Conflict in Ukraine may derail global food security efforts: India at UN

India warned that if the Ukrainian clash does not give way to a “meaningful path of discussion and diplomacy,” there will be “serious repercussions” on the global economy that will derail efforts to ensure food security and eliminate hunger.

“The global effect of the Covid-19 pandemic and ongoing conflicts, in addition to Ukraine, has had a negative effect on the lives of ordinary people, especially in emerging countries, with increasing power and costs of raw curtains and disruptions in global logistics chains,” india’s first secretary said. The Permanent Mission to the UN, Sneha Dubey, said on Monday.

Speaking on the special high-level occasion “It’s time to act together: coordinating policy responses to the global food security crisis” hosted by United Nations General Assembly President Abdulla Shahid and the Committee on World Food Security, Dubey said the global South had been adversely affected. both through the crash itself and through the measures put in place in response.

The Global South is a term used to identify regions in Latin America, Asia, Africa and Oceania.

“If the shock does not promptly give way to a meaningful path of discussion and diplomacy, there will be serious repercussions on the global economy that will derail the efforts of the countries of the South to ensure food security and eliminate hunger by 2030. In fact, the time has come to start by taking into account its multidimensional effect on countries of the South, especially in vulnerable emerging countries,” said Ms. Dubey.

Several low-income societies face the double demanding situation of emerging prices and the difficulty of food grains. Even those that, like India, have sufficient stocks, have noticed an unjustified increase in food prices. It is evident that hoarding and hypotheses are at work. We can’t let this go without challenges,” he said.

Dubey said the solution to those demanding situations lies in “global collective action” and is confident that India will play its part in selling global food security, doing so in a way that respects “fairness, shows compassion and promotes social justice”. The Ukrainian war prevents cereals from leaving the “breadbasket of the world” and makes food more expensive in the world, threatening to exacerbate shortages, hunger and political instability in emerging countries.

Together, Russia and Ukraine export nearly a third of the world’s wheat and barley, more than 70% of its sunflower oil, and are the main suppliers of corn. Global food costs are already emerging and the war is making matters worse, preventing some 20 million tons of Ukrainian grain from the Middle East, North Africa and parts of Asia.

Ukraine and Russia basically export commodities to emerging countries that are most vulnerable to price increases and shortages. Countries such as Somalia, Libya, Lebanon, Egypt and Sudan rely heavily on wheat, maize and sunflower oil from any of the countries at war.

India expressed appreciation for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ call to exempt food purchases through the World Food Programme for Humanitarian Aid from restrictions on food exports with immediate effect.

Dubey said on the occasion that the Indian government had identified the sudden rise in global wheat costs that jeopardized the country’s food security and that of its neighbors and other vulnerable countries.

“We are committed to making sure that this negative effect on food security is mitigated well and that other vulnerable people are protected from sudden changes in the global market,” he said, adding that in order to control India’s overall food security and meet the wishes of neighboring countries and other vulnerable emerging countries, announced measures with respect to wheat exports in May 2022.

“As we have said on previous occasions, these measures allow export on the basis of approvals to countries that must meet their food protection requirements. This will be done at the request of the Governments concerned. Such a policy will ensure that we actually respond to those who love it most,” Dubey said.

India had announced it was banning Wwarmt exports in an effort to cut costs, as Wwarmt’s production feared being hit by a hot heatwave. wishes and on the basis of the request of their governments.

Ms Dubey wants the foreign network to properly appreciate the importance of equity, affordability and accessibility when it comes to food grains.

“We have already noticed how those principles have been ignored in the case of COVID-19 vaccines. Open markets will not have to be an argument for perpetuating inequalities and selling discrimination,” he said.

Ms Dubey highlighted India’s “own track record” of its struggling partners and said that even amid the Covid-19 pandemic and ongoing conflicts, India has never been caught in default.

“We have provided food aid in the form of thousands of metric tons of wheat, rice, legumes and lentils to several countries, adding our community and Africa to their food security,” he said.

Faced with the deteriorating humanitarian landscape in Afghanistan, India is donating 50,000 metric tons of wheat to the Afghan people. India has continued its humanitarian aid to Myanmar, adding a subsidy of 10,000 tonnes of rice and wheat, and the country is also helping Sri Lanka, adding food aid, in “these difficult times”.

India has also exported more than 250,000 tonnes of wheat to Yemen in the past three months. Last week, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Joyce Msuya declared India’s wheat shipments to be an “essential source address for Yemen”. after the war in Ukraine.

“India remains firmly committed to the cause of global food security and has also contributed to the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and UNOCHA in reaction to humanitarian crises over the years. Our spearhead of the UN General Assembly solution for the Declaration of the Year: 2023 as the ‘International Year of Millet’ aimed to address similar food security challenges,” Dubey said.

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He also noted that India manages the world’s largest food safety net program, which has undergone a paradigm shift from wellness to a rights-based approach. Transfers to 400 million other people were provided through the government.

(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed. )

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