FIAN is an international human rights organization that has advocated for the realization of the right to adequate food for more than 25 years.

FIAN consists of national sections and coordinations, as well as individual members from over 50 countries around the world. FIAN’s International Secretariat is based in Heidelberg, Germany and Geneva, Switzerland.

FIAN is a non-profit organization without any religious or political affiliation and has consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations.

Founded in 1986, FIAN’s vision is a world free from hunger, in which all people can fully enjoy their human rights with dignity, particularly the right to adequate food, as laid down in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights instruments. 

FIAN’s mission is to expose violations of people's right to food wherever they may occur. FIAN stands up to unjust and oppressive practices that prevent people from being able to feed themselves. The struggle against discrimination of marginalized groups, including women, peasants, and indigenous peoples, is an integral part of FIAN’s mission. The organization strives to secure the access to the resources that people need in order to feed themselves, now and in the future.

FIAN’s work is based on human rights, as laid down in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural rights. FIAN analyzes and documents concrete cases of violations of the right to food around the world, raising awareness among social movements, non-governmental and governmental bodies.

FIAN responds to requests from affected’ groups whose right to food is threatened or violated and mobilizes support through protest letter campaigns, advocacy and legal recourses. FIAN exerts public pressure on governments in order to hold them accountable for violations of the right to food, following through on cases until the victims receive appropriate redress.

FIAN’s consultative status with the United Nations has enabled the organization to contribute to international advocacy efforts pertaining to the human rights protection system, particularly in favor of marginalized groups. FIAN has an active presence at various UN institutions in Rome and Geneva, as well as within regional human rights mechanisms.

In all these achievements and processes, FIAN works closely with social movements and other non-governmental organizations, and in so doing, has expanded spaces for civil society participation at all levels.