy documents, 2026. Last updated: September 2026.
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