The world is on its way to “a raging food catastrophe”, says Secretary-General António Guterres “addingthat five separate areas in the world are facing famine at present.
“Simultaneously, we are witnessing a crunch in the global fertilizer market”, he continued, highlighting once again the Black Sea Grain Initiative to export vital food supplies from Ukraine, and fertilizers from Russia.
His address was directed to a group of officials at the G20 Summit in Indonesia on Tuesday. Speaking at the special session on the food and energy crisis, Mr. Guterres thanked the European Union, United States, United Kingdom and others, for assisting the UN to remove the obstacles preventing the free flow of Russian food and fertilizers to global markets.
Speaking on the fertilizer shortage, the chief explained that some ease would be coming with a shipment from Russia this week.
“Food and fertilizers are not subject to sanctions, but suffer indirect impacts”, explained the UN chief. We are working nonstop to resolve all remaining issues, chiefly around payments, and to renew the Black Sea Grain Initiative”.
He also noted that governments were struggling to manage the aftermath of the Covid-19 and climate crisis saying that more financing could be secured through a proposed Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Stimulus
“Transformational investments in agriculture, particularly in Africa, are essential to prevent future crises”, he asserted. “But they need the resources, to be implemented”.
