She added that “solving the fertilizer crunch must come next”.
‘Deeply moved’
In a series of tweets, the President of the UN General Assembly, Csaba Kőrösi, commended all parties to the agreements on grain and fertilizer, and expressed his gratitude to the Secretary-General for his leadership and “unrelenting commitment” to restoring the world’s food supply. Yuri is a farm worker in Baranove, Odeska oblast. Since the beginning of the war in February, the entire agriculture sector in Ukraine has suffered from limited options to export produce.
‘Discreet diplomacy’
He said both agreements signed three months ago “are essential to bring down the prices of food and fertilizer and avoid a global food crisis. He expressed deep gratitude to the Turks for their generosity and “very effective commitment”. The UN chief also expressed his deep commitment to remove the “remaining obstacles to the unimpeded exports of Russian food and fertilizers”, as these remain “essential” to avoid a food crisis next year.
Essential tool against hunger
© OCHA/Matteo Minasi More than 11.1 million tonnes of essential foodstuffs have been shipped as part of the agreement involving Türkiye, Ukraine, Russia and the United Nations, since it was signed on 22 July.
Multilateralism in action
He said the initiative was “a strong example of crisis management in action, and shows “what is possible when diplomacy, dialogue and multilateralism are prioritised.” He added that it would help ease the suffering of millions impacted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In a separate statement, Mr. Guterres insisted that the United Nations remained “fully committed” to supporting the initiative’s Joint Coordination Centre which oversees ship movements to and from Ukraine, “so that this vital supply line continues to function smoothly”. “The Black Sea Grain Initiative continues to demonstrate the importance of discreet diplomacy in the context of finding multilateral solutions.” UN trade and development chief, Rebeca Grynspan, who was one of the chief negotiators who brokered the Secretary-General’s grain initiative, tweeted that it was “good news for global food security and for the developing world.”