The United States, through Feed the Future and our nutrition commitments, is committing $11B+ during the next five years to address food security threats and nutrition across the globe.
The Secretary’s opening remarks at the May 18 “Global Food Security Call to Action”
Ministerial and the May 19 United Nations Security Council meeting will be livestreamed on state.gov/global-food-security-ministerial (recording located here: [ Ссылка ]) and focused on the nexus of conflict, hunger, and climate, acknowledging the longstanding food security crises around the world.
In order to mobilize action to address global food insecurity, Secretary Blinken hosted a “Global Food Security Call to Action” ministerial-level meeting at the United Nations in New York on May 18, bringing together a broad, regionally diverse group of countries, including those most affected by food insecurity and those in a position to take action to strengthen global food resilience and security. On May 19, Secretary Blinken will chair the first signature event of the United States’ presidency of the UN Security Council, an open debate focusing on the critical links between conflict and food security. This is a follow-on to the meeting on conflict-driven food insecurity that the United States convened during its March 2021 presidency of the Security Council and will examine how the sharp increase in global food insecurity threatens to destabilize fragile societies and exacerbate current conflicts while taking note that Russia’s war against Ukraine has compounded these threats.
Shortages of food and fertilizer in many countries and accelerating spikes in food prices threaten to destabilize fragile societies, increase hunger and malnutrition, drive migration, and cause severe economic dislocation. Conflict has greatly exacerbated food security issues globally. In addition to conflict, an uneven global economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, widespread supply chain disruptions, and extreme weather events have left 193 million people acutely food insecure and in need of urgent assistance.
In 2021, more than 160 million people worldwide experienced acute food insecurity, a 19 percent jump from the year before. The issue of food security has grown even more urgent, and the effects of food insecurity are widespread and devastating. When there is food insecurity, farmers lose their livelihoods. Parents spend hours every day trying to secure their family’s next meal. Hungry children struggle to learn, and they suffer irreversible health consequences. Already vulnerable populations are always, always hit hardest, and food insecurity also holds back broader economic growth and increases the risk of violent conflict and civil unrest.
As noted at the UN Food Systems Summit last year, we must bolster resiliency by building inclusive and equitable food systems that empower youth, women, and disadvantaged communities to weather the effects of climates change, conflict, and supply chain disruptions.
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Putin’s unjustified, unprovoked war against Ukraine has put millions around the globe at risk of food insecurity. Russia and Ukraine are two of the world’s most significant exporters of agricultural commodities and fertilizer. By conducting his war of aggression against Ukraine, Putin has guaranteed that the costs of his reckless campaign will be felt beyond Ukraine by the world’s most vulnerable citizens.
Russia is solely responsible for trade route restrictions on Russian exports. Russia has bombed at least three civilian ships carrying goods from Black Sea ports to the rest of the world, including one chartered by an agribusiness company. Given the danger posed by Russia's forces, shippers are hesitant to send vessels into the Black Sea, even to Russian ports, which means even Russian agricultural products are also not reaching the market. U.S. sanctions have provided general licenses for agricultural sector trade and transactions.
Millions more are poised to fall into food insecurity due to the Russian Government’s war in Ukraine. Ukraine supplies a significant amount of the world’s wheat and corn, but this can’t happen when farmers have been forced to fight or have had to flee invading troops, and when they don’t have the diesel fuel to operate tractors and other equipment. Russian troops have destroyed port facilities, they’ve blocked food shipments in the Black Sea that get food to the rest of the world, and as a result, it’s not only displaced Ukrainians who are going hungry, but it’s also created hunger around the world for people who depend on these crops.
