International Summit on Food Security in Ukraine: Evidence of solidarity and determination to address the consequences of the global food crisis

 

The participants of the Third International Summit on Food Security, gathered in Kyiv

 

The participants of the Third International Summit on Food Security, gathered in Kyiv on November 23, 2024 to work on the ideal to strengthen global efforts in combating food crises caused by rapidly growing economic, climate, and security challenges.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky attended the summit as well as, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha, and Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Vitalii Koval. Addresses to the summit participants were delivered by the Presidents of Switzerland, Estonia, Costa Rica, and Lithuania; the Prime Ministers of Iceland, Cabo Verde, Luxembourg, Portugal, Finland, Croatia, Sweden, and Japan; as well as the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Other speakers gave also their speech, such as, the First Lady of Belize, officials from over 25 countries, and representatives of leading international organizations, including the UN World Food Programme, FAO, UNICEF, UNCTAD, USAID, and others.

European Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský, Lithuanian Deputy Minister of Agriculture Laura Ramanauskaitė, Belgian Special Representative for Ukraine Jan De Pau, and Greek Special Representative for Ukraine Spyridon Lambrinidis were among those who traveled to Kyiv to participate in the summit.

Participants from: Republic of Albania, Republic of Austria, Kingdom of Belgium, Republic of Bulgaria, Canada, Republic of Croatia, Czech Republic, Kingdom of Denmark, Republic of Estonia, Republic of Finland, French Republic, Federal Republic of Germany, Hellenic Republic, Hungary, Iceland, Republic of Ireland, Japan, Republic of Korea, Republic of Latvia, Republic of Lithuania, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, Republic of Moldova, Kingdom of the Netherlands, Kingdom of Norway, Republic of Poland, Republic of Slovenia, Kingdom of Spain, Kingdom of Sweden, Swiss Confederation, Ukraine, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States of America, gathered in the Summit which served as evidence of their solidarity and determination to address the consequences of the global food crisis, reaffirming their shared goal to guarantee access to food as fundamental for every individual.

They reminded that global food security relies on the uninterrupted production, storage, and supply of food products, and that food supplies must not be used as a weapon of war under any circumstances, and that deliberately starving civilians is unacceptable as a method of warfare or military operations as stipulated in the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2417 (2018).

They emphasized the necessity of joint efforts to uphold these principles, and in this context, they expressed support for the Joint Communiqué on the Foundations of Peace, adopted at the First Global Peace Summit on June 16, 2024, and the Joint Food Security Communiqué, published on September 4, 2024.

Ukraine, despite the ongoing armed aggression of the Russian Federation, which has resulted in the destruction of approximately 30% of Ukraine's agricultural sector potential and the occupation of nearly 20% of Ukrainian farmland, remains a reliable partner of the United Nations World Food Programme and the international community and is one of the key contributors to global food security. By means of the "Grain from Ukraine" initiative launched in 2022, more than 286,000 tons of agricultural products have been delivered to 12 countries with critical food needs. They pledged to continue to expand the geography of this initiative, engaging new partners and states from Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia.

they also acknowledged that the "Grain from Ukraine" initiative helps to support Ukrainian producers who contribute to ensuring global food security while facing the challenges of the war.

They emphasize the importance of maritime safety for the uninterrupted transportation of food and the necessity of preventing illegal trade of stolen grain and the deliberate destruction of port infrastructure.

They stressed that maintaining the integrity of international trade is crucial for the stability of global food markets and ensuring global food security.

They underlined the fact that they appreciated the solidarity corridors for facilitating the delivery of food during the most challenging times and acknowledged that Ukraine’s ability to secure the Ukrainian Black Sea maritime grain corridor facilitated the return of Ukrainian food exports to countries suffering from hunger.

They called on the global community to keep food security issues beyond the influence of military conflicts and aggression, supporting efforts to ensure access to food for everyone, regardless of political and geopolitical circumstances. They affirmed that they believed that collective efforts will lead to a sustainable food future for all humanity.

They recognized that long-term food security requires investments in education, new technologies, and sustainable and climate resilient agriculture and food production systems.

It was pointed out the reality that Ukraine’s experience in reforming the school meals system and innovations in the agricultural sector can provide important tools for enhancing other countries’ resilience to food challenges. They called for strengthening international cooperation in implementing advanced practices and technologies that will contribute to sustainable food production.

The participants of the Third International Summit on Food Security, emphasize the importance of ensuring healthy child nutrition as a fundamental component of food security. Access to balanced and nutritious food is critical for the physical and cognitive development of children and for building healthy nations. We support the initiative to ensure food supplies for schools in countries suffering from food shortages.

They finally reaffirmed their readiness to work together to: deepen their collective efforts to ensure stable food supplies, expand the "Grain from Ukraine" initiative to support additional countries facing acute food crises, and attract further resources and partners to implement long-term solutions in food security, including ensuring healthy child nutrition.

Cassien Tribunal Aungane, Editor