UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday that he deeply regrets Russia’s decision to terminate the Black Sea Initiative, in effect ending a “lifeline” for hundreds of millions worldwide facing hunger and spiralling food costs.
The cost-of-living crisis continues to affect the world’s poorest families, which is all the more reason to redouble efforts to push for grain and fertilizer to leave key Black Sea ports, top UN economist Rebeca Grynspan said on Tuesday.
Ms. Grynspan, who is Secretary-General of the UN trade and development body UNCTAD, said although “there are things that are very difficult to solve… the UN will not spare any effort in trying to make this continue working for the future”.
The Secretary-General on Tuesday said he was disappointed by the “slowing pace of inspections” under the UN-brokered Black Sea Initiative – the grain and fertilizer deal which has allowed millions of tonnes of food exports to leave Ukraine.
The Black Sea Grain Initiative, a UN-brokered deal aimed at supplying markets with food and fertilizer amid global shortages and rising prices, exacerbated by the Ukraine war, was extended on Saturday, the day it was due to expire.
The UN on Wednesday said that it aims to increase the number of inter-agency convoys providing aid to parts of Ukraine “close to the frontlines”, in support of work being carried out by local organisations and volunteers.
A “breakthrough” has been made on the potential distribution of hundreds of thousands of tonnes of Russian-made fertiliser blocked in European ports and which are vital to avoid a global food insecurity crisis next year, a senior United Nations official said on Friday.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday welcomed the renewal of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which had been due to expire on Saturday.