Statement of MEFA Xhaçka at the United Nations Security Council briefing on Conflict and Food Security

Thank you, Mr. President,

Good afternoon to everyone,

Let me start by thanking you, Secretary Blinken, for your presence in the Security Council today, and lead our work on this crucially important issue.

Very special thanks to the briefers for their insightful reports.

Yesterday, we had an important discussion with the launch of the "Roadmap for Global Food Security - Call to Action" which Albania was pleased to join.
We highly appreciate your personal contribution and the US leadership in focusing the attention of the Security Council on the factors driving food insecurity worldwide.
Today's conflicts, long-term crisis, and the recurrence of chronic food insecurity are more complex and are lasting longer. It is undeniable that conflict is now the main driver of hunger and food insecurity.

As we heard during the yesterday discussion but also this morning, the number of people experiencing hunger globally and suffering from food insecurity has been rising since 2014.
In conflict-affected countries, civilians have and continue to be attacked, killed and forcibly displaced. Destruction of civilian infrastructure and other aspects indispensable for survival of the civilian population reduce drastically the ability to produce food and earn income.

Conflicts contribute to deepen existing inequalities, and the two-year long COVID-19 as well as climate change have made a difficult situation worse. Close to 193 million people are acutely food insecure and in need of urgent assistance across 53 countries. In Yemen, Syria, Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, Haiti, and elsewhere, millions of people need food; millions do not know when their next meal will come.

Russia's aggression on Ukraine is further exacerbating an already acute global food security across the world. The blockade and destruction of critical Black Sea ports and other infrastructure is disrupting the vital supply of food commodities and key agricultural inputs that are critical to global food security. There is food in Ukraine but it cannot get out of the country. This is unacceptable and must stop.

Severe disruption of production, trade and rising global food fuel and fertilizer and energy prices as a consequence of the war are aggravating existing inequalities in affected regions, endangering food security, worsening existing humanitarian crises and pushing more people into poverty.

The war in Ukraine could push up to 40 million more people into poverty and hunger, and is threatening the future global food security. This is the sad reality; this is the truth.
Through Resolution 2417, the Security Council has recognized that hunger and conflict fuel each other in a vicious cycle and has declared that using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare may constitute a war crime.

The resolution is a call to action, based on humanitarian principles. It demands the effective implementation of international humanitarian law and accountability for those who violate it. And it emphasizes the importance of humanitarian access it is an imperative. We have the tools, we must use them. We advocate for a more active role of the Council in considering and addressing conflict-induced hunger.

Early warning and early action lead to prevention. Preventing conflict-induced hunger requires respect for international humanitarian law by all parties to the conflict.

Humanitarian action and respect for International Humanitarian Law can only mitigate the effects of a conflict on food systems, but political solutions to end conflicts are urgently needed.

Mr. President

Tackling food insecurity worldwide requires urgent multilateral action on several key aspects:

First: We need to address the causes of food and nutrition crises, the humanitarian, development the long-standing structural problems that make food systems vulnerable and enhance the sustainability.

Second: there must be a coordinated multi-sectoral development, humanitarian and peace initiatives response in order to reduce the risk of future conflict.

Third: Actions through the UN system and the international financial institutions should lead to investments in sustainable food systems and gender equality. Funding for food security is an important component.

Four: Better and timely reporting is needed. Security Council has the unique ability to demand and secure timely reporting, data, and action on situations of food insecurity. In this context, Albania supports the creation of a UN special envoy or a focal point on the implementation of resolution 2417.

No-one needs to go hungry if we can prevent it. If we want to end hunger, to ensure food security, we should act prevent and stop conflicts by choosing peace and development.

Thank you!

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