NEW YORK – United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the world is on the verge of the most serious food, energy and economic crisis to date, due to the war that started with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking at the press conference on the announcement of the second report on the effects of the global crisis created by the war, prepared by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres noted that the war must end immediately, otherwise no country will be able to escape the devastating effects of the war.
UN Secretary-General Guterres said: “This latest report on how the war in Ukraine, in all its dimensions, has affected peoples around the world, makes clear how systematically and accelerated the impact on food security, energy and finance has been. “The war brings unprecedented hunger and poverty, social and economic chaos,” he said.
“Global crisis may cause famine”
Stating that he used his available resources under global inequalities to get rid of many other crises the world is facing, climate change and COVID-19, Guterres said that with the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, a new reality is faced. “War brings new blood and pain every day,” Guterres said. For people around the world, the war threatens, along with other crises, an unprecedented wave of hunger and poverty, leaving behind social and economic chaos. Vulnerable people and countries are being hit hard. Food prices are near record highs. Fertilizer prices more than doubled. Manure shortages can cause great famine. The famine will spread to crops including maize, wheat, rice. “It will have a devastating effect on billions of people in Asia and South America.”
“The only way out of the crisis is to end the war”
UN Secretary General Guterres noted that record-high energy prices also triggered power cuts and fuel shortages all over the world, that many countries, especially African countries, are at risk of default and economic collapse, and that financial difficulties in many developing countries increase. Stating that three out of every five workers in the world earn less than before the COVID-19 outbreak, Guterres said, “The number of people with severe food insecurity has doubled in the last two years. The World Food Program estimates that the volatile effects of war could increase the number of people facing severe food insecurity by 47 million by 2022. There is only one way to stop this escalating storm. The Russian occupation of Ukraine and the killings must end, the destruction must stop. A political solution must be found in accordance with international law and the United Nations Convention,” he said.
“We are living in one of the moments when quiet diplomacy is necessary”
Guterres, Secretary General, stated that urgent action must be taken on two fronts until the war ends, adding, “First, we need to stabilize the global food and energy markets. To break the vicious circle of rising prices and bring relief to developing countries. Bringing Ukraine’s food production and Russia’s food and fertilizer back to world markets despite the war. We worked to achieve a package agreement that allows safe and secure export of food produced by Ukraine via the Black Sea and unimpeded access to global markets for Russian food. I commissioned my humanitarian assistant Martin Griffiths and UNCTAD Secretary General Rebeca Grynspan on this issue. Rebecca and Martin are working closely with all parties to make progress. In the past ten days they have had direct talks with Moscow, Kyiv, Brussels and Washington. I don’t want to say too much about this. This is one of those moments when quiet diplomacy is necessary. The well-being of millions of people around the world depends on it.”
“We must act today”
Secondly, Secretary-General Guterres stated that resources must be made available immediately to help the poorest countries and communities. “Governments must be able to borrow the money they need to keep their economies and people afloat. We cannot find a solution to this global crisis without a solution to the economic crisis in developing countries. The global financial system must use all the tools at its disposal with flexibility and understanding to provide support to vulnerable countries and individuals. The message of today’s report is clear. We must act now to take global action to correct this global crisis to save lives and livelihoods in the months and years to come. We have to start today,” he said.