E/C.12/MNG/CO/4
evictions, without adequate compensation or the provision
accommodation in areas with access to basic social services;
of
alternative
(d)
Develop a legal framework concerning forced evictions that is compliant
with international standards.
Right to food
24.
The Committee is concerned about the imbalanced diet of many Mongolians, the
restrictions imposed on independent food laboratories to inform the population about food
safety issues and the information about the large amount of pesticides in vegetables. The
Committee is further concerned about the low value of food vouchers and their limited
distribution (art. 11).
The Committee recommends that the State party:
(a)
Redouble its efforts to ensure access to safe, adequate and affordable
food, including by intensifying its healthy diet campaigns, also with a view to
combating obesity and the root causes of cardiovascular diseases;
(b)
Intensify its efforts to address food insecurity and hunger, including by
distributing food vouchers that meet the nutritional standards of all those in need
while ensuring that any targeting of the food vouchers programme does not lead to the
exclusion of certain households in need;
(c)
Reinforce the independence of the State laboratory, including by
improving its human and technical resources and removing any restrictions on the
ability of non-State food laboratories to provide information to the population;
(d)
Take effective measures to prevent, deter and investigate cases of
pesticides in food;
(e)
Take into consideration the Committee’s general comment No. 12 (1999)
on the right to adequate food and the Voluntary Guidelines to Support the
Progressive Realization of the Right to Adequate Food in the Context of National
Food Security adopted in 2004 by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations.
Water and sanitation
25.
The Committee expresses concern about the disparity between rural and urban areas
with regard to access to safe drinking water and sanitation. It is also concerned about the
high price of water in Ger areas. The Committee is moreover concerned that mining
activities have caused soil and water contamination (arts. 11 and 12).
Recalling its general comment No. 15 (2002) on the right to water and its statement on
the right to sanitation (E/C.12/2010/1), the Committee urges the State party to address
the disparity in access to safe drinking water and sanitation between populations
living in rural and urban areas and to ensure that safe drinking water is affordable
for everyone. Furthermore, the Committee recommends that the State party redouble
its efforts to address the impact of mining activities on water and soil.
Air pollution and health
26.
The Committee is extremely concerned about the increasing levels of air pollution,
particularly in Ulaanbaatar and in Ger areas, and about the subsequent emergence and
spread of diseases, including respiratory, heart and lung diseases (arts. 11 and 12).
8