There is hope that a solution will be found to mitigate effects of the Ukraine crisis on global food supplies, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday
UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st June, 2022) There is hope that a solution will be found to mitigate effects of the Ukraine crisis on global food supplies, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday.
"I think that there is progress, but we are not yet there. These are complex things and the fact that everything is interlinked, makes the negotiation particularly complex," he said at a joint press conference with Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson in Stockholm.
The UN chief stressed that the world needs to ensure a steady flow of food and energy by lifting sanctions and addressing food crises
"Specifically with respect to the food crisis, we need quick and decisive action to ensure a steady flow of food and energy in open markets, by lifting export restrictions, allocating surpluses and reserves to vulnerable populations, and addressing food price increases to calm market volatility. But let me be frank: there is no effective solution to the food crisis without reintegrating Ukraine's food production, as well as the food and fertilizer produced by Russia into world markets - despite the war. I continue to exert every possible effort and use my good offices to promote a dialogue towards this end," he said.
Ukraine and Russia account for almost a third of the world's wheat and barley production and half of sunflower oil output. Russia and Belarus, both under Western sanctions, are two of the world's three biggest producers of potash, which is key to making fertilizers.
