Members of the United Nations Security Council decried the use of food as a weapon of war during a food security debate Thursday, as Russia deflected blame for rising prices of food, fuel, and fertilizer.
The meeting was convened by the United States to discuss the looming food crisis and how it is exacerbated by conflict, the leading cause of increased hunger since 2018. The U.N. adopted a resolution that year “condemning the starving of civilians as a method of warfare” along with “the unlawful denial of humanitarian access to civilian populations.”
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“Let there be no doubt: When this council debates conflict, you debate hunger. When you make decisions about peacekeeping and political missions, you make decisions about hunger. And when you fail to reach consensus, hungry people pay a high price,” U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres told the 15-member council.
“At its most basic level, armed conflict creates hunger when fighting destroys farms and factories, drives people from their crops, creates shortages, and pushes up prices.”
He said that most of the 140 million people who experienced acute hunger last year lived in just 10 countries: Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.
Guterres announced the release of $30 million from the U.N. Central Emergency Response Fund “to meet urgent food security and nutrition needs” in Niger, Mali, Chad, and Burkina Faso.
EU commissioner says Russia using hunger as a weapon in Ukraine
The EU announced €330 million ($362 million) in grants Wednesday to support access to basic goods and services, including food.
Echoing comments made in a separate U.N. event on global food security Wednesday, council members called for an increase in financing to purchase food stocks and fund humanitarian operations, the elimination of export bans of key commodities, and access to technical assistance to build resilient agriculture and food systems.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has hiked prices of fertilizer and food globally, with the prices of some staples up 30% in Africa and the Middle East, according to Guterres.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who chaired Thursday’s meeting, called on Russia to allow Ukraine to export its stock of grain to assist with rising demand globally.
“As a result of the Russian government’s actions, some 20 million tons of grain sit unused in Ukrainian silos as … prices skyrocket, causing more around the world to experience food insecurity,” Blinken said. “The food supply for millions of Ukrainians — and millions more around the world — has quite literally been held hostage by the Russian military.”
Russia, a permanent member of the Security Council, condemned what the country’s ambassador to the U.N. called the West’s “effort to blame Russia for everything.”
“Since the beginning of our special military operation in Ukraine, we have noted a quantum leap in the messages suggesting that Moscow is guilty of everything,” said Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya. “The stories connected with food security have been one of the main areas of accusation leveled at Russia. Today’s meeting is an eloquent illustration of this.”
Blinken said the Security Council had a “unique responsibility” to address the crisis, which he called “a serious threat to international peace and security.” He said member states should press Russia to end its war, allow the free flow of food and fertilizer out of the region, and stop withholding food from Ukrainian civilians in besieged areas.
“This council must consistently call out governments and armed groups when they use similar tactics,” Blinken said.
About the author
Teresa Welshtmawelsh
Teresa Welsh is a Senior Reporter at Devex. She has reported from more than 10 countries and is currently based in Washington, D.C. Her coverage focuses on Latin America; U.S. foreign assistance policy; fragile states; food systems and nutrition; and refugees and migration. Prior to joining Devex, Teresa worked at McClatchy's Washington Bureau and covered foreign affairs for U.S. News and World Report. She was a reporter in Colombia, where she previously lived teaching English. Teresa earned bachelor of arts degrees in journalism and Latin American studies from the University of Wisconsin.
