New Delhi, May 20 (FN Agency) India on Thursday warned that the Ukraine conflict is having a profound impact on food and energy prices and that if the conflict does not give way to a meaningful path of dialogue and diplomacy immediately, there will be severe repercussions in the global economy. Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan, in his address at the UN Security Council in the open debate on ‘Maintenance of International Peace & Security – Conflict and Food Security’, called for global collective action to tackle the issue and outlined eight points. He said while the world was trying to emerge from the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic, the conflict in Ukraine has had a profound impact, with spiralling energy and commodity prices and disruptions in global logistical supply chains. “The Global South has been adversely impacted both by the conflict itself, as well as by the various measures put in place in response. If the conflict does not give way to a meaningful path of dialogue and diplomacy immediately, there will be severe repercussions in the global economy which will derail the efforts of the Global South to secure food security and eradicate hunger in the run up to 2030. “We are already seeing the collapse of economies and law and order problems in some countries, and it will only get worse. Consequently, time has indeed come to start factoring in its multidimensional impact which it is having on the Global South, especially the vulnerable developing countries. “The solution to these challenges lies in global collective action. No single country can, on its own, handle such complex collateral ramifications.
We need to work collectively and we need to work together. In this context, let me submit the following EIGHT points for this Council’s consideration,” he said. First, he called for a solution through dialogue and diplomacy to the conflict in Ukraine without any further delay. Second, he said the food security challenges due to the Ukraine conflict require the world to respond creatively. He welcomed the UN Secretary General’s call for exempting purchases of food by WFP for humanitarian assistance from food export restrictions with immediate effect. Third, he cited energy security as a key collateral fall out of the conflict and said the issue needs to be addressed through greater sensitivity to other countries’ energy mix and import requirements,. Fourth, A number of low income societies are today confronted with the twin challenges of rising costs and difficulty in access to food grains. “Even those like India, who have adequate stocks, have seen an unjustified increase in food prices. It is clear that hoarding and speculation is at work. We cannot allow this to pass unchallenged. As outlined in my intervention yesterday, my Government has recognized the sudden spike in global prices of wheat which put our food security and those of our neighbours and other vulnerable countries at risk. “We are committed to ensuring that such adverse impact on food security is effectively mitigated and the vulnerable cushioned against sudden changes in the global market. In order to manage our own overall food security and support the needs of neighbouring and other vulnerable developing countries, we have announced some measures regarding wheat exports on 13 May 2022. Let me reaffirm that these measures allow for export on the basis of approvals to those countries who are required to meet their food security demands. This will be done on the request from the concerned governments.
Such a policy will ensure that we will truly respond to those who are most in need.” Fifth, he stressed on the importance of equity, affordability and accessibility with regard to food grains. “We have already seen to our great cost how these principles were disregarded in the case of Covid-19 vaccines. Open markets must not become an argument to perpetuate inequity and promote discrimination,” he said, targeting the West. Six, we need to avoid linking humanitarian and developmental assistance with the progress in the political process. Such a position by donors will only exacerbate food insecurity in conflict situations. There is an urgent need for the donor community, to scale up assistance to conflict affected countries and to ensure that humanitarian agencies receive the necessary funding to fully execute their plans without politicization of basic needs of the people. Seven, he cited peace building and development as of paramount importance and said it must include livelihood support, social protection programmes, and community-based approaches including investment in agriculture infrastructure and capacity-building in rural development, especially in conflict areas. All this calls for a multi-stakeholder approach. Eight, armed conflict and terrorism combined with extreme weather, crop pests, food price volatility, exclusion, and economic shocks can devastate any fragile State leading to food insecurity and increase the threat of famine. The capacity building support to countries facing these issues, in designing, implementing, and monitoring policies and programmes related to food is therefore extremely critical. He cited India’s food assistance to its people during Covid and the mid-day meal programme. “Even in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, India has also provided food aid in the form of thousands of metric tonnes of wheat, rice, pulses, and lentils to several countries, including our neighborhood and Africa, to strengthen food security. In view of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, India has commenced donation of 50,000 Metric tonnes of wheat to the people of Afghanistan. Similarly, India has continued its humanitarian support for Myanmar, including a grant of 10,000 tons of rice and wheat.