Schloss Elmau, Germany/New York, June 24 – Despite the Ukraine war, an effective solution to the current world’s food crisis requires the reintegration into world markets of food produced by Ukraine as well as Russia’s food and fertilizers, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told a summit meeting of the world’s most industrialized nations (G7) in Germany.

Guterres said he has been in “intense contact” with governments in Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, the United States, the European Union and other countries to reopen Black Sea ports so wheat produced in Ukraine and Russia, and Russian fertilizers, can be shipped to countries that need those products.

“This is not just a food crisis,” Guterres said in a video link to the G7 summit The Uniting For Global Food Security Conference.“It goes beyond food and requires a coordinated multilateral approach, with multi-dimensional solutions.”

The G7 is composed of the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Japan and Canada.

Guterres said hundreds of millions of people on the poverty line have been crushed by the crisis as a result of the pandemic, climate change and Russia’s war in Ukraine and warned of a real risk that multiple famines will be declared in 2022 and “2023 could be even worse.”

“Developed countries and international financial institutions need to make resources available to help governments support and invest in their people, leaving no one behind,” he said. “Developing countries that face debt default must have access to effective debt relief to keep their economies afloat and their people thriving. Financial institutions must find the flexibility and understanding to get resources where they are needed most.”

US supports UN-led efforts in Ukraine

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken told the summit that more countries should step up with new substantial contributions to meet urgent humanitarian needs. 

“The work of critical organizations like the World Food Program, the Food and Agriculture Organization – their cost of doing business has gone up dramatically.  We need to help them fill some of these gaps,”  Blinken said.

He said since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24 this year the United States has committed nearly $2.8 billion in emergency food assistance, including increasing our aid to countries and regions that were the hardest hit – in the Horn of Africa, Yemen, Lebanon, Haiti. 

“We have $5.5 billion in new funding for global food security and humanitarian assistance approved last month by the United States Congress,” Blinken said.  “We’ll be able to do even more in the weeks and months ahead, and you can expect further announcements of our additional support soon, including from the President at the G7 meeting.”

“We have to accelerate efforts led by the United Nations to end Russia’s blocking of Ukrainian food exports through the Black Sea,” he said.

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