Germany pledges more support to avert 'global famine'

Schulz emphasized that hunger should never be used as a weapon again.

Reuters

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz pledged more German support to avoid a global famine, against the background of the Russian war in Ukraine, stressing that hunger should not be used as a weapon again.

Schultz said in a video statement yesterday that Germany will allocate another 10 million euros to deliver grain from Ukraine in coordination with the World Food Programme, adding that a WFP ship sponsored by Germany is currently on its way to deliver Ukrainian grain to Ethiopia.

Schultz's remarks come on the occasion of the "Grains from Ukraine" initiative.

Addressing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Scholz said, "Today we commemorate the Great Famine," which took place in 1932 and 1933.

“Today we agree that hunger should never be used as a weapon again, and that is why we cannot accept what we are going through now: the worst global food crisis in years with disastrous consequences for millions of people from Afghanistan to Madagascar, and from the Sahel to Horn of Africa,” adding that Russia exacerbated this situation by targeting agricultural infrastructure in Ukraine and blockading the Black Sea ports for several months.

He noted that Germany welcomes the successful efforts of the United Nations to expand the so-called Black Sea Grain Initiative, adding that the world is closely watching whether Russia fulfills its commitments.

He explained that since last April the European Union has facilitated grain exports by land, rail and river through "solidarity paths", adding that at the G7 summit held in Germany, the countries of the group provided an additional $4.5 billion to support global food security and avoid famine.

 The German Chancellor made it clear that the world is witnessing the worst food crisis in years.

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