MED9++ Ministerial meeting

Good afternoon, dear colleagues, together with Minister Radman, my friend Gordon, we are very pleased to welcome you to the second meeting of the Roma Coalition on Fertilizers and Food Security. We launched this coalition in Rome last May with FAO, and we decided to make this format permanent. I want to thank FAO Director General, Kou Dongyu, and the Deputy Maurizio Martina, for their presence here today. I also thank UNOPS for their engagement. UN support, of course, is crucial. Since our first meeting in Rome, the international scenario has become even more complex. That is why we decided to meet again in New York to assess together the situation, strengthen our cooperation, and define new concrete initiatives. Our shared goal is clear. make the wider Mediterranean region an area of peace, stability, and growth. Freedom and security of navigation are key principles that are crucial to protect. The situation in the Strait of Hormuz remains very complicated. At the same time, tension increased in the Red Sea and in Black Sea. We strongly condemn the attacks by Houthi militias against the legitimate Yemeni government and Saudi Arabia. The Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb are vital trade routes. Disruption means longer transit and higher costs for transport, insurance, and energy. The Black Sea is essential for cereals. Attacks on ports, agricultural infrastructures, and commercial vessels affect exports and create new risks for global food security. These crises are different, but they have the same impact. that is pushing tens of millions more people into hunger. The increase of food prices aggravate the already critical humanitarian situation. I think of Sudan, Gaza, and Lebanon. They increase pressure on people to migrate, making them prey of international criminal networks. Food and security, conflict, and migration are connected. Italy is taking concrete action in each of these areas. Sudan, in Sudan, we intervened with 30 million euros with the Italy for Sudan program. In the Gaza Strip, we recently delivered 35 additional tons of critical emergency aid. In Lebanon, we are implementing new initiative worth 25 million, including a food security project with FAO. Ukraine, we also support the FAO emergency program to mitigate the disruption of Ukraine's grain exports. We allocated 16 million to project in the Odessa region to support rural development and local agricultural resilience. We need stronger cooperation between producing, transit, and importing countries. It's key to strengthen information sharing, logistic, and alternative routes, also in Europe. We already started to work with Slovenia on this key priority. For thousands of years, the Mediterranean has been at the center of connection between Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. It's crucial to protect this highway of dialogue and growth. Maritime security should remain a key priority. We must defend freedom of navigation, civilian shipping, and the trade corridors needed to bring agricultural products to international markets. The Italian Navy is providing a major contribution through EU operation Aspides in the Red Sea, as well as operation Irene in the Mediterranean and Atalanta in the Indian Ocean. We are ready to do our part in Normans when conditions allow. In food security, prevention is crucial. In agriculture, timing is everything. We must act fairly, protect fertilizers and secure supply chains before food prices rise. This is the purpose of the Roma Coalition. a flexible, practical platform for political dialogue and real coordination. FAO plays a central role with its data and field expertise. I think of the SCOPE initiative that it can help countries respond to crisis. The private sector is equally essential. Producers, traders, banks and logistic companies must all be at the table. We can imagine ways to replicate this format to involve also the private sector in our discussion. Our goal, dear friends, is simple: to keep maritime flows open, to help farmers get to inputs they need, and to prevent today's disruption from becoming the food crisis of tomorrow. Italy stands ready to work with all partners, with the United Nations, the FAO, and UNOPS, building on the role of the United Nations Food Hub in Rome. Our discussion today is very important, and I thank you in advance for your contribution and concrete ideas. I am pleased to announce that we will focus on these issues also in the Mediterranean Dialogues that we will host in Naples in November. You are all invited. Now I give the floor to the Minister, Greg Radman, followed by Director General Koo. Please, you have the floor.

Thank you so much, Di Antonio, Vice Prime Minister Tajani, distinguished ministers and representatives of Mediterranean Nine, Arab League and Western Balkan countries, as well as international organization, Director of our Commission, Schuys as well, and Deputy Director As the current MAD9 presidency, it's my pleasure to co-chair today's meeting with my dear colleague, Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani. At our VTCE meeting on 9th of May this year, We collectively recognize disruption that crisis in the Middle East and closure of the Strait of Hormuz are causing to the fertilizers and food supply chains. We also discussed the need for cooperation among producing, transit, and importing countries, expanding regional production capacities, improving logistics connectivity, and supporting investment in resilient agri-food systems. At this meeting, we need to hear your ideas and proposals how to make this a viable reality. I would like to add that besides the security issues in the Gulf, there is one other security crisis that has its effect on the food security. That is the situation in the Black Sea, caused by the war of aggression that Russia is waging against Ukraine. cumulative effect of those two crises is making the regional and global food security situation even more fragile, with ever-growing risk of pushing millions of people into hunger. That is why I am especially pleased that our Ukrainian colleague joined us here today, as well as colleagues from Latvia, Denmark, and the EU Member States currently serving on the UN Security Council. The issues before us must be addressed from a strategic security perspective. They have direct implication in particular for stability, resilience and migration pressures, and no country can tackle them alone. Cooperation between our countries in the wider Mediterranean region as well as important role of international organizations like the UN and its bodies are all indispensable. Let me wish us all a productive discussion today and continued cooperation in the future to safeguard national, regional, and global food security, which is essential for overall global stability. Thank you so much.

Thank you very much, Gordon. Now I have the pleasure to give the floor to the FAO Director-General, Kou Dongyu, please.

Thank you, Honorable Vice Premier Italy, Tajani, and also the Minister from Croatia. And your both leadership of the Co-Chair, focus on fertilizer access and food security is one of the major mandate tasks for FAO. So, currently, the state of global food security is decisive of the coordinated action. We need solidarity on the ground to make the accessible all the important agricultural input and also food itself. Food security risks are coming from a series of the sequential and simultaneous shocks. Conflict in the Middle East has triggered a compound crisis. which has impacted the energy market. Brent crude rose 39% above the pre-conflict level. Natural gas spiked by 129% to 139%. Fertiliser market, most closely linked with petrol oil, critical for the next planting season, have been seriously disrupted. Gulf supplies 30 to 35 percent of the global urea, 50 percent of the sulphur exports, and 20 to 30 percent of ammonia. DAP price rise 26 percent, while the 1.5 to 3 million tonnes of monthly fertilizer trade were delayed. The Maria shock point under the simultaneous pressure. Strait of Hormuz carries one quarter of the global seaborne oil and 20% to 30% of the trade fertilizer. So the tankers movement fell by over 90%. As a result of this compounded crisis, FAO food price index rise 1.9% in August. Cereals price rise 2.2%. You know, the cereals price is very sensitive issues. Any country in the world, if a per kilo rise one cent, it's a big impact. It's not like vegetables, fruit, and meat. But cereals price is the most sensitive issues. Wheat is 15% above the level one year ago. Global wheat production is forecast at 3.8% below 2025. Low-income countries experiencing food inflation above 5% have increased from 40% to 45%. And El Nino, heat, drought are now overlapping with these geopolitical shocks, threatening production, prosperity, Australia, United States, and Europe simultaneously. Even now, United States, yesterday you hear the news, they opened the import of potassium from Belarus because potassium is essential for agriculture. Ladies and gentlemen, we are witnessing the interaction of shocks and the most vulnerable are those combining high food fertilizer import dependence with limited foreign exchange reserve, high debt burden and weak fiscal space. Our response must be in short, mid, and long term. Short term, we must want keep the trade open and avoid export restriction which increase the global price volatility. Second, enhance the market transparency through the AMIS, a market information system providing a common real-time picture of production, shock, trade, fertilizer market, and logistics. Three, support the vulnerable. Household throughout the targeted social protection, protecting both availability and affordability of food. Fourth, protection, humanitarian logistics, secure the alternative trade route. Mid-term, we must diversify the import resources, coordinate the procurement across suppliers support. And also secure farmers' variability by protecting plant windows. And long-term. we should invest the substantial agriculture and energy. I think especially this year in Europe, you have a rainfall, but you don't have enough infrastructure in the countryside. You don't have the harvest, all the showers, rainfall, and to keep the water supply for irrigation for agriculture consistently. And second, we need to promote market resilience through the diversified rebound network across the supply port and Maria route, inland corridor, and so on and so forth. So, dear colleagues, FAO reaffirms its commitment to support the countries of this coalition through our technical expertise, policy analysis, market transparency, now expanded to the fertilizer, technical assistance. on the trade facilitation, logistical diversification, social protection design, early warning system, and also country support operation with our analytic support mechanism for agricultural country program, evidence, so-called SCOP initiative. We had a three-year trial. It's time to introduce to you. And of course, I really appreciate our host country, headquarters, Italy government and Rome city to offer the all necessary support and also especially broadband system now. And FAO is committed to continue work with you from Rome, not limited in Rome, to the members. We are going to serve you, 193 members. Thank you, thank you so much.

Thank you very much, General Director. Now we start with the roundtable. Please, we need to respect the timing because there are a lot of speakers. Two minutes, please. We start with Dubravka Zuga, EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean. Please, Dubravka.

Thank you, Chair. Dear Deputy Prime Minister of Italy, dear Minister of Foreign Affairs of Croatia, thank you for bringing us here today and for this very important topic, and it's more timely than ever. The world is on the verge of a serious food supply crisis. The closing of the Strait of Hormuz, the war in Yemen, and the threats to Bab el-Mandeb have disrupted supply chains for food and fertilizers. And to this, Russia's persistent war in Ukraine, disrupting one of the world's most critical bread baskets. Robust food systems are crucial for stability across the planet. Every country will feel the consequences. from devastating inflation at the supermarket for those that are richer and resilient, to shortages and famine in the most vulnerable regions. Even when the Strait of Hormuz reopens and the Houthis' naval blockade ends, it will take time to adjust freight contracts, insurance costs, or supply chains. Our response must reflect the magnitude of this challenge. The work of this group is crucial. It helps us identify investment block bottlenecks and opportunities where European instruments, partner country resources, international financial institutions, and private investment can complement each other. In the European Union, we are working across humanitarian assistance, agriculture, water, infrastructure, finance, and research. We want to build a comprehensive approach to this challenge, seeking concrete synergies between the Rome Coalition and existing EU partnership with our Mediterranean and the Gulf partners. From the European Union side, we recently adopted the EU Fertilizers Action Plan, supporting European farmers' access to fertilizers. This means safeguarding the harvest at home, engaging with our partners to diversify reliable sources, and reducing tensions of the supply of fertilizers for other countries in the world. And we are working towards mutually beneficial partnerships and investments through the Pact for the Mediterranean. These partnerships aim to strengthen local and regional resilience, investing production storage logistical activity and sustainable agri food value chains I know that I'm running on time just wanted to mention Egypt received 100 million Euro from this facility food and resilience facility this is leading to new grain silos expanding capacity by 10% so I just wanted to mention that we expect 600 small and medium enterprises to benefit from it. Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine also received 25 million euro each. This support saves lives. In 2025 alone, the European Union mobilized 2.1 billion euro worldwide to strengthen global food security with both short-term relief and long-term resilience. We can build on this work. Now is the time to act together. because the challenges facing this coalition and the world cannot wait. Thank you for this opportunity.

Thank you, Lubravka. Now, Jorge Moreira da Silva, General Director of UNOPS, please.

Thank you, Vice Prime Minister, Minister, Excellencies. I would like to focus on the role of the task force, the UN task force. for the Strait of Hormuz, as you know, UNOPS with UNCTAD, International Maritime Organization, and International Chamber of Commerce, who were asked by the Secretary-General to develop a concrete tool to build trust and confidence to allow the transit of fertilizers. And I'd like to update you briefly on where we are now. We have developed a solution that is inspired on existing arrangements such as the UN 2720 mechanism in Gaza, the UNV mechanism that allows all vessels that go from Djibouti to Yemen, and also the Black Sea Grain Initiative. In practical terms, the mechanism is based on registration, deconfliction, monitoring, verification, tracking, and reporting. From a technical point of view, we are ready. We have the teams ready to be put on the ground, we have the platforms designed, and I also want to stress the fact that today we know that the large, large majority of Member States in this House are supporting this mechanism. As this mechanism is not a way to replace freedom of navigation, by contrary, the Secretary General and myself have been very clear that it's indisputable the need to reestablish the freedom of navigation. But while we wait until we have a big deal, we hope, between Iran and U.S., we can't wait. And that's why this mechanism is exceptional, limited, time-bound. It's not a way to replace freedom of navigation, it's a way to let fertilizers flow. We are talking about five to seven vessels a day. We are not talking about rocket science. It's something that is easily to be put in place. That's why it will be very important that everyone gets mobilized using diplomacy to engage with the parties in the conflict. Also, we are in close contact with the GCC countries. And I want to reassure you that in seven days, once we have the mandate, in seven days, we'll be ready to be on the ground. But we don't have the mandate. Thank you.

Obrigado. And now, Jassim Mohammed Al-Budaywi, Secretary General of GCC. You have the floor.

I will focus on the economic dimension because that is where the crisis is now being felt and it reaches your economies and our through four channels rather than one. The first channel is energy. The Gulf supplies substantial share of oil and liquefied natural gas on which industry in Europe and Asia depends. And the prices of that energy set the cost base of almost everything downstream. The second channel is industrial input. Gas is the principal feedstock of fertilizer. which is why an energy shock becomes a fertilizer shock. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, close to 30% of internationally traded fertilizer normally transit over the Strait of Hormuz, and fertilizer cannot easily be substituted. The third channel is the cost of movement itself. Freight rate, war risk premiums, and marine insurance have risen sharply. The fourth channel is aviation and logistics. The Gulf is a major supplier of refined petroleum products, including jet fuel, and European carriers and airports have already felt the consequences through higher operating costs and reduced council activities. The major issue that we have to deal with are four issues. First, supply reliability. Second, routes and connectivity. Third is reducing risk. Fourth, the trade and regulatory agenda. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much also for respecting the timing. Now, Ervin Ibrahimovic, Deputy Prime Minister of Montenegro, please.

Distinguished co-chair, dear colleagues, Montenegro welcomes the continuation of the Rome Coalition and reaffirms its strong support for collective efforts to safeguard food security and strengthen the resilience of global supply chains. Recent developments have once again demonstrated how closely food security, the security of energy and fertilizer supplies, freedom of navigation, and international peace and security are interconnected. Disruption along a single strategic corridor can have consequences far beyond the region where they originate, particularly for the most vulnerable and important dependent countries. Montenegro supports the approach of the European Union and broader multilateral effort within the United Nations aimed at strengthening international coordination, resilience, and security of supply, in full respect of international law. It is essential to preserve open and secure trade and transport routes, diversify sources of fertilizer and supply routes, strengthen regional capacities, and reduce the vulnerability of agriculture and food systems. Ensuring timely access to essential agricultural inputs is equally important, as delays can have consequences well beyond the immediate disruption. At this stage, the coalition should continue to translate our shared political commitment into practical results, including through enhanced information sharing, stronger cooperation among producing, transit, and importing countries, and the mobilization of international financial institutions. Montenegro stands ready to contribute to these efforts, including by strengthening cooperation between the Mediterranean and the Western Balkans. I thank you.

Thank you very much. Now, Mohamed Mbaye, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Comoros. He's not here. And the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Djibouti, Abdoulkader Oussene Omar. Now we go to the Minister of Lebanon, Youssef Raggi. He was here, the Minister of Lebanon. Lebanon, okay. The Kuwait is present. We go directly to Saudi Arabia. Minister of State Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Abdelbin Ahmed Al-Ujairi.

Mr. Chairman, Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, it is a privilege to address the second ministerial meeting of the Rome Coalition. We convene at a critical juncture where the nexus between energy security, food security, and regional stability demands clarity and collective resolve. As a pillar of global energy and economic stability, the Kingdom underscores that the safety and openness of vital maritime passages, most notably the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandab, are non-negotiable prerequisites for global food security. Recent geopolitical tensions and disruptions across these strategic waterways have demonstrated that threats to maritime transit destabilize global supply chains, inflate input costs and jeopardize agricultural yields worldwide. In response, Saudi Arabia continues to champion de-escalation, constructive multilateralism, and strict adherence to international law, particularly the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. We are firmly committed to safeguarding the uninterrupted flow of energy, fertilizers, and essential food commodities. Excellencies, the Kingdom stands ready to deepen its partnership with the FAO, the Rome Coalition, and international stakeholders to ensure that global food security rests on an unshakable foundation of peace, open trade, and shared prosperity. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you very much. Tony Kaiser, Minister for the Federal Slovenia.

Dear Minister, Vice Prime Minister of Italy, dear Antonio, for this initiative, second ministerial meeting of Rome initiative, it's really important. I would also like to thank my colleague Gordon from Croatia. the current chair of Mediterranean 9 countries at this really timely second meeting of the Rome Coalition for Fertilizers, Access and Food Security. I, of course, warmly greet FAO Director-General, colleagues from the Mediterranean 9 group, and friends from the League of Arab States and the Western Balkans. Food security, energy, sustainability, and environmental protection have been our joint concern even before escalation of conflicts and war in Gulf, on the Red Sea, and in Ukraine, which is going on for the fifth year. So a year ago, during the Slovenian presidency of Mediterranean 9, in October 25, we hosted a ministerial meeting on sustainable risk management in agriculture. The latest data from 2026 global report on food crisis is a stark wake-up call. We see 266 million people face acute hunger and famine, and that's a collective failure we cannot ignore. Ensuring food security is no longer just a development It's a national, regional, and global security priority. It's a part of a geopolitical agenda. We cannot fix a structural crisis with reactive short-term management. We should shift toward a systematic prevention and long-term resilience, and FAO recommendations are an excellent base for our discussion and action. To realign global action, we must protect trade routes, guarantee unhindered humanitarian access, and empower local leadership. Talking about trade routes, I would like to support the colleagues. Antonio, you have stressed that the importance of the India, Middle East, Europe economic corridor, the so-called IMEC. This is a relevant initiative in the context of food security and Slovenia is ready and available and it's already making a contribution with its maritime and land infrastructure. So I would like to reassure you that Slovenia remains a reliable partner in transforming global food systems from fragility to long term stability. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Minister. Now, Alexandra Papadopoulou, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece.

Current conflicts have a grave impact on crucial routes, mainly maritime ones in the Black Sea, the Hormuz Strait, the key choke point, and elsewhere. Attacks on ports and ships aggravate further the situation, creating conditions of uncertainty and insecurity along crucial shipping routes. Greece, a quintessential maritime nation with a large fleet of commercial ships worldwide, is directly involved in supply chains of all sorts of goods, including fertilizers. The strength and might of the Greek merchant marine is one of the reasons why maritime security is a priority of Greece, even as a member of the Security Council, also in the upcoming Greek presidency of the European Union. Indeed, food supply chain plays an essential role in ensuring a sufficient and varied supply of safe, nutritious, affordable, and sustainable food to citizens at all times. Disrupted supply chains, starting with the COVID-19 pandemic and critically aggravated with the impact of the war in Ukraine, the Red Sea crisis, the conflict involving Iran, geopolitical shifts, and intensifying adverse climate change have led inevitably to a food crisis that's affecting households, nurtures a vicious circle of poverty, and has serious social and political implications the world over. Allow me to turn also to another particular aspect. Rural areas constitute a fundamental part of the economic potential of Greece and indeed the wider Mediterranean region. The maintenance of food security for all citizens is linked to social, cultural, economic, environmental and landscape functions. Consequently, their sustainability and their long-term cooperative ties with urban centers are of fundamental importance for maintaining cohesion and promoting development. The repercussions of the current crisis to rural areas cannot be exaggerated. A joint, collective and comprehensive response is needed, including safeguarding freedom of navigation as stipulated in the international law of the sea, including UNCLOS. All relevant actors and partners, including UN, IMO, regional organizations and countries, should be mobilized. The work of FAO is in this respect crucial. Greece commends the latest FAO comprehensive study, showcasing the need to adopt immediate measures to ease supply chain pressures, with the objective to enhance and address resilience. These challenges must also be addressed at local, regional and national levels in order to achieve the full integration of rural areas into development processes and to secure further investment in infrastructure, education, the labour market, health, culture and the environmental, digital and energy transition. While coordination is of utmost importance, local initiatives can make a difference. On a national level, Greece has issued a joint ministerial decision regarding the declaration of stocks of agricultural products and foodstuffs aiming at market oversight. On a European level, the EU has established the European Food Security Crisis Preparedness and Response Mechanism, which has issued proposals based on the following pillars: environment, economy and market, geopolitics, technology, food supply chain. The recommendations are addressed to policymakers and member states with the aim of better anticipating and mitigating risks and vulnerabilities in the food supply chain. The Coalition of Rome for Fertilizers Access and Food Security can help us mitigate the current food crisis in this shifting geopolitical landscape that we all found ourselves in. Through cooperation and coordination, we can achieve more. Thank you.

Thank you. And now, Mr. Ferid Hoxha, Minister for the Fertilizer, Albania, please.

Thank you very much for keeping up this process. The establishment of the Rome Coalition for Fertilizers Access and Food Security was both timely and farsighted. Recent developments affecting key maritime corridors from the Strait of Hormuz to the Red Sea and the Black Sea have further demonstrated the close interconnection between security, trade and food systems. These developments remind us that food security can no longer be viewed solely through the lens of agricultural production. It is equally a matter of resilience, connectivity and the uninterrupted functioning of the global supply chains. When critical routes are disrupted, the consequences are felt far beyond the immediate region, affecting energy markets, input availability, production costs, and ultimately consumers around the world, as we have seen. For Albania, freedom of navigation and open trade routes are therefore of fundamental importance. As a country integrated into international markets, we are directly affected by disruptions that impact the availability and affordability of key agriculture inputs. The reality is that even when products arrive through European supply chains, they often depend on raw materials and transport networks that are global in nature. This underlines our shared vulnerability, but also our shared responsibility. Looking ahead, we believe that Rome Coalition can play an increasingly important role, not only in responding to crisis, but also in strengthening collective preparedness. In this spirit, Albania would like to suggest three areas for enhanced cooperation. First, the development of an early warning mechanism for fertilizers and other critical agricultural product inputs aimed at improving transparency, monitoring risks, and facilitating timely responses. Second, stronger cooperation on fertilizer use efficiency and climate-smart agriculture, enabling countries to increase productivity while enhancing sustainability and resilience. And third, greater support for investment that strengthen food system resilience, including irrigation, storage capacity, processing facilities, and more secure supply chains. Excellencies, dear colleagues, the challenges before us are shared, so too must be the solutions. By working together, we can ensure that farmers have reliable access to the inputs they need, strengthen resilience against future shocks, and contribute to a more secure and sustainable global system. Albania stands ready to work closely with all partners in advancing these objectives. And I thank you.

Now the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Mariana Bez, you have the floor.

Distinguished colleagues, it is my honor to address you today. And Ukraine, of course, is very grateful for the opportunity to speak about the global food security. For Ukraine, food is security, and the same, of course, is true to the world. And Russia definitely weaponizes food, weaponizes code, and weaponizes our children. Today, I have a few messages on our behalf. First, the Black Sea corridor definitely must be reopened. It is the artery of global food security. And Russia is attacking the global food supply chain at once, where crops grow, where they're stored, and how they're shipped. And these are not isolated incidents. It is a systematic campaign, and it grows every single day. Attacks on civilian ships increased from 25 in 2025 to 89 between June and August 2026. Our Black Sea ports handle about 90 percent of our agriculture exports, and before July 2022, they moved about 6 million tons a month. Today, they can only handle 14,000 tons a day, and this is a fall of more than 93 percent. Second, fertilizer must never become the next instrument of coercion. Since the war in Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz at the end of February 2026, Gulf nitrogen fertilizer exports have fallen toward zero, and this route normally carried around a third of world's seaborne fertilizer train. Fertilizer cannot be stockpiled or rerouted once the planting window closes. No international strategic reserve exists to soften the shock. Meanwhile, Russia stands to benefit. Russia controls about a quarter of global ammonia exports and 14 percentage of global urea exports. Ukraine knows what hunger means even from our history. In the 20th century, the Soviet regime engineered three man-made famines on our soil, the Holodomor of 1932 and '33 foremost among them. It was a genocide that cost millions of lives. And that is why for us, it's clear that hunger must never be used as a weapon. And starving civilians breach the right to adequate food. It is prohibited by the Additional Protocol No. 1 to the Geneva Conventions and by custom international law. Security Council Resolution 2417 reaffirmed this rule. It did not create it. Russia is breaking the rules and the world built to stop hunger from being used as a weapon. Of course, Ukraine answers with solidarity to many countries. Through Food from Ukraine and its predecessor Grain from Ukraine, we have procured more than 336,000 tons of wheat, pulses, and vegetable oil for people in more than 20 countries in four regions. And they include Yemen, Sudan, Somalia, Syria, and Kenya, and now, for the first time, Bolivia in Latin America. close to 30 partner countries and organizations made this possible. And without a revived corridor, these needs cannot be met in any foreseeable future. Safe sea routes also matter for Ukraine's own resilience. Agriculture exports bring in over 22 billion U.S. dollars. This is more than half of our total exports and 70 percent of our GDP. Farmers rely on today's harvest to buy seed and fertilizer for tomorrow. A working maritime corridor means Ukraine can keep helping others, without asking others to carry the cost. And definitely, we cannot let civilian shipping remain blocked. Just as in 2022, we are ready to work with you to revive safe agriculture exports from Ukraine. And definitely, together with our partners, we can prevent an immediate global food crisis and secure, of course, Ukraine's economic stability, but also hold Russia accountable for its crimes against people and against countries. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Now there is Malta. Christopher Kotar, is it okay?

The floor. Malta thanks the members of the Rome Coalition for the organization of the second round of discussions, which comes at a moment of rising instability across the Middle East and the wider Mediterranean, as well as in the Black Sea, with direct implications for global food and fertilizer security. As disruptions intensify along strategic maritime routes, including the Strait of Hormuz, the Black Sea and the Sea and Port of Azov, the Mediterranean is once again at the center of cascading pressures on supply chains, with serious consequences for vulnerable import-dependent regions, including our immediate neighborhood in Africa. Malta's position is fully aligned with the EU Council conclusions on UNGA 81, particularly in terms of promoting global food and nutrition security globally, as the global food system is facing significant challenges. Malta will continue to support coordinated international action through the Rome Coalition to reinforce food security, resilience and stability across the Mediterranean and our neighbouring regions. Today's discussions confirm broad convergence on the need for stronger international coordination to reinforce food security, resilience and stability across the Mediterranean, an objective Malta will continue to champion within the wider UN system. Safeguarding maritime security and keeping strategic waterways open is at the heart of the Rome Coalition's work, because The free passage of essential goods is what stabilizes global grain supplies and prevents further shocks to international markets. Upholding UNCLOS is therefore indispensable to protecting global trade and ensuring that food and agriculture inputs reach the countries that depend on them most. Malta strongly supports continued UN efforts to maintain these flows and underscores the vital role of FAO, WFP, IFAD in driving evidence-based action that strengthens resilience and reinforces the Rome Coalition's objectives across the Mediterranean and beyond. Thank you.

Thank you. Please, we have only five minutes because we need to leave this room. The next speaker is Salina Chamos, Political Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus.

Mr. Chair, esteemed delegates, Cyprus welcomes the convening of this second meeting and commends Italy and Croatia for their initiative and the FAO. Continued disruptions affecting the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea, and the Black Sea are placing additional pressures on maritime transport and agricultural supply. Freedom and safety of navigation, respect for international law, including UNCLOS, and the protection of civilian and commercial shipping must remain central to all our common efforts. And our immediate focus should remain maintaining open and predictable trade routes, addressing transport and insurance costs and constraints, and ensuring timely and affordable access to fertilizers. In that context, Cyprus welcomes and strongly supports the Rome Coalition as a flexible platform for political dialogue and practical cooperation. Its work complements existing initiatives and strengthens coordination among regional partners, the EU, the UN system, and international financial institutions and private sector. And a special mention to UNOPS, partners such as UNOPS, with which we are working together on the 27-20 mechanism in transferring humanitarian aid from Cyprus maritime corridor to Gaza. As an island member state of the European Union and at the crossroads of Europe and the Middle East, Cyprus attaches particular importance to maritime connectivity and maritime security. We hence stand ready to contribute to the coalition's practical follow-up by facilitating dialogue between European and regional partners and sharing our experience in regional logistics and UN-supported coordination. And lastly, Cyprus, together with the co-chairs and FAO, stands ready and will be happy to host, to co-host a follow-up meeting in Cyprus focusing on maritime and logistical dimensions of fertilizer access and food security supply chains. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. And now the Arab League.

Thank you for giving me the floor. Allow me at the outset to express my sincere appreciation to the Italian Republic for this important initiative and for its continued efforts to strengthen international cooperation in the field of food security and to facilitate access to fertilizers and other essential agricultural inputs. Recent disruptions to global supply chains, compounded by the international crisis prevailing today, have clearly demonstrated the interlinkages between security, peace, and stability. on the one hand, and food security on the other. These developments underscore the need to address such challenges through a comprehensive, integrated, and coherent approach. The League of Arab States attaches great importance to ensuring the stability and continuing of food fertilizer supplies. At the same time, we believe that initiatives of this nature should take into due consideration the diverse perspectives and priorities of the regions. concerned and should form part of broader and more comprehensive efforts aimed at addressing crises at their roots, including through regional actions and concerted international efforts towards achieving peaceful and sustainable political settlements. Against this backdrop, we reaffirm our full readiness to engage constructively and actively in the Rome Alliance, while ensuring that priorities and specific needs of the Arab region are duly taken into account in the development of its implementation mechanisms. The Arab states attach the highest importance of food security within the framework of the Arab strategy for food security. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you very much. And now, Madame Marine de Carne, France.

I will be brief. First, I would like to thank Italy and Croatia for hosting this meeting. The situation before us is dire. The fragility of our global food system has never been so obvious. Immediate impact was already perceived in the wake of the food crisis precipitated by Russia's aggression against Ukraine, the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, and more recently, the disruptions of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. And more will come with the incoming super El Nino. The humanitarian data is alarming. WFP is clear. 45 million additional people could fall into acute food insecurity. And the longer it lasts, the worse it will be. This is the reason why France, as G7 presidency, established a working group dedicated to fertilizers. It has since worked on a roadmap to address the supply disruption and threaten the resilience of food systems. This roadmap seeks to address emergency, but also to foster resilience of our food systems. In the short term, this framework aims to facilitate the delivery of food aid by reducing logistical costs and rerouting food. We must mobilize and relocate funding from international and regional financial institutions to ensure access for vulnerable countries to food and fertilizer markets. In the medium and long term, we will accelerate this transition by strengthening anticipation capacities, enhancing coordination, and pushing for greater diversification of food and fertilizer supply sources. We must conceive of an agricultural future less dependent on imported inputs, more adaptable and sustainable, and capable of nourishing the entirety of the world's population. The imperative before us extends beyond a mere response to present crisis. It is to establish the resilience of our populations as an absolute and shared priority. I thank you.

Thank you very much, Madame, for your intervention. You can speak French here at the UN. And now, Spain, the Honourable Victoria Toul Gomez has the floor.

Thank you. Spain supports the Rome Coalition as a timely platform of political dialogue and practical cooperation to address the knock-on effects of the military tensions in the Ormuz Strait, the Red Sea, and the Black Sea. We are happy to participate in this second ministerial meeting ahead of the upcoming Med9 summit in Split in October in a couple of months. This forum reaffirms that contemporary security challenges - go well beyond defence and call for a comprehensive approach - which will have to take economic security, supply chains - and maritime security in consideration. As a maritime nation, Spain plays a major role in the maritime dimension of the EU's common security and defence policy, particularly through our long-standing involvement in the Gulf of Guinea and the Atalanta operation. The war in Iran has generated a severe energy shock across the agricultural value chain. As always, the most affected by this crisis are the most vulnerable. Besides all these situation of higher diesel prices, rampant plastic prices, and of course the fertilizer huge prices and often the shortage of them, combines with super El Nino phenomenon, which makes things much worse. Spain supports FAO, IFAD, and the World Food Program, whom we signed a strategic partnership agreement just yesterday. Protecting food security is, in times of ODA decline, a priority of the Spanish cooperation and of the Spanish government. The Spanish cooperation will soon be issuing, in some weeks, a national strategy on food security and zero hunger. Platforms like this one are timely and a key tool to keeping the food security at the top of the global agenda. Thank you.

Muy bien, gracias. Y hablar español tambien aqui. Now, Latvia.

Thank you. And thank you for invitation for Latvia to participate. To be clear, all economies across the globe are affected by attacks and threats on freedom of navigation, be it in Hormuz, the Red Sea, or Black Sea. However, it is the most vulnerable, least well-off parts of our global community across Africa, South Asia, and humanitarian regions, especially in active conflict zones and humanitarian emergencies that feel the effects the hardest. The supply chain disruptions, rising fuel prices, food prices, shortage of fertilizers mean that millions more are facing acute food insecurity as the harvest season continues to be severely affected and consequences will last even if freedom of navigation is restored. Other attempts by state actors to either sidestep or deliberately breach international law are additional risk multipliers. endangering maritime trade, communications, and environment. Among these threats, we must include the shadow fleet operating outside any safety parameters to unlawfully evade sanctions. Another key risk stems from sabotage against the subsea cable infrastructure worldwide. A robust and meaningful response to these complex challenges involves a multilayered effort. First, we must redouble on our commitment and strengthen the implementation of international law at sea, as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. International waterways are governed by clear legal principles, and no political considerations may interfere with freedom of navigation. Another layer is increased awareness, raising and coordination at all levels, most notably within the IMO, but also in regional organizations and other fora, while keeping the Council seized on threats that undermine navigational rights and freedoms. Allow me to conclude by reiterating our call for an immediate cessation of attacks against lawful civilian shipping, including in and around the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea, and against the Ukrainian grain export infrastructure in the Black Sea. Latvia will remain a steadfast defender of maritime security and free and safe navigation. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Dear colleagues, I want to thank you all for this very good discussion and for your concrete proposal and ideas. As a concrete next step, we will continue working with the FAO and the United Nations and all our partners to take forward the ideas discussed today. Like I said before, we are ready to explore ways to replicate this format to involve also private sector in our discussion. We will report back to the coalition at our next meeting. Now, I think, Gordon, if you want to conclude this very important meeting.

Yes, thank you so much. As you mentioned, very important meeting and with the General Director of FAO, General Director Kyodo Onryo, and with our Commissioner, Dubravka Shuica, so how we are strong supported this initiative and started in in Roma several months ago. And what to say? Thank you so much for your support and for the awareness how it's important. This to to get this in a very, very important issue that food security and fertilizer access to fertilize fertilizers, security, energy security, and not only, of course, the other topics that are very important for this time we are living in. And I look forward to our next meeting. Thank you, Anna, so much, Anna Di Antonio, for your really tireless engagement and putting this topic high on our agenda. And so we will work on the next meeting, I think, so very soon. Thank you so much.

Thank you. Bye-bye. Thank you very much.