UN Chiefs Urges Russia To Allow Safe Grain Shipping Through Black Sea Again

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Russia to revive the grain Deal that it had with Ukraine for safe shipping of grain through the Black Sea, he argued that the most vulnerable will suffer from hunger.

The U.N. chief spoke during a three-day food summit in Rome.

“The most vulnerable will pay the highest price,’’ Guterres said about Russia leaving the grain deal with Ukraine.

“I call on the Russian Federation to return to the implementation of the Black Sea Initiative, in line with my latest proposal,” Guterres said.

Since the end of the deal, wheat prices have incremented by 14%, while corn prices have incremented by more than 10%.

Both Russia and Ukraine are essential for food security, they have historically accounted for 30% for global wheat and barley export, 20% of corn and more than a half of sunflower oil.

Some of the countries that benefited the most with the Black Sea Initiative were Ethiopia, Yemen, and Afghanistan, and all the countries in the World Food Program.

In the summit, international leaders also talked about the problems of climate change in food supply and distribution.

161 countries participated in the summit, with 22 heads of state or government and 150 non-governmental organizations.