UN secretary general António Guterres has called on the Russian Federation to return to implementing the Black Sea Grain Initiative along the lines of his proposals.

Deputy spokesperson for the secretary general Farhan Haq said this while briefing journalists on Monday in New York on the participation of Guterres at the ongoing UN Food Systems Summit+2 Stocktaking Moment (UNFSS+2) in Rome, Italy.

Commenting on the recent decision by Russia to terminate the Black Sea Initiative, Mr Haq pointed out the secretary-general said the picture had grown bleaker, given that the initiative had enabled the safe export of more than 32 million tonnes of food from Ukrainian ports.

The Initiative and the Memorandum of Understanding with the Russian Federation to facilitate Russian food and fertilizer exports have been lifelines for global food security and price stability.

“The secretary general reiterated his commitment to facilitating the unimpeded access to global markets for food products and fertilisers from both Ukraine and the Russian Federation,’’ he said.

He urged the global community to unite for immediate solutions in this essential effort.

Mr Haq also had bilateral meetings with the Presidents of Sierra Leone, Nepal and Armenia. While in Rome, Mr Gutteres would meet with Italian President Sergio Mattarella. He had met the president of Italy’s council of ministers, Giorgia Meloni.

The deputy spokesperson said that the UN chief attended the high-level event meant to build on the momentum of the 2021 Food Systems Summit.

The Italian government is hosting the meeting in collaboration with the Rome-based UN agencies, the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub and the wider UN system.

In his remarks at the event’s opening ceremony, the secretary-general underscored that global food systems were broken and billions of people were paying the price.

He highlighted that broken food systems were not inevitable but the result of “choices we had made.”

“In a world of plenty, it is outrageous that people continue to suffer and die from hunger,“ Mr Guterres told the delegates. 

(NAN)