Noura Al Kaabi speaks at the UNSC debate on the Maintenance of the International Peace and Security in New York on Thursday.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken challenged all countries on Thursday to tell Russia to stop using the Black Sea and Ukraine’s grain as “blackmail” and stop treating the world’s hungry and vulnerable people as leverage in its “unconscionable war.”

America’s top diplomat lashed out at Russia at a UN Security Council meeting for ignoring the world’s appeals and pulling out of the year-old deal that allowed Ukraine to ship more than 32 tons of grain from Black Sea ports to needy countries.

Blinken was chairing the signature event of the United States’ council presidency this month on conflict as a key driver of hunger and famine.

Speaking at the meeting UAE’s Minister of State Noura Al Kaabi said, “More than 700 million people are going hungry around the world, while a third of the world’s population, almost 2.5 billion people, had restricted access to food last year. As we have heard from our briefers, there is no single reason for global food insecurity. Though the reasons for it are complex, the human cost is plain to see. Forty-five million children under the age of five suffer from acute malnutrition.”

“Millions of people are driven to undertake dangerous irregular migration journeys. There is increased sexual and gender-based violence. We know that food insecurity contributes to conflict and instability, while the reverse is also true,” she further said.

“As intricately linked as they are, within the Council and globally, we cannot afford not to act. Today, there are three points I wish to make to this effect.”

“First, food insecurity is preventable. Preventing food insecurity and famine is a political choice. Bringing food insecurity to an end is a collective endeavour. No one should experience famine,” she said.

“In conflict, international humanitarian law is clear: parties to armed conflict must take constant care to spare the objects necessary to produce food and drinking water and they must never target civilian objects. There is not only a moral but a legal duty also to uphold these norms and we call upon all parties to conflict to strictly adhere to their responsibilities.

“It is also important that those in a position to support and facilitate lifesaving humanitarian efforts do so. For its part, the UAE has contributed more than $1.4 billion in assistance over the past five years to address food insecurity.”

“Conflicts, such as in Ukraine, can contribute to global food insecurity. Its knock-on effects in world markets mean that those living far beyond any battlefield often struggle to feed their families, especially in the Middle East and parts of Africa where countries rely heavily on grain imports.”

“In these instances, we must support national strategies and develop innovative approaches and partnerships that meet the scale of the challenge.  “Second, ensuring global food security requires all hands on deck. We must deepen international partnerships and make the most of multilateral fora at both the international and regional levels.

“We saw the potential of multilateral efforts to reduce food insecurity through the establishment of the Black Sea Grain Initiative. The rise in wheat prices since the agreement came to an end — and let me reiterate that the UAE is deeply saddened by this development – is telling of the global importance of such an initiative.

“A spirit of ambition and global collaboration is also needed to tackle a growing driver of food insecurity – climate change.

“July was the hottest month on record. As such, we must see unity of purpose at the highest levels to reverse this disturbing trend by taking tangible measures to prevent the rise in temperatures above 1.5 degrees and ensuring climate adaptation and mitigation measures are firmly in place, particularly in fragile areas.

“Third, and finally, we need novel approaches to this challenge. We commend the dedicated efforts of governments, international and regional organisations, private sector actors, and humanitarian groups and their significant achievements in this field.”

‘All hands on deck’ truly means all hands and all voices. Those disproportionately affected by food insecurity and climate change — in particular, women and youth — must be front and centre when designing responses.

Agencies