The United Nations has warned that the war in Ukraine has helped to stoke a global food crisis that could last years if it goes unchecked, as the World Bank announced an additional $12bn in funding to mitigate its “devastating effects”.
UN secretary general said shortages of grain and fertilizer caused by the war, warming temperatures and pandemic-driven supply problems threaten to “tip tens of millions of people over the edge into food insecurity”, as financial markets saw share prices fall.
Speaking at a UN meeting in New York on global food security, he said what could follow would be “malnutrition, mass hunger and famine, in a crisis that could last for years”, as he and others urged Russia to release Ukrainian grain exports.
He said he was in “intense contact” with Russia and other countries to try to find a solution.
“The complex security, economic and financial implications require goodwill on all sides for a package deal to be reached,” he said of his discussions with Moscow, Ukraine, Turkey, the US, the European Union and others. “I will not go into details because public statements could undermine the chances of success.”
Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and international economic sanctions on Russia have disrupted supplies of fertilizer , wheat and other commodities from both countries, pushing up prices for food and fuel, especially in developing nations. Together the warring nations produce 30% of the world’s wheat.
Before the invasion in February, Ukraine was seen as the world’s bread basket, exporting 4.5m tones of agricultural produce per month through its ports – 12% of the planet’s wheat, 15% of its corn and half of its sunflower oil.
US secretary of state Antony Blinken, who chaired the summit, echoed the call along with World Food Programme head David Beasley. Beasley said: “The world is on fire. We have solutions. We need to act and we need to act now.”
The World Bank’s announcement will bring total available funding for projects over the next 15 months to $30bn. production, facilitate greater trade and support vulnerable households and producers, the World Bank said.
The bank previously announced $18.7bn in funding for projects linked to “food and nutrition security issues” for Africa and the Middle East, eastern Europe and central Asia, and south Asia.
