UN Secretary-General calls for quick response to food crisis that could spark from Russia-Ukraine conflict
Xinhua|
Guterres visited Sweden that day and met with Swedish Prime Minister Andersson.
Guterres said at a subsequent joint news conference with Andersson that if Ukrainian and Russian grains and fertilizers cannot re-enter the international market, there will be no effective solutions to food security issues.
He will continue to make every effort to push for an end to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict through dialogue.
Guterres also called on the international community to take swift and decisive action to deal with food crises that may be triggered by conflicts, especially those affecting developing countries.
Andersson said that the world is currently facing numerous and urgent challenges, and the United Nations is more important than ever in addressing these global crises and challenges.
During his visit to Senegal in early May, Guterres pointed out that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has had a huge impact on the economies of developing countries, exacerbating the "triple crises" of food, energy and finance throughout Africa.
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization statistics, Russia and Ukraine are the world's largest and fifth largest wheat exporters, respectively.
The two countries together account for 19%, 14% and 4% of global barley, wheat and corn supplies, respectively, and more than a third of global cereal exports.
Market participants predict that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine may lead to a more than 50% reduction in Ukraine's current grain production.
Russia is the world's leading fertilizer producer, accounting for 13% of global production.
Russian fertilizer exports have been restricted due to U.S. sanctions, leading to a surge in global fertilizer prices. Farmers in major agricultural countries such as Brazil and the U.S. have been forced to reduce fertilizer usage, which may affect future harvests.