UN chief warns against world famine due to war in Ukraine

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Monday warned of the repercussions of Russia's war in Ukraine, which could result in “a hurricane of famine” in many countries.

The halt of agricultural production in Ukraine and Russia due to the conflict will hit “the poorest hardest and sow seeds of political instability and unrest around the world,” Guterres stressed to journalists in New York.

“This war affects much more than Ukraine,” he added.

“Cereal prices have already surpassed those of the early Arab Spring and the food riots of 2007-2008,” he said, adding that the global food price index of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) “is at its highest level ever.”

“We must do everything possible to prevent a hurricane of famine and the collapse of the global food system,” Guterres stressed.

Russia and Ukraine are both considered “the grain granary” of the world.

In total, “45 African countries and the least developed countries import at least one third of their wheat from Ukraine or Russia; 18 of these countries import at least 50%. This includes countries like Burkina Faso, Egypt, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen,” said Guterres, who again called for an end to hostilities.

Meanwhile, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths announced the release of $40 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) for Ukraine.

The war in that country already leaves more than two million displaced people, “but many cannot leave their homes due to intense fighting in cities such as Mariupol, Kharkov and Kiev,” said a statement from his office, which recorded “24 attacks on health facilities” to date.

“In the face of this grim, worsening crisis, we mobilized a massive aid effort,” Griffiths said.

That $40 million “is essential to start operations,” he said, adding that “fast and flexible funding can make a difference.”

prh/led/yow/rsr/dga