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The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas: The Potential Impact of a Soft Law Instrument

Garot Jacquey, Blandine LU (2025) JAMM07 20251
Faculty of Law
Department of Law
Abstract
The current agricultural model is criticized for its imperialist character and focus on productivity, and it affects peasants and small-scale farmers. However, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas (UNDROP), adopted in 2018, could have an impact. The question in focus is: What contribution can the UNDROP, as a soft law instrument, make to the advancement of peasants’ rights and the overturning of the dominant productivity-oriented food regime? This study aims (1) to understand how the UNDROP, as a soft law instrument, could have an impact in international law and (2) to evaluate the early impact of the UNDROP in advancing peasants’ rights. The study relies on legal doctrinal and... (More)
The current agricultural model is criticized for its imperialist character and focus on productivity, and it affects peasants and small-scale farmers. However, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas (UNDROP), adopted in 2018, could have an impact. The question in focus is: What contribution can the UNDROP, as a soft law instrument, make to the advancement of peasants’ rights and the overturning of the dominant productivity-oriented food regime? This study aims (1) to understand how the UNDROP, as a soft law instrument, could have an impact in international law and (2) to evaluate the early impact of the UNDROP in advancing peasants’ rights. The study relies on legal doctrinal and critical analyses. The findings show that despite being soft law instruments, United Nations General Assembly resolutions have a quasi-legislative character, and that United Nations Declarations are the most authoritative instrument among the United Nations resolutions. Despite its recent adoption and non-binding nature, it is argued that the UNDROP is a groundbreaking human rights instrument that has already contributed to advancing peasants’ rights and overturning the dominant productivity-oriented food regime. Although an immediate radical structural change is not expected, the UNDROP progressively impacts specific issues on a case-by-case basis. (Less)
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author
Garot Jacquey, Blandine LU
supervisor
organization
course
JAMM07 20251
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
UNDROP, peasants' rights, collective rights, right to food sovereignty, agroecology, right to self-determination, decolonization, new international economic order, United Nations Declaration, General Assembly resolution.
language
English
id
9204844
date added to LUP
2025-06-24 15:06:42
date last changed
2025-06-24 15:06:42
@misc{9204844,
  abstract     = {{The current agricultural model is criticized for its imperialist character and focus on productivity, and it affects peasants and small-scale farmers. However, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas (UNDROP), adopted in 2018, could have an impact. The question in focus is: What contribution can the UNDROP, as a soft law instrument, make to the advancement of peasants’ rights and the overturning of the dominant productivity-oriented food regime? This study aims (1) to understand how the UNDROP, as a soft law instrument, could have an impact in international law and (2) to evaluate the early impact of the UNDROP in advancing peasants’ rights. The study relies on legal doctrinal and critical analyses. The findings show that despite being soft law instruments, United Nations General Assembly resolutions have a quasi-legislative character, and that United Nations Declarations are the most authoritative instrument among the United Nations resolutions. Despite its recent adoption and non-binding nature, it is argued that the UNDROP is a groundbreaking human rights instrument that has already contributed to advancing peasants’ rights and overturning the dominant productivity-oriented food regime. Although an immediate radical structural change is not expected, the UNDROP progressively impacts specific issues on a case-by-case basis.}},
  author       = {{Garot Jacquey, Blandine}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas: The Potential Impact of a Soft Law Instrument}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}