Food under fire: the Security Council's role in mitigating global and local food crises - Security Council, 10213th meeting
Security Council
Date: 25 August 2026
Language: English
Transcript: https://transcripts.un.org/en/sc/10213
Transcripts available through this tool are created by using automatic speech recognition and are not official records nor official documents of the United Nations. Official records and official documents are available on the Official Document System of the United Nations.

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Denmark · President · Lars Løkke Rasmussen [17:14]:

The 10,213 meeting of the Security Council is called to order. The provisional agenda for this meeting is maintenance of international peace and security, food on the fire, the Security Council's role in mitigating global and local food crisis. And the agenda is adopted. Before each of you is a list of speakers who have requested to participate in accordance with rule 37 and 39 of the Council's provisional rules of procedure. We propose that they be invited to participate in this meeting. There being no objection, it is so decided. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of item 2 of the agenda. I wish to draw the attention of Council members to document S/2026/650, letter dated the 4th of August 2026 from the permanent representative of Denmark to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary General transmitting a concept paper on the item under consideration. And I warmly welcome the Secretary General, His Excellency Mr. Antonio Guterres, and I will give him the floor, please.


UN · SG · Antonio Guterres [18:37]:

Mr. President, Excellencies, I thank the Government of Denmark and Minister Rasmussen for chairing this urgent discussion on conflict and food security. This is an opportunity for the Council to address a dangerous and evolving reality. Critical food systems and the lives and livelihoods they sustain are under attack. Getting enough to eat is a basic human need, a need that is clearly reflected in Sustainable Development Goal 2, ending hunger. Zero hunger is achievable, but it requires tackling hunger's many root causes, including conflict. In resolution 2417, this Council highlighted the link between conflict induced food insecurity and the threat of famine and armed conflict and violence. and it provided clear guidance to ensure the proper functioning of food systems and markets in the midst of conflict. Today is about strengthening the implementation of that important resolution and there is no time to lose. Across the Sahel, farmers are driven from their fields as conflict disrupts farming, trade and livelihoods, and food insecurity worsens across the region. In Sudan, Markets have been hit by drone strikes and missiles. In Haiti, gang violence has cut off entire communities. And humanitarian workers have been denied access to assist people in desperate need from Gaza to Mali, Myanmar and Sudan. Some have come under direct attack and even killed. It is no coincidence that 2025 saw not only the highest number of armed conflicts since World War II. but also among the highest levels of global acute hunger on record, with at least 266 million people facing acute food insecurity. 2025 also marked the first time this century that two famines were confirmed simultaneously in Sudan and Gaza. A shameful milestone. The UN's latest Hunger Hotspot report shows that conflict and violence are the primary drivers in 12 out of 13 hunger hotspots of greatest concern. The link between armed conflict, violence and hunger is undeniable. We know that rising hunger can fuel displacement, fragility, instability and competition for scarce resources. The effects are borderless, with conflicts and violence triggering shockwaves of hunger across borders and regions. The war in Ukraine is affecting grain and energy exports in the Black Sea, both from Ukraine and Russia. The crisis in the Middle East is another example. The Strait of Hormuz carries about a fifth of global oil supplies and a third of global fertiliser trade. Restrictions and closures have driven up commodity prices and made availability plummet. And attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea are further threatening supply chains for food and other commodities. For import dependent countries, many struggling with high debt, this directly increases the cost of farming and imperils future harvests. We need a peaceful, just and durable settlement that safeguards international navigational rights and freedoms, including in and around the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandab Strait, and restore stability and confidence. As I detailed yesterday, we have worked to develop and propose practical mechanisms to address global humanitarian needs triggered by the Strait of Hormuz crisis. This time bound confidence building effort would focus initially on fertilisers and related raw materials, but with the ability to be extended to other products. International support for this initiative has been encouraging. But what is needed now is the cooperation and political will of the parties, and I urge all concerned to engage seriously and constructively. But this effort cannot be seen as a substitute for fully restoring navigational rights and freedoms in and around the Strait of Hormuz. Excellencies, Resolution 2417 recognises the need to break the vicious cycle between armed conflict and food insecurity. Yet the vicious cycle rolls on. So today I call on this Council to consider three measures to strengthen and build on this landmark resolution. First, Resolution 2417 must be implemented consistently and in full. For parties to conflict, this means not depriving civilians of objects indispensable to their survival, including food, crops, livestock and drinking water supplies, and refraining from attacking, destroying, removing or rendering them useless. It also means taking constant care to spare civilian objects necessary for food production and distribution, including farms, mills, water systems, food processing and storage sites and transportation hubs. It means providing humanitarian personnel with safe and unimpeded access to civilians in armed conflicts. Too many parties to armed conflict, disregard their obligations under international humanitarian law with impunity, and this is unacceptable. States must do their part to uphold and ensure respect for international humanitarian law and use their influence to secure compliance. Throughout, reporting on conflict-induced hunger New famine risks and emerging risks to food systems and humanitarian operations must be acted upon. We cannot wait for famine or catastrophic conditions to be formally confirmed. I call on this Council to act when the warning lights are flashing. Second, food systems must be protected in their entirety. Conflicts or violence must not keep farmers from their fields. keep crops trapped in or on the ground, or keep food supplies stuck in storage. I call on this Council to renew its support for protections for infrastructure essential to food security. That must include safeguards for farms, water systems, markets, storage facilities, ports and supply routes. It should also reinforce safeguards for the supply of food exports, agricultural inputs and humanitarian aid, including passage across borders and seas.

Your Excellencies, the third, humanitarians must be protected. All parties to conflict have clear obligations under international humanitarian law. That includes allowing practical arrangements that enable humanitarian operations and protecting humanitarian workers as they carry out their life-saving work. In resolution 2417, this Council expressed its willingness to consider information on the unlawful denial of humanitarian access and take appropriate steps, including sanction measures. I call on this Council to make every effort to ensure accountability, to keep vital humanitarian aid flowing, and to protect those delivering it. Your Excellencies, the best protection against food insecurity is peace, and the safest conditions for peace are a world without hunger. I urge this Council to use all tools at its disposal to help prevent and end conflicts and to stop emerging risks from becoming wider crises of instability and, in particular, of food insecurity. I thank you.


Denmark · President · Lars Løkke Rasmussen [27:15]:

I thank the Secretary General for his briefing. And now I will give the floor to Mr. Carl Schou.


WFP · Acting Executive Director · Carl Skau [27:26]:

Thank you, Mr. President, and thanks to the government of Denmark, to you, Minister Rasmussen, for convening us on this timely and important topic. And let me also recognize and thank the Secretary-General for his leadership. It was your letter, Mr. Secretary-General, that triggered the discussion back in '17 that led to this important resolution, the resolution 2417, a year later. Indeed, a landmark resolution adopted by consensus recognizing the vicious conflict hunger cycle, how conflict drives hunger, but also how hunger fuels conflict. Excellencies, I was one of you back then representing a member state on this council. Today, I'm proud to represent the World Food Program, an organization awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020 for its efforts to combat hunger, but also for its contribution to bettering conditions for peace in conflict areas. That was a time of optimism for the World Food Programme. With strong support of this council and with the recognition of the Nobel Committee, we thought a world without hunger was within reach. But fast forward to today, 2026, only six years later, and the picture is very different. The vicious conflict hunger cycle is instead accelerating. In this short period of time, the number of acutely food insecure has increased threefold, while funding for operations has plummeted. And as Deschi just pointed out, it's more dangerous than ever for our colleagues in the field. In my role at WFP, I have the privilege to frequently visit frontline teams in the most complex of environments. Today, I will draw from that firsthand experience, sharing with you what the conflict hunger cycle really looks like in practice, and of course, point to how the Security Council, in our view, can and should respond. Excellencies, I spent last week in Somalia. literally speaking to you with the dust of Bur Hacaba still on my shoes. I saw camps full of families who had their lives and their homes and their lands taken away when non-state armed groups arrived. One family with four children that I sat down to speak with had left a multi-generation farm where they had farmed, fed themselves, and made an income. Armed groups had rolled in, demanding taxes to keep farming. So they had decided it was safer to flee to displacement camp some hundred kilometers by foot. They had lost everything, including one child on that journey. The other three kids were now growing up in a camp and without a school to go to. These sudden insurgencies keep erupting across Somalia. Like in Baidoa last week, fighting prevented my planned visit there. But much worse, it prevented our operations. Some 5,000 kids did not get WFP nutritious food in Baidoa that day. In addition to insecurity, hunger in Somalia is also driven by two consecutive droughts, and the super El Nino is expected to bring heavy flooding in November. This all adds to a catastrophic malnutrition and food crisis. Nearly two million children suffering from acute and severe malnutrition, third of the population, six million people, face acute hunger or worse. And Somalis are facing this perfect storm at the very moment that global engagement is at its lowest. As you well know, the UNSAS mandate beyond the end of 26 is uncertain. And support from humanitarian action is shrinking. One key donor no longer provides any funding, and no others are stepping in. In 2022, Facing a similar situation, WFP and partners prevented famine. Thanks to generous donor support, not least from the US, we scaled up assistance to nearly 10 million people. Today, WFP is only assisting some 600,000, one in 10 in acute need, and millions are left out. Many could die, famine is getting closer. This should be a wake-up call for everyone. It's not only an issue for Somalia, because when families can't put food on their table, they are left with three choices, starve, move, or rebel. These are perfect conditions for armed groups, criminal gangs, exploitative businesses to recruit vulnerable young people. So in Somalia, but also in places like Guatemala and the DRC over the past few weeks, I've spoken to parents terrified that their children will soon be in military camps, street corners, or mines instead of in schools. Excellencies, beyond this vicious cycle that we have been warning you for years now, there is a new dimension that needs your attention and your action. Consequences of conflict is now also being transmitted thousands of miles through interconnected economies and trading systems across borders and seas. Some have spoken about a double choke point crisis, the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea. But yesterday, the Secretary General rightly came with warnings about a triple choke point crisis, adding the recent escalation in the Black Sea. These serious disruptions to maritime trade now threatens to push tens of millions more people into food insecurity, starting with the conflict in the Gulf, An oil tanker anchored in the Strait of Hormuz can mean one less meal a day for a child in Sudan, where basic food costs are up almost 40% since February this year. And food systems rely on fuel, irrigation, transport, milling. So when oil prices go up, so does the price of flour, rice, and vegetables. And suffocation of fertilizer exports has also hit this planting season hard across Africa and Asia. We are deeply worried about the lag effects this will have on upcoming harvests. At WFP, we have also been exposed to 20% higher shipping costs, 35% more on fuel for our airdrops and our humanitarian flights, meaning less assistance for the people we serve. Second, the de facto Houthi authority strikes on commercial vessels in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait. This has led to further reduction of trade in the Red Sea and is compromising another export route, regional transit to the Suez Canal. It means further rising prices for people across the globe, but it's also hitting Yemen itself particularly hard, a country that imports 90% of its food. And third, escalating Russian and Ukrainian tax in the Black Sea. Russia and Ukraine exports equal one third of global wheat supply. Grain shipments through the Bosphorus Strait are now down 40% year on year. Import dependent countries like Somalia, who buys 90% of its cereal, are highly exposed. Also, there are longer term risks if the Black Sea ports and shipping lanes stay shut. Farmers will simply have less income and incentives to plant crops for 2027. The world simply cannot afford these layers of crisis. How many choking points before we are completely suffocated? Excellencies, there is just no time to lose. Building on the Secretary-General's call today, WFP looks to the Security Council for urgent and concrete action. just like the response you took to the SG's letter back in 2017. To break the conflict hunger cycle and building on the SG's call, I'm coming to you with five circuit breakers. First, instigate measures to stop conflict in one region, creating hunger in another. Initiatives that ensure free flow of humanitarian aid, Commercial food exports, agricultural inputs via maritime or land corridors are urgently needed. Second, use resolution 2417 much earlier. Act on warning signs. Take action before famine is declared and before agricultural seasons are lost. Just look at Sudan. With decisive early action, we may have prevented famine last year in the world's worst hunger crisis. We all saw the atrocities in Al-Fashir coming, but the international community, including this Council, failed to act on those warnings. It's hard to do justice to the scale of suffering in Sudan, but it really hit me in April when I visited the Tawila camp in Darfur, where survivors of Al-Fashir have gathered. I have never seen anything like it. Seven hundred thousand people in a super city of grass huts. They arrived from Al-Fashir with absolutely nothing, traumatized, and they now depend on a trickle of aid to survive. The people I met there felt completely abandoned. I can't say this strong enough, waiting for famine to be declared is a total failure of duty. In the last Somalia famine in 2010 to '12, nearly 260,000 people died, half of them children. We avoided this in 2017 and in 2022 because we acted early on warnings and scaled up assistance. Third, stronger protection for civilians, civilian infrastructure and food systems. The principles of distinction and proportionality must be respected. I was in Lebanon in March, just a few days after the war started. meeting people whose lives had again been snatched away by strikes and evacuation orders. Overnight, they went from daily commute to a life in shelter. Like the family I met in the dingy abandoned hotel in Beirut, in the south of Beirut. As missiles ran down, their world had shrunk to the size of that small hotel room. They told me that the only time they went outside was to collect the daily WFP hot meals. Fourth, protect humanitarian personnel. In northern Yemen, there is a growing acute hunger, but the UN is unable to intervene at this moment of extreme fragility. We have been forced to pause humanitarian work because the operating environment is simply non-existent with the targeting of our staff. Currently, 73 UN staff, including 38 from WFP, are detained by the de facto Houthi authorities. Not a day goes by without thinking of them and of their families. Fifth and finally, more solidarity with the world's most vulnerable. For every story I've told you here today, there are millions untold. I'm thinking about the women and girls I met in Afghanistan back in May. I will never forget my visit to a rural clinic outside Jalalabad. exhausted cries of babies, the panic in the voices of their mothers. Some had walked for hours with skeletal babies in their arms. But at this clinic, normally supported by WFP and UNICEF, we had nothing to give them. Afghanistan is today the world's worst malnutrition crisis. But there is an appalling lack of funds. We are currently turning away six in seven malnourished women and children. WFP hotlines are flooded with calls from parents considering suicide as their children waste away. I used to talk about taking from the hungry to feed the starving. But in the world, in the very worst hunger crisis, we are now on the verge of having nothing to give at all. We all risk becoming bystanders as parents, children and babies starve. Excellencies, let me reassure you, that at WFP and with our partners, we are doing everything possible to adapt to a new funding landscape. We are seizing the Secretary-General's UN and 80 reform agenda and the humanitarian reset in full and with ambition. We are doing our absolute best to do better with less. But we need member states to step up too, to correct course, fund humanitarian action, seek political solutions to conflicts, and reverse the normalization of hunger. We know this is possible. A year ago, I visited Gaza around the time that famine was declared. It was like a dystopian film set. Everywhere we drove obliterated rubble, every street filled with desperate children looking for food. I returned in January this year after the October ceasefire and adoption of resolution 2803 in November. Still far from a rosy picture, that's for sure, but the ceasefire had improved somewhat food security and reversed famine. And some people that I met had even started to have hope again. I spent time with one displaced family who had returned to the destroyed house in the southern parts of Gaza City. And they were busy trying to recultivate a vineyard amid the rubble to rebuild a family livelihood and tradition. I spoke with bright teenage girls getting WFP food in a UNICEF round school makeshift or makeshift school. They told me they hope to grow up as doctors, pilots, and business owners. So as the SG said, these are fragile gains, only a glimmer of hope. Recovery and reconstruction are still far, far away, but it shows what is possible if there is political will. Excellencies, we simply can't fail the people of Gaza again just when conditions are starting to improve. We can't pull back in Sudan just as we secure access for scaling up. And we can't disengage in Somalia and wait for famine to unfold. This council has shown before that it can be part of breaking the vicious cycle of hunger and conflict. Let today's meeting be the starting point for new bold action to give hundreds of millions of people a path away from hunger and violence back to peace and stability. I thank you.


Denmark · President · Lars Løkke Rasmussen [43:24]:

I thank Mr. Skau for his briefing and I'll give the floor to Dr. Perrine Benoit.


Action Against Hunger · Coalition Against Conflict and Hunger · Co-CEO · Perrine Benoit [43:34]:

Excellencies, distinguished members of this council, my name is Perrine Benoit and I am the co-CEO of Action Against Hunger. I speak to you today on behalf of the Coalition Against Conflict and Hunger, a group of global organization working to prevent and limit the impact of conflict on food security and nutrition and to protect civilians from conflict-induced hunger. Resolution 2417 was unanimously adopted by this council in 2018. It was supposed to avert famine and it was supposed to end the vicious circle between conflict and hunger. Yet time and again, its provision have been violated by parties to conflict while implementation by the members of this council have fallen far short from what the resolution demands. Since the resolution was passed, the IPC confirmed famine in parts of South Sudan, Sudan and the Gaza Strip. We have recorded more than 9,300 incidents in over 45 countries in which conflict-related violence impacted civilian infrastructures vital to food systems, including more than 3,200 bombings of markets, agricultural lands, and water systems. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. In Sudan, over 900 attacks on food systems have been recorded since April 2023. including livestock looting, attacks on markets, and violence against people accessing said markets. Famine has been confirmed in multiple areas of the country, while alert persists in many parts. Yet, we have failed to see urgent action to bring about a meaningful resolution to the conflict. At the same time, new conflict have led to global macroeconomic shocks, disrupting supply chains and critical infrastructures, driving up food and fuel prices, and increasing the cost of key agricultural inputs and humanitarian aid, threatening efforts to realize the right to food everywhere. This global disruption have a spiraling effect. The conflict in the Gulf has impacted the agricultural production of over 80% of households. Higher fuel costs, constraint agricultural inputs, fertilizer shortages are now the new normals, and we know that vulnerabilities compound. In Sudan, simply being a woman today has become a statistically significant predictor of starvation. This is a vicious circle that we must break. Conflict drives hunger, while hunger and the destruction of livelihoods, in turn, deeply undermines the protection of civilians, drive displacement, and fuel instability. Sudan is now the world's largest hunger and displacement crisis, as my colleague was saying. And it's a stark reminder that hunger is not simply a consequence of conflict, but part of its dynamics. Humanitarian organizations have also had to cope with global disruptions and witness their daily impacts. I like to talk about Yemen, where more than half of the children under five, about 2.2 million, are expected to be acutely malnourished in 2026, alongside 1.3 million pregnant or breastfeeding women. Ahmed is a four year old from a remote village. And a few months ago he was diagnosed with critical severe acute malnutrition. His mother feared for his life, but thanks to life saving therapeutic nutrition programs and treatments, he recovered and is healthy today. But for years, procuring the supplies needed to treat acute malnutrition in Yemen has already been an incredible challenge. It has now become even more difficult. The cost of sea transport for humanitarian organization has risen by over 300%. And even more concerning, shipments face major delays. We have to understand that the timeline for a child experiencing malnutrition is brutally short. Within two weeks of losing access to sufficient food, clinical signs of acute malnutrition begin to appear. Within three weeks, children become susceptible to common illnesses that can now kill them. They experience severe wasting, struggle to move, and their organs begins to shut down. Without treatment, the risk of death rise significantly. When stocks run out, this will determine our ability to save children like Ahmed. For them, global trends are absolutely not abstract. They determine whether life-saving treatment reaches them in time or not. As humanitarian actors, we are doing the best we can in our power to respond to support communities. We remain present, operational, and ready to scale up humanitarian responses despite facing increasingly severe constraints. These constraints include restricted access, but also bureaucratic hurdles, criminalization, disinformation, and growing threats, direct attacks. More than 1,000 humanitarian workers have been killed in the last three years, And during the same period, we recorded over 700 attacks on humanitarian food aid activities. For decades, the humanitarian system has built the expertise to support local and national food systems and markets. But today, massive funding cuts, shrinking access, global disruptions, and threats to food security surveillance systems are putting the quality and effectiveness of humanitarian responses at increasing risk. The recent decision to end FEWS NET monitoring in Yemen, among other countries, is a clear example of this. As food insecurity rises, tracking systems are being lost. We are at risk of losing our capacity for early warning. We need the access, protection and support necessary to put that expertise into practice and invest in anticipatory actions and local solutions at scale. To do so, the coalition has three main asks to this Council. First, use UNSCR 2417 as an early warning and prevention tool grounded in the perspectives of communities affected. We know what happened when food systems are destroyed. The consequences are foreseeable. We have the warning signs, attacks on food systems, logistical and supply chain disruptions, food prices shocks, they all signal emerging risks for food security and peace, and we have the policy frameworks. What is missing is the political will and early action to address the drivers of conflict-induced hunger at both micro and macro scales. To do so, this council must protect civil society voices, particularly those of affected communities. As the distance grows between this hall of power and those most affected by your decisions, the council and UN member states must close that gap, reverse shrinking civil space, and invest in the information systems that underpin early action. When reports on attacks on food systems and emerging food security risks are shared, the Council must promptly and systematically respond to driving investigation, acting on recommendations set out in white notes and calling for Council-level action. This matters because conflict and hunger reinforce one another in a virtuous circle. Conflict drives hunger, while severe food insecurity, disrupted livelihoods, and rising food prices can deepen tensions, fuel instability, and contribute to conflict dynamics. Ultimately, the Council must move beyond documenting hunger and act on the information on attacks on food systems before today's shocks becomes tomorrow's famines and security crisis. Second, we asked that you take urgent and decisive diplomatic actions to uphold international law. Condemnation ring hollow when they are not matched by action. This Council must ensure that no party to a conflict uses starvation as a weapon of war, or acts in ways that exacerbate conflict-induced hunger by either attacking, destroying, removing, or rendering useless objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population. And it must hold perpetrators accountable. The use of siege tactics against civilians is prohibited and must never be accepted. We call on this Council to protect the humanitarian actors and infrastructures, safeguard humanitarian access, thus ensuring safe, rapid, sustained and unimpeded actions throughout affected areas. When food systems are disrupted, people's reliance on humanitarian assistance increases. If access is blocked, hunger deepens. Member States should support access negotiations as well as practical solutions that guarantee safe, rapid and predictable humanitarian access, including in contexts under international or national sanctions. So you make an exemption and diplomacy in line with existing resolutions. Third, we all need to invest in local food systems. Disruption to the global food systems are amplifying the impact of conflict on already fragile food systems. These pressures can deepen tensions, drive displacement, and further compound existing conflict dynamics. We must therefore strive to make food systems more local, sustainable, and resilient, and pivot from a state of perpetual crisis management to one of investment in resilience. That means prioritizing local solutions and investing in local production and resilient supply chain. It also means reinstating quality humanitarian funding, supporting first and foremost local and national NGOs, including women-led organization. This council has a responsibility to prevent and manage conflict, to protect civilians, and to support accountability. Breaking the cycle of conflict and hunger requires political action, and political action is a choice, but so is inaction. The world is watching, and it cannot wait any longer. Thank you.


Denmark · Minister for Foreign Affairs · Lars Løkke Rasmussen [53:30]:

Thank Dr. Benoit for her briefing. And I shall now make a statement in my capacity as the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Denmark. Let me start by thanking you, Secretary-General Guterres, Acting Executive Director Skou and Co-Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Benoit, for your remarks and importantly, your recommendations. Excellencies, eight years ago, this council adopted a landmark resolution on conflict and hunger that explicitly recognizes the link between armed conflict and hunger and food insecurity. It also condemned the starvation of civilians as a method of warfare. That resolution contained a number, 74 million, the number of people facing conflict-induced hunger around the world at that time. Today, a few years later, that number has doubled to 147 million. Conflict remains the primary driver of hunger, accounting for more than half of all people facing severe hunger. More than 20,000 attacks on markets, farmland and food distribution systems have been recorded since the adoption of 2417 in 2018. Excellencies, food is under fire. Crops are burned, markets attacked, aid denied. In Sudan, the warring parties have targeted agriculture, attacked UN warehouses and denied access to relief while famine was confirmed on their watch. In Gaza, a period of blockading aid and continued restrictions have left children stunted, destroyed farmland, and an entire population dependent on supplies that barely make it through. For the first time this century, in 2025, famine was declared in two different places in the same time, in Sudan and in Gaza. In relation to both crises, members of this Council have recalled that the use of starvation as a weapon of war is clearly banned under international humanitarian law. The UN has in addition warned of the risk of famine in South Sudan and Somalia before the end of this year. So let us be clear. The blocking international creation and use of hunger and starvation of civilians as a method of warfare constitute a brutal and illegal tactic wherever and whenever it is committed. Excellences, wars are now colliding with the global food system itself and increasing hunger across borders and continents. In the wake of the illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Black Sea crisis taught us what happens when a breadbasket becomes a battlefield. Sadly, the flow of food supplies in the Black Sea is now again disrupted. Iran's unlawful closure of the Strait of Hormuz is just another example of what happens when a vital passageway for fertiliser and oil is used as a tool of coercion. Transits through the strait have come to a near standstill. Unlawful Houthi attacks also threaten shipping through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, and as we have heard, The World Food Programme has estimated that the crisis and disruptions resulting from the Middle East conflict have pushed an additional 6.1 million people into acute food insecurity. And as we also have heard, World Food Programme warns that further 45 million people could be pushed into acute hunger, many of them far from any frontline. The situation heavily impacts humanitarian aid provision by spiking global fuel prices, inflating shipping and insurance costs, and delaying critical medical, food, and nutrition supplies. These disruptions worsen food insecurity in vulnerable regions worldwide. And the answer is clear. The Strait of Hormuz must be reopened immediately. The right of passage must be upheld. And this morning, our briefers have called for greater action from this Council. We join that call. We view Resolution 2417 as a powerful tool, but its potential remains untapped, particularly when it comes to early warning. The Security Council must play its part. Around this table, we should address patterns, not only individual emergencies. And early warning must spark early action. Secretary-General, that is why Denmark welcomes your initiative in establishing the Task Force on the Strait of Hormuz. The safe passage of fertilizers must be ensured, and we recognize your efforts in setting up this humanitarian mechanism. Denmark is also ready to contribute to the defensive and independent multinational military mission in the Strait of Hormuz in support of freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz when conditions allow. Excellences, words matter here, especially from this Council. When infrastructure is destroyed, when farmers are attacked and their land is seized, When the UN and its humanitarian partners are blocked from doing their job, we must speak up. But speaking up is definitely not enough. Resolution 2417 reminds us of the tools we have in order to act, from early warning to restrictive measures to ensure accountability. What is needed is the will to use these tools. This work can be supported by new technologies. Satellite data with patterns of obstruction or attacks. Digital access to areas where physical access is denied. And in this way, denial of physical access can no longer mean denial of the truth. Finally, in emergencies, global food security supply chains must be protected. They are critical civilian infrastructure. They put food on tables thousands of miles away. Humanitarian cargo, fertilizers and energy products must be granted safe passage. Excellences, in closing, going forward, let us make the right choices in this Council and make use of the tools at our disposal. Support tangible measures to address the humanitarian impact on aid blockages. And whenever relevant, call out that the use of starvation as a method of warfare is clearly prohibited under international humanitarian law. Consider the use of sanction measures where appropriate. Utilise existing frameworks and new technology for early warning and support. The millions on the brink of famine around the world are looking to us to do exactly just that, and we cannot let them down. Thank you. now resume my function as President of the Council and will give the floor to Her Excellency Ms. Dace Belbane, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of Latvia, please.


Latvia · Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs · Dace Belbane [1:01:17]:

Thank you, Mr. President, and let me thank the Danish Presidency for convening this meeting. I would like to thank Secretary-General for his personal presence and his introduction to this significant topic. And thank you to Mr. Skou and Dr. Benoit for their powerful interventions of this morning. They have painted an irrefutable picture of a stark reality. Conflict continues to put food security at risk and civilians continue to pay the price. On the overall picture, while global hunger has declined, over 600 million people were affected by hunger in 2025. Behind this metric are families, women and children whose daily life is reduced to a single struggle, securing enough food to survive. In 2026, the risk of famine persists or has been identified in four countries or territories. Let me be clear, these famines are not natural disasters they are man made and they are entirely preventable. In Gaza, acute food insecurity remains a daily reality for civilians, compounded by repeated disruptions to supply chains and severe restrictions on humanitarian access. Given their low or non-existent income, the vast majority of families are largely dependent on the aid delivered by the UN and international NGOs. In Sudan, more than 20 million people face high levels of acute food insecurity, yet the fighting between the Sudanese armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces continues. It displaces communities, destroys livelihoods and disrupts the very systems on which civilians depend. Markets have been repeatedly targeted by drones, while attacks on humanitarian and commercial convoys and critical trade routes continues to hinder access to food. The situation in hunger hotspots like Yemen, South Sudan, Haiti, Nigeria, Afghanistan and elsewhere requires our attention and swift action. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has also had far-reaching consequences globally, with severe disruptions to energy markets and a growing impact on global food security. This is a stark reminder that disruptions to critical trade routes can rapidly translate into consequences far beyond the immediate conflict zone. At the same time, climate change is intensifying food and water insecurity, especially for communities dependent on subsistence farming already affected by conflict and with limited capacity to withstand further shocks. Mr. President, there is a fundamental principle we must not lose sight of. Food must never be used as a weapon of war. The deliberate destruction of agricultural land and essential infrastructure necessary to sustain civilian life cannot be normalised as a feature of warfare. And this brings me to Russia's full-scale aggression against Ukraine. Ukraine has long played a vital role in global food security. Before Russia's full-scale war of aggression, Ukrainian food procured through the World Food Programme fed around 400 million people in humanitarian emergencies. Even under relentless attacks, Ukrainian farmers have continued to produce and supply food to crisis affected populations, including in Gaza, Sudan, Yemen, and Nigeria. Yet Russia continues to target Ukrainian ports and grain harvests, humanitarian infrastructure, and civilian merchant shipping, deliberately disrupting global food supplies. These are not only acts of aggression against Ukraine, but crimes against the world's most vulnerable, using food as a weapon. Latvia calls on the international community to take a strong diplomatic stance and demand an end to these attacks and restrictions. Russia must not be allowed to hold the hungry hostage. An immediate, full and unconditional ceasefire is essential to ending Russia's aggression and ensuring Ukraine's vital role in global food security. Mr. President, what should we do as a Security Council? The answer is straightforward. We need to rise to the challenge of implementing resolution 2417, not merely reaffirming it. We must move from reacting to famine to preventing it. First, we must strengthen early warning. We encourage the Secretary-General to continue providing the Council with swift reporting whenever a risk of conflict-induced famine emerges. Early warning must lead to early action. Second, we must act when humanitarian access is denied or restricted. It is therefore crucial that the UN and other humanitarian organizations enjoy full, rapid, safe, and uninterrupted access to deliver life-saving humanitarian aid in accordance with humanitarian principles and international humanitarian law. Third, there must be accountability. Echoing resolution 2417, we call on all states to conduct independent, full, prompt, impartial and effective investigations and to hold perpetrators accountable. Humanitarian workers and farmers are never legitimate targets. We condemn attacks against them in the strongest possible terms. hunger is deliberately used as a weapon of war, the Council must be prepared to act. As a Council, we must consider targeted sanctions and other appropriate measures against those who deliberately weaponise food and obstruct humanitarian access. These violations will have consequences that extend far beyond the immediate crisis. They destroy livelihoods, deepen instability and leave scars that can last for generations. Impunity cannot become another driver of hunger. In closing, Mr. President, Latvia reaffirms its full commitment to resolution 2417 and its implementation when we have the means to prevent hunger caused by conflict. then failure to act is a choice. Latvia stands ready to work with all Council members to ensure that conflict induced hunger is not merely preventable but is actually prevent it. I thank you.


Denmark · President · Lars Løkke Rasmussen [1:09:05]:

I thank Her Excellency Vice Minister Melbardem for this statement. I now give the floor to the representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.


Democratic Republic of the Congo [1:09:16]:

Mr. President, Mr. Secretary General, Excellencies, distinguished members of the Council, the Democratic Republic of the Congo would like to thank Denmark for convening this open debate devoted to an issue that lies at the heart of international peace and security. We also thank the Secretary-General, Mr. Antonio Guterres, the Acting Executive Director of the World Food Programme, Mr. Karl Skau, and Ms. Perrine Benoit, Co-CEO of Action Against Hunger. We thank them for their contributions to this important discussion. And beyond reflection alone, the reality on the ground is unequivocal. Conflicts are today amongst the principal drivers of food insecurity worldwide. Eight years after the adoption of Security Council Resolution 2417, the human toll of hunger has reached alarming proportions. The situation in many conflict zones, together with disruptions to global supply chains, demonstrates that food security is now inseparable from peace, stability and international security. The consequences of conflicts go far beyond the areas of direct combat, disruptions to energy flows, fertilizer supplies, trade and maritime routes, as well as to humanitarian operations. can quickly transform a local crisis into a regional or even a global shock. Mr. President, in light of this reality, the Democratic Republic of the Congo believes that the Security Council must give resolution 2417 a fully operational scope by making prevention a genuine instrument of action. Early warning can only be meaningful if it leads to early, coordinated and proportioned action based on identified risks. In this regard, signals of worsening food insecurity, should be considered relevant elements in the analysis of situations that may threaten international peace and security. And to this end, the Council should strengthen its use of data analysis and early warning mechanisms provided by the World Food Programme, FAO, IFAD and other competent agencies so as to obtain timely and clear assessments of risks affecting food systems and their potential consequences for the stability of populations and states. Such information should inform the Council's deliberations and, where circumstances require, trigger consultations, preventive diplomacy and anticipatory measures before food crises escalate into drivers of conflict, displacement and instability. This approach must go hand in hand with stronger protection of critical infrastructure, markets and supply corridors, as well as the guarantee of safe, sustained and unhindered humanitarian access. Food and other goods indispensable for the survival of civilian populations must never be used as instruments of war or pressure. This is now the opportunity to affirm that our response cannot stop at humanitarian relief alone. It must be long-term and grounded in resilience. And this requires adequate and predictable financing, strengthening local production markets, improved storage and distribution capacities, and investment in agricultural technologies adapted to the effects of climate change. It is also essential to strengthen coordination amongst humanitarian action, development policies, conflict prevention efforts and peacekeeping operations. Such an approach will help avoid fragmented responses and better address the root causes of food insecurity. Mr. President, The experience of Africa, and particularly that of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, strongly reminds us of a fundamental reality. Hunger cannot be separated from security. In the DRC, millions of people face acute insecurity. Conflicts in North Kivu and South Kivu and Ituri have caused massive population displacement and disrupted agricultural production, supply chains, and access to humanitarian assistance. When a family abandons its land to flee violence, it loses not only its home, but also its ability to produce food, to sustain itself and, above all, to rebuild its future. And this is why urgent and sustainable responses must also aim to secure production areas, revive agriculture locally, modernise rural infrastructure and mobilise the investments needed to develop agricultural value chains. Food security must therefore be viewed not only as a response to hunger, but also as an investment in peace and stability. Mr. President, The Democratic Republic of the Congo reaffirms its commitment to an approach that places communities at the centre of prevention and response efforts, while strengthening national capacities in service delivery, agricultural production and resilience. In the same spirit, the Security Council must continue supporting the good offices of the Secretary-General and diplomatic initiatives aimed at securing humanitarian corridors, preserving freedom of navigation and protecting essential agricultural, energy and commercial infrastructure. It is equally important to strengthen coherence amongst Security Council mandates, sanctions regimes, peace operations, humanitarian action and development efforts. The prevention of food crises must become an integral component of conflict prevention. Mr. President, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which itself experiences the human, social and economic consequences of conflict, knows that hunger cannot be regarded merely as a humanitarian tragedy. When hunger takes hold, persists and worsens, it weakens societies, it fuels displacement, it exacerbates tensions, and can become a powerful driver of instability and conflict. Food security is therefore inseparable from peace, stability and development. The challenge before us therefore is clear. We must move from reaction to prevention. from emergency response to resilience and from fragmentation to collective, coherent and anticipatory action. The prevention of food insecurity must be fully integrated into efforts to prevent and resolve conflict. In conclusion, the Democratic Republic of the Congo reaffirms its determination to work with the Secretary-General, the Security Council, the United Nations system, member states and regional partners to strengthen the resilience of food systems, to protect civilian populations and address the structural causes of vulnerability. This is our collective responsibility. It is to act before hunger turns into famine and before famine in turn becomes a driver of conflict and instability. Preventing hunger means preserving human dignity. Preventing hunger means strengthening resilience. And ultimately, preventing hunger also means preserving peace. I thank you.


Denmark · President · Lars Løkke Rasmussen [1:17:49]:

I thank the representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and now give the floor to the representative of France.


France [1:17:57]:

Thank you, President. We'd like, first of all, to congratulate Denmark upon its presidency of the Council and thank Denmark for organizing this debate. We'd like to welcome you, Foreign Affairs Minister. Your presence here illustrates the crucial importance of this topic. We'd like to thank His Excellency Antonio Guterres, Secretary General, for his report, which is comprehensive and alarming and with concrete proposals. And we'd also like to thank Mr. Skou, the acting executive director of the World Food Program, and Dr. Berine Benoit, from Action Against Hunger, not just for your edifying briefings, but also for your work, your crucial work. Eight years after the adoption of Security Council Resolution 2417, conflicts remain the main cause of acute food insecurity and malnutrition. Although the first to be affected are, of course, local populations, the effects of conflicts often also spread very far from where the war is taking place. As speakers have said, conflicts in Sudan has led to a famine which was confirmed in 2025, a catastrophic situation. In Somalia, the people are facing acute food insecurity, which could even get worse in light of what has recently happened. Millions of people, particularly in developing countries, are affected by the illegal methods of war used by Russia, which is deliberately targeting agricultural facilities and Ukrainian port facilities. The effects of the war in the Middle East and in particular obstacles to the freedom of navigation posed by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz could even lead to a significant decline in global food production. The attacks by the Houthis and the illegal blockade in the Strait of Bab al-Mandab are also contributing to increasing food insecurity. As you said, Mr. Secretary-General, global stability and food security cannot be the collateral victims of conflict, and that is why we must act. President, the Security Council must first and foremost work earlier in conflicts. with the international community and regional organizations as well. The warnings by the SD notably pursuant to resolution 2417 and the alarming figures published by the IPC should not go unanswered. The international community must rise to the initiative to curb the broader consequences of conflicts. The farm initiative, which was launched four years ago by France and the World Food Program, aims to respond to the emergency established and triggered by the Russian aggression in Ukraine and to beef up local food sovereignty. Secondly, we must ensure the full implementation of this council's resolutions and ensure the respect for international law, including humanitarian law, as a guardrail to address any political manipulation of food aid. The use of famine as a weapon of war against civilians is forbidden. Unhindered safe humanitarian access must be guaranteed in all circumstances. Attacks on humanitarian workers, which are only increasing, are unacceptable and must cease. France pays particular tribute to the work of these humanitarian organizations. And goods which are critical to the survival of civilians, including those related to agriculture and food, must be protected. and this notably by protecting the freedom of navigation. Finally, this Council and the international community must also take a long-term view. We must work to bring about sustainable peace and lasting peace and to support the re-establishment and strengthening of global supply chains and food systems in the local domain. The reconstruction and stabilization of Gaza will necessarily involve the rehabilitation of arable land and livestock. France, the UK, and more than 30 other states have taken the initiative of an independent, neutral, and defensive multinational mission, which can contribute to bring about safe conditions for navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. And Secretary General, we welcome your initiative to bring about a humanitarian mechanism in this context. Finally, with our G7 partners, we are working to ensure the rationalization of humanitarian supply chains as a way of supporting the fight against hunger in the world in line with UN80. President, armed conflicts are clearly the main cause of food insecurity in the world. that is both a warning sign and a call for action because this means we must redouble our efforts around this table to produce results to end conflicts and therefore also to defeat food insecurity. Thank you.


Denmark · President · Lars Løkke Rasmussen [1:23:02]:

Thank the representative of France for the statement and now give the floor to the representative of Russian Federation.


Russian Federation [1:23:12]:

Mr. President, Mr. Minister, we thank the speakers for their vision of the relationship between food security and conflict. The organizers of today's debate propose to consider these topics in a broader angle through the impact of regional conflicts on global food markets and supply chains. And if we discuss the problem this way, we cannot ignore the most obvious and the most topical example, the aggression unleashed on February 28th by the United States and Israel against Iran. The escalation that followed that threatened the normal functioning of one of the most important arteries of world trade, the Strait of Hormuz, and provoked a powerful logistical shock, the consequences of which are felt far beyond the Middle East. And this is not just about the current rise in the cost of transportation. Future planting campaigns in import dependent countries in Africa and Asia are under serious threat because of rising energy and fertilizer prices. The WFP in particular warns that as a result, tens of millions of people could face hunger. Mr. President, we are closely following the work of the task force established by the Secretary-General on the Strait of Hormuz, coordinated by the Executive Director of UNOPS. And of course, we cannot ignore the fact that the UN directly names as one of the sources of inspiration for the new mechanism names the so-called Black Sea Initiative. We think it's necessary to warn against too free and an interpretation of this experience. The mechanism, which was presented as a humanitarian one, turned out to be implemented very one-sidedly. Therefore, presenting it as an unconditional success story and ready-made model for Hormuz would be, to say the least, foolhardy, Mr. President. A significant factor in the imbalance of world food markets, which our Western colleagues prefer to pass over in silence, is related to illegal unilateral restrictive measures taken in circumvention of the Security Council. In this regard, what is telling is the flagship report on the state of food security and nutrition in the world 2025. Its authors state that the markets for energy, food and fertilizers were destabilized, including by anti-Russian sanctions. Last year already we drew the Council's attention to the conclusions of this report and to the attempts made by a number of Western delegations to challenge the very appearance of these assessments and UN analysis. Against this background, it's noteworthy that a similar report published in July for 2026 does not say a word about the factor of anti-Russian sanctions. What has changed? objective economic data or an approach to which ones are politically convenient to mention? And this is, of course, a rhetorical question. The Secretary-General also recognized the harmfulness of unilateral coercive measures. And his report on this issue for 2025, it directly states that such restrictions affect not only vulnerable states, but they also disrupt regional and global supply chains. including the field of agriculture and food. Against this background, attempts to blame Russia for price volatility in global food markets look untenable. It is all the more strange to hear such accusations now when the Kiev regime, using unmanned systems and intelligence provided by NATO and EU countries, is stepping up drone attacks on civilian ships in the Azov and Black Sea waters. In July alone, more than 100 such attacks on commercial ships with Russian agricultural products were recorded. These strikes by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which make no military sense, violate international law and have already caused delays in the supply of grain, oilseeds and feed crops to international importers. Obviously, here we are talking about Kyiv's cynical campaign to provoke chaos in the global food market, despite the fact that Ukraine's share in global food production is small, no matter how hard the Kyiv regime is trying to prove the opposite. It was the actions of the Zelensky regime which switched to the tactic of total destruction of ships under any flags in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea that led to making navigation more difficult. Where primary stabilization measures should not be all kinds of deals on the basis of someone's solemn promise without guarantees of the implementation by Kiev, but the cessation by Ukraine of destabilizing steps and sabotage and terrorist activities against civilian ships, as well as obstruction of the work of international trade routes. And since our Western colleagues are such advocates for the protection of global trade routes, they should sober up their charges in Kiev, who are adding fuel to the fire of the food crisis. As confirmed by Russian President on August 22nd, we will solve the current problems with grain exports and provide to the world market the supply potential this year is at least 60 million tons. Mr. President, Eight years ago, the Council adopted resolution 2417. Its subject matter is quite specific, food insecurity and the threat of famine in situations of armed conflict. The resolution was not created as a universal mechanism for monitoring any secondary effects of regional crises on world prices, energy and international trade. Therefore, attempts to broadly interpret its provisions and extend them to any global economic shock run the risk of eroding the agreed subject of the resolution and further politicization of issues that should be comprehensively considered by the relevant UN bodies. Nor do we see the need to create additional early warning mechanisms under the auspices of the Council. The question here is not a lack of tools, but rather a willingness to use the existing ones in a timely and unbiased manner. If anyone needs a clear example of what Resolution 2417 is designed to address, you don't have to look very far. This is the Gaza Strip. Despite some improvements in recent months, The situation there remains critical. According to the recent estimates, more than 1.4 million, or 67 percent of the population, are acutely food insecure. The West Bank situation is also alarming. Israeli operations, settler violence, restrictions on movement and access to land have undermined the ability of Palestinians to provide themselves with food. According to the FAO, more than 72,000 farms, in other words, almost two-thirds, are in need of emergency assistance. It is in Palestine that the Council should work to implement the provisions of Resolution 2417, and the same logic applies to Haiti, Yemen, Somalia and Sudan. Mr. President, Emergency food aid is essential, but it should not become a permanent mode of existence for states in crisis. Countries should be helped to rebuild their agricultural production and strengthen their ability to feed their populations on their own. Russia, for its part, remains the world's breadbasket and a reliable supplier of agricultural products to foreign markets, contributing to the achievement of global food security. In 2025, Russian agricultural products were exported to more than 160 countries, and a large proportion of the supplies were provided free of charge in the form of food and technical assistance to the most needy states, including those affected by conflict. This year, our contributions to the WFP have already exceeded $33 million, and over the past five years, the volume was in excess of $250 million. Russian aid was sent to Afghanistan, African countries, Syria, Palestine, Yemen, Myanmar, and other states. We're also developing cooperation with the FAO. Our country has financed projects on locust control and agricultural rehabilitation in East Africa, support for farmers in Syria, creation of climate-resistant agricultural systems in Central Asia and the Sahel region. Mr. President, Resolution 2417 does not need an expanded interpretation or new mechanisms. It requires conscientious application where conflict does indeed create hunger. Instead of politicizing the topic, the international community should work to end conflicts, increase humanitarian assistance, and help affected countries to rebuild their own agriculture. And above all, We should not create new crises so that we do not have to look for mechanisms to overcome their consequences. I thank you.


Denmark · President · Lars Løkke Rasmussen [1:33:04]:

Representative of Russian Federation for the statement. And now give the floor to the representative of United States.


United States of America [1:33:12]:

Thank you, Mr. President, and thank you to Denmark for convening this important meeting. Also, thank you to all of the briefers this morning. When this council adopted resolution 2417 in 2018, the Trump administration reiterated the United States commitment to help feeding the hungry. The United States remains committed to that goal. Unfortunately, conflicts and crises have grown in scale and complexity. Food insecurity is rising and the humanitarian systems to address food insecurity are struggling to keep pace. And this was before the Iranian regime's attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, obstructing nearly one quarter of global oil trade and roughly one third of the global fertilizer trade. We are outraged that the Iranian regime continues its egregious and unconscionable efforts to disrupt freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. In Resolution 2417, this Council demanded that parties to conflict not impede humanitarian assistance. Today, Iran's actions are felt all over the world. The World Food Program now projects an additional 45 million people will suffer from acute food insecurity globally. The Iranian regime has spiked the cost of fuel by blocking exports through the Strait. Increased energy costs hurt everyone. But in places like Syria and Gaza, increased costs threaten the precarious food security gains made by humanitarian actors and the communities they serve. The fertilizers that Iran prevents from passing through the Strait of Hormuz are necessary for food production in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and parts of Southeast Asia. The projected loss in agricultural outputs in the coming months mean less food, higher prices, and more hunger in places like Sudan, Nigeria, and the DRC. In the DRC alone, more than 16 million people need food assistance, according to the Famine Early Warning Systems Network. Armed groups continue to attack civilians and block humanitarian routes, while the Ebola outbreak threatens million more. In Sudan, conflict drives the world's largest humanitarian crisis. And parties to the conflict have reportedly used food access and availability as a war tactic. We call on all parties to this conflict to facilitate rapid, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access throughout Sudan. But conflict is not the only threat to global food security. Natural phenomena like El Nino risk pushing tens of millions into acute hunger. The United States continues to partner with humanitarian organizations and governments to address and, where possible, preempt food insecurity. To that end, we recently announced more than $1 billion in U.S. assistance to UNICEF and WFP to address global humanitarian nutrition and food security needs. We are also actively pursuing options to respond to fertilizer shortages. The United States will not abandon the needy or leave them to suffer hunger, whether result of conflicts or natural disasters. Thank you.


Denmark · President · Lars Løkke Rasmussen [1:36:52]:

I thank the representative of United States for the statement, and I now give the floor to the representative of China.


China [1:37:01]:

Thank you, President. I welcome His Excellency Foreign Minister Rasmussen for presiding over today's meeting. I thank Eszgi Guterres, and acting executive directors, Cao for their briefings. And I have listened carefully to the statement by Ms. Benoit. The people are the foundation of a nation and food is of paramount importance to the people. Food security based on the survival of human society and national stability with advances in science and technology and increased agricultural inputs, humanity's capacity to produce food has grown significantly. Yet, due to factors such as war and conflict, food insecurity remains a grave challenge, with 318 million people worldwide facing acute hunger, particularly in conflict-affected regions such as Africa and the Middle East. While implementing Security Council resolution 2417, the international community should take comprehensive and coordinated measures to jointly safeguard global food security and ensure that people are free from hunger. I would like to make four points. First, promote a ceasefire and end hostilities to ensure a secure environment for food production. War displaces civilians, destroys farmland, disrupts food production and fuels humanitarian crises and hunger. The Security Council bears the primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. It should prioritize political solutions to conflicts, promote mediation and good offices, encourage the parties to the conflict to resolve their differences through dialogue, work toward an early and lasting ceasefire to enable the resumption of agricultural production. International humanitarian law is the fundamental baseline that must be respected. Hunger must never, under any circumstances, be used as a weapon of war. Parties to the conflict must always prioritize protecting lives and agricultural infrastructure, avoid disrupting agricultural activities, and ensure unimpeded humanitarian access, including food aid. Second, remove trade barriers and maintain stable and smooth food production and supply chains. Amid economic globalization, food production and supply are closely related to the international situation, particularly global logistics and transportation. With intensifying geopolitical tensions and regional conflicts, the international community must ensure the safe and unobstructed operation of land and sea trade routes and the flow of essential goods such as food and fertilizer. China welcomes the UN initiative to establish a time-bound operational mechanism for the Strait of Hormuz and supports a greater role for the UN. Meanwhile, all parties should further uphold open and transparent market policies, deepen international cooperation on food supply, promote the rational global allocation of food resources, avoid artificially creating trade barriers or disrupting food trade, and refrain from politicizing or instrumentalizing food issues. The indiscriminate use of unilateral measures will only exacerbate global food insecurity. Third, promote shared development and help countries build resilience in food production. Limited development capacity has left some countries facing food shortages, while extreme weather events such as floods and droughts have further compounded the problem. All countries should make food production and distribution a strategic priority. The international community should take a long-term perspective and support developing countries in improving farmland, water conservancy and other infrastructure. accessing advanced agricultural technologies and strengthening their capacity for self-sufficient food production, thereby shifting from blood transfusion to blood generation. Developed countries have a special responsibility to provide development assistance and climate finance. They should take concrete action to help affected countries withstand natural disasters, bridge development gaps, and address the root causes of conflict and food insecurity. Fourth, uphold multilateralism and improve global food security governance. Food security governance is a global issue that requires coordinated action and a collective response from all countries. It cannot be dictated by a handful of countries or interest groups. All parties must firmly support a central role for the UN and support organizations such as the FAO, IFAD and WFP in fulfilling their mandates. and strengthening coordination. We must effectively enhance the representation and voice of emerging market economies and developing countries in international organizations dealing with food security, uphold the principles of consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, promote a more equitable, reasonable, inclusive and effective global food security governance system and safeguard the common interests of all countries. President, As the world's largest grain producer, China feeds more than 1.4 billion people with less than 9% of the world's arable land. More than one fifth of the world's grain is produced in China. Through our own efforts, we have achieved basic self-sufficiency in grain and absolute self-sufficiency in staple foods, A remarkable achievement for China and a major contribution to global food security. China remains committed to strengthening international cooperation, improving global food security and supporting global poverty reduction efforts. President Xi Jinping's Global Development Initiative and Global Governance Initiative provide conceptual guidance for deepening global cooperation on food security and reforming the global food security governance system. China has provided the most funding, dispatched the most experts, and implemented the most projects among developing countries under the FAO South-South Cooperation Framework. China has engaged in agricultural cooperation with over 140 countries and regions, promoted over 1,000 agricultural technologies to developing countries, and trained more than, we have taken concrete actions to address global food shortages. China will continue upholding the concept of a community of shared future for mankind, work with all parties, and make greater contributions to the complete eradication of global hunger and the maintenance of world peace, security, development, and prosperity. I thank you, President.


Denmark · President · Lars Løkke Rasmussen [1:44:30]:

Thank the representative of China for the statement, and now give the floor to the representative of Somalia.


Somalia [1:44:40]:

Thank you, Mr. President. would like to begin by expressing gratitude to the Secretary-General for his insightful remarks. And we have listened carefully to the remarks by Mr. Skou, the acting executive director of the World Food Programme. I also want to acknowledge the perspective brought by Dr. Benoit in this meeting. Mr. President, the organization of food and hunger is no longer a distant threat. it's a daily reality. In conflict zones, parties deliberately target food systems and use starvation as a weapon of war. From Sudan to Palestine, hunger is simply is not simply the result of chaos, but the outcome of deliberate deprivation, threatening both lives and regional stability. To translate our commitment into meaningful action, I would like to highlight the following urgent interconnected priorities. The first and most immediate step is to ensure that humanitarian aid and food can reach those in need without obstruction in accordance with the principles of the United Nations Charter. The Council must insist on respect for international humanitarian law, protection of civilian supply lines, and support the Secretary-General's efforts to maintain secure corridors by land and see second lasting solutions requires us to confront the root causes of conflict in particular Colonial legacies in the form of structural injustices and unresolved grievances persistent denial of rights that drive conflict and hunger nowhere is this clear than in the occupied Palestinian territory where occupation destruction of civilian infrastructure and severe restrictions have created a man-made famine in Gaza or one of the most worst man-made famine in Gaza these crises are born of policy choices not natural scarcity breaking the cycle this cycle demands we end unlawful occupation halt the destruction of infrastructure and guarantee safe unhindered humanitarian access in in the occupied Palestinian territory. Therefore, it's important to support Palestine's full membership in the United Nations and the right to Palestinian state with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital. Third, strengthening early warning and rapid response mechanism. Prevention is essential. The Security Council must fully utilize the early warning systems established by resolution 2417. Conflict-induced hunger is often the earliest sign of deeper instability. Disruptions in energy, fertilizers, or trade should trigger swift diplomatic and humanitarian response before emergencies spiral out of control. These mechanisms must be protected, even during financial strain, to ensure our ability to act is never compromised by funding gaps. Fourth, build fair and resilient food systems. Beyond immediate relief, we need to create fair and resilient food systems. This means sharing technology and knowledge equitably with developing countries, addressing global trade imbalances, and supporting local agriculture so that every country can withstand shocks and reduce dependency. Fourth, demand accountability for the weaponization of hunger. Accountability must be non-negotiable. Those who use starvation as a weapon, including the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan and the Israeli occupation in the occupied Palestinian territory, must be held responsible for their action. And my last point, Mr. President, we must confront an uncomfortable truth, which is aid itself can perpetuate dependency. Imported grains flood markets during harvest, crashes prices and drives farmers out of business. Within months, these same farmers are in food lines not because of conflict or climate change, but because the aid system destroyed their livelihood. Those people or farmers Mr. Skow talked about in Somalia or in Burhakaba are victims of such measures. Aid is often purchased from donor country suppliers, meaning a significant portion of every dollar flows to agribusiness, not food. The system rewards tonnage delivered, not livelihood preserved. Worse still, some food aid contains GM grains that risk the health of the recipient as well as cross-pollinating local varieties or jeopardizing their exports. When conflict threatens agriculture in the global north, we protect it. Yet we fail to afford the same protection to farmers in the global south. When conflict erupts in Europe, the response is with investment, development, reconstruction. When conflict erupts in Africa, the response is with humanitarian aid and sanctions, as well as human rights monitoring mechanism. One approach builds resilience, the other builds dependency. This is the dilemma that many ignore. We are fighting fire with fire, Mr. President. The very assistance meant to extinguish hunger is fueling the flames of dependency, destroying the agriculture sector it should be saving. Food is on fire, you are correct, Mr. President. but we are pouring gasoline on it. Only with determined coordinated actions across these priorities can we hope to address break this cycle of conflict-induced hunger and secure a future where peace and food and security are addressed.

I would like to.

Maybe make few comments that was made by Mr. Skow. To those who would paint Somalia and Africa as a perpetual humanitarian case, I say that narrative belongs to a bygone era. Rest assured that it will not be business as usual in the United Nations. This is precisely why the United Nations is going under reform to address better our common challenges. Thank you, Mr. President.


Denmark · President · Lars Løkke Rasmussen [1:51:59]:

Thank you, the representative of Somalia for the statement. And now I'll give the floor to the representative of Colombia.


Colombia [1:52:09]:

President, Colombia is grateful to Denmark for convening this important high level debate. And we'd recognize you being here, foreign affairs minister, and thank you for being here. We'd also like to thank the various representatives of the UN, including the acting executive director of the WFP and the co-CEO of Action Against Hunger. We thank you very much for your edifying briefings. President, we're facing a challenging situation. The report from the SG paints a sobering picture. Although there are some signs of improvement, the reality remains very concerning. We are seeing levels of food insecurity that continue to be elevated and that are far from guaranteeing the right to access to food. Conflicts are the main cause of food insecurity today. This does not just destroy production and displace communities, but as the Hunger Hotspots report says, it also imbalances supply chains and it makes it more difficult for people to access food supplies. It also restricts human mobility and makes it harder for humanitarian aid to get in to the neediest. That is why, President, we must reaffirm what has been already stated today and the commitments contained in resolution 2417, which dates back to 2018, including a condemnation of the use of hunger as a weapon of war, the obligation to protect critical goods for people's survival and the need to ensure humanitarian access, which is safe, swift and unhindered. Hunger does not know borders. Disruptions in supply chains and strategic routes, as we have recently seen in the Strait of Hormuz and in other areas of the world, have a disproportionate impact on developing countries. For a nation such as Colombia, and we depend on the import of fertilizers for our food, any disruption to imports has an immediate impact in terms of the costs of production and food security and risks for the resilience of our own supplies. Against this backdrop, President, Colombia suggests four areas of action for this Council. One, prevention and early warning. As has already been said, We must strengthen integrated monitoring systems to react in real time. This is not just a technical exercise. It is a way of preempting responses before crises deepen. Colombia reaffirms the critical role of this Council as a forum from which informed decisions and timely decisions must be taken to protect civilians, to avoid hunger being used as a weapon of war. Secondly, in terms of logistical flows and resilience, we must ensure the free transit of food, fertilizers and energy. We need to beef up international cooperation and to continue to using the good offices of the Secretary General and other mediators to mitigate the impact of interruptions to the supply chain, ensuring that essential services and goods can get through to those who need them most. Third, efficient coordination within the UN system and between the system and international partners. Fragmentation is a luxury we cannot afford. We urge the FAO, the WFP, FP and other relevant bodies within the United Nations system to consolidate their efforts and to work together with regional organizations, international financial institutions, and other strategic partners. We need robust leadership on the ground, flexible financing, and predictable and sustainable financing, accountability, and consistent action. which puts people affected at the heart of the response to hunger and conflicts, focusing on immediate attention, strengthening resilience and bringing about sustainable solutions in the longer term. Four, guaranteeing safe, sustained, swift, unhindered humanitarian aid. Focusing on civilians who are particularly affected by conflict, in particular those affected by hunger, this means that humanitarian aid must get through as quickly as possible. All stakeholders must fully respect and fulfill their obligations under international humanitarian law, protecting civilians, ensuring the unhindered passage of humanitarian aid, and respecting and protecting humanitarian workers. ensuring that they can do their work safely and effectively. Lastly, last but not least, President, we condemn the actions of terrorist groups, non-state armed groups, and transnational organized crime networks, which destroy food systems, control trade routes, deviate assistance or use hunger and access to services as means of coercion. Colombia strongly believes that addressing these threats requires focused international cooperation to protect communities and to ensure effective accountability. Thank you.


Denmark · President · Lars Løkke Rasmussen [1:58:37]:

I thank the representative of Colombia for the statement and I will give the floor to the representative of Bahrain.


Bahrain [1:58:44]:

Mr. President, I welcome your presiding, Mr. Lars Loker Rasmussen, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Denmark, of this meeting. And I extend my thanks to His Excellency, Mr. Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of United Nations, and Mr. Carl Skou, the Acting Director of the World Food Programme and Dr. Benoit from Action Against Hunger for their valuable briefings. Eight years since the adoption of resolution 2417 in 2018 on conflict-induced hunger, food security conditions continue to deteriorate amid the persistence of existing conflicts and the outbreak of new ones. As a co-focal point together with Denmark on the hunger and conflict file at the Security Council, the Kingdom of Bahrain looks forward to today's discussion contributing to strengthening the implementation of the resolution and supporting efforts to prevent conflict-related food insecurity. Madam President, I would like to focus on three points. First, the close link between hunger and conflict. The Kingdom of Bahrain affirms the importance of continuing to build on resolution 2417, which established the link between conflict and food insecurity and underscored the need to protect civilian objects, ensure humanitarian access and strengthen early warning. The latest United Nations report on hunger hotspots identified 13 countries and territories where food insecurity is expected to worsen, with conflict remaining the primary driver in 12 of them, with Sudan, South Sudan, Yemen and Palestine classified among the most severe cases. These findings underscore the importance of urgent action by the Security Council before these risks escalate into broader humanitarian crises. Second, given the long-term impact of conflicts on food security, including damage to agricultural and arable land and infrastructure, the proliferation of unexploded ordinance and the displacement of farming communities. The resilience of food systems during and after conflicts takes on great importance. The Kingdom of Bahrain affirms that this requires supporting communities capacity to restore food production, protecting infrastructure and taking practical steps to ensure the continuity of supply chains. Third, As the nature of conflicts evolves and their impact broadens, including the increasing use of drones and the risks this poses to the delivery of assistance, the need emerges to strengthen the protection of humanitarian operations and ensure the delivery of food to civilians safely and without obstruction. The repercussions of conflict also extend to global supply chains. as clearly demonstrated by Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which nearly 30% of global fertilizer trade passes, making any disruption in the region have a direct impact on fertilizer markets. global fertilizer markets. In this regard, the Kingdom of Bahrain affirms that protecting the freedom of navigation and the security of international waterways is not merely a security or trade matter, but is directly linked to global food security. When conflicts disrupt the flow of food, fertilizer, and energy to markets, their humanitarian effects extend to peoples who are not party to those conflicts. disproportionately burdening the most vulnerable states and communities. The Kingdom of Bahrain stresses the necessity for the Security Council to shoulder its responsibilities by taking firm and deterrent measures to compel Iran to immediately cease all hostile acts, respect freedom of navigation, and ensure the security and safety of commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and other international waterways. and not to use the Strait as a tool of pressure or economic coercion, considering this essential to safeguarding energy security, ensuring stable food and medicine supplies, as well as guaranteeing the flow of global trade and consolidating security, stability, and prosperity in the region of the world. Madam President, addressing the challenges related to food security, requires close and sustained coordination among Member States, international and regional organizations, humanitarian actors and the private sector, in a manner that enhances the continuity of agricultural production and supply chains, as well as the resilience of food systems, while upholding international law and IHL. In closing, while conflicts continue, to cast their shadow over civilians and food security. The Council has mechanisms available and at its disposal that can be used effectively and appropriately to prevent the escalation of humanitarian crises. Food security must not become an acceptable casualty of conflict. Rather, its protection must remain an essential part of effort aimed at protecting civilians and promoting peace and security. Thank you.


Denmark · President [2:04:39]:

I thank the representative of Bahrain for the statement and I now give the floor to the representative of United Kingdom.


United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland [2:04:44]:

Thank you Madam President and we thank Denmark for convening this important discussion during its presidency. I also thank His Excellency the Secretary General as well as Acting Executive Director Skou and Co-CEO Dr. Benoit for their clear and stark briefings. Eight years after the adoption of Resolution 2417, Conflict remains a leading driver of acute food insecurity. As we have heard last year for the first time this century, famine was declared simultaneously in two conflicts, Sudan and Gaza. Extreme food insecurity persists in both. These famines were man-made, a reminder that hunger is not inevitable, but often results from choices that deny civilians food, aid and essential services. Children pay the highest price. What is needed is clear, rapid, safe and unimpeded humanitarian access, an end to attacks on food related infrastructure, and ultimately an end to the conflicts that drive hunger. President, the impact of conflict on food security is no longer confined to the battlefield in the traditional sense. The conflict is also disrupting the global networks that move food, fuel, and fertilizer, with consequences felt far beyond. Russia's attacks on shipping, civilian vessels, and Black Sea ports have undermined one of the world's most important grain export routes. Ukraine was once the breadbasket of the world. Today, Russia's aggression continues to damage infrastructure that feeds millions beyond its borders. Infrastructure essential to food production, transport and disruption must be protected. And we call on Russia to cease these attacks and comply with international humanitarian law. Iran's attacks and closure of the Strait of Hormuz have disrupted supply chains and fertilizer markets. As the Secretary General warned yesterday, this means deeper hunger, weaker harvests and greater suffering, especially for the most vulnerable. We welcome progress under the Secretary-General's task force to address the implications for food security stemming from this crisis, but we call on Iran to reopen the strait, uphold freedom of navigation and respect the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Both Iran and Russia have reduced grain exports, driving up global food prices. Vulnerable and import-dependent countries will be hardest hit. Conflict and disregard for international humanitarian law compound climate stress, debt and other structural vulnerabilities, and the strengthening El Nino makes coordinated action to build resilience and protect the most vulnerable even more urgent. We call for full implementation of resolution 2417. It requires the council to address both local crises and conflicts that threaten global food security. We already have the tools to identify emerging famine risks, although we must protect and continue to use technology to strengthen them. Early warning must lead to early action, warnings must be acted on, and violations must lead to accountability. The UK remains committed to working with partners to strengthen early warning and accelerate emergency support, including through prearranged disaster risk finance. President. Resolution 2417 provides the framework. The Council has the tools. We must turn early warning into early action, uphold international humanitarian law, and ensure accountability before hunger becomes famine. Thank you. I thank


Denmark · President [2:08:30]:

the representative of United Kingdom for the statement, and I now give the floor to the representative of Pakistan.


Pakistan [2:08:37]:

Thank you, Madam President. We thank Denmark for convening this important debate. And we also thank the Secretary General for his insightful remarks and recommendations that he offered today. And let me also thank Mr. Skow and Dr. Benbassit for their valuable briefings. And we agree that we need to see how to move from conflict hunger cycle to a peace development cycle. The global environment today demonstrates a disturbing two-way dynamic. Conflicts, including situations of foreign occupation, are driving hunger on a massive scale, while hunger and economic desperation are, in turn, aggravating fragility and heightening the risk of conflict. The facts before us are sobering. The 2026 global report on food crisis found that 266 million people faced acute food insecurity last year. Acute hunger has doubled over the past decade. Today, 70% of acutely food insecure people live in fragile or conflict affected regions. latest FAO WFP assessment identifies 13 hunger hotspots with conflict and violence the primary driver in 12 of them. Resolution 2417 recognized this nexus eight years ago. The challenge before us today is not the absence of norms, but their effective implementation as emphasized by the SG. the briefers and many Council members. Madam President, it is a matter of grave concern that starvation and collective punishment continue to be used to advance military or political objectives in stark violation of international humanitarian law and Security Council resolutions. Nowhere has the failure to uphold these obligations been more stark than in Gaza. The deprivation of food and other essentials, restrictions on humanitarian assistance, and destruction of civilian infrastructure have inflicted unbearable suffering on the Palestinian people. Patterns of devastation are also evident in Yemen, Sudan, South Sudan, Haiti, and other protracted conflict situations, including for occupied territories. where livelihoods have collapsed and millions are now dependent on humanitarian assistance for survival. Madam President, recent developments have demonstrated that food security consequences of conflict can extend far beyond the immediate theaters of hostilities. The conflict in Ukraine was a stark illustration. Disruptions to Black Sea grain exports, fertilizer supplies, and maritime transportation contributed to sharp pressures on global food and freight costs. Similarly, impediments in the Strait of Hormuz presented another serious stress on the energy, fertilizer, and shipping markets. Given that the strait carries around one third of globally traded crude oil and a significant share of global fertilizer trade, prolonged disruption risks cascading effects on agriculture production, transportation costs, and food prices. And the attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea have further exacerbated the situation. Regrettably, these impacts are felt most severely by developing countries already facing fiscal constraints and high dependence on food and energy imports. We believe that food security in conflict zones and the broader issues that we have discussed in this debate today must be addressed through a comprehensive and principled approach. First, international humanitarian law must be upheld fully consistently and without selectivity. Starvation of civilians as a method of warfare is clearly prohibited. Food, water, agricultural assets, and other objects indispensable to civilian survival must be protected. Second, humanitarian assistance cannot be subjected to political or military calculations. There must be safe, rapid, and unhindered humanitarian access. Humanitarian personnel must be able to operate freely, safely, and assistance must reach those in need without impediment. Accountability for deliberate obstruction or delays is a must. Third, early warning leads to early action. Resolution 2417 provides an important basis for alerting the Council when conflicts threaten widespread food insecurity. Yet, warnings serve little purpose if the international community only comes into motion after hunger has turned into famine. Credible assessments by the Secretary-General, WFP, FAO, and other relevant UN entities should enable timely attention and preventive engagement. And President, we must also acknowledge that humanitarian action alone cannot substitute for political solutions. So long as conflicts remain unresolved, humanitarian needs will continue to multiply and food insecurity will deepen. We must prevent and resolve conflicts through diplomacy by advancing dialogue and peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with the UN Charter and international law. and relevant resolutions of the Security Council, as was also outlined in Security Council Resolution 2788 adopted last year. Pakistan continues to make concrete contributions towards that end, including through our participation in various peacekeeping missions, support for political processes, and through our ongoing mediation efforts to address the tensions prevailing in West Asia promote implementation of the Islamabad MOU between Iran and the United States in close cooperation with our partners from the Gulf region and beyond. Madam President, eight years after the adoption of Resolution 2417, the essential lessons are clear. The interlinkage between peace and security and development is well established. Ultimately, there can be no lasting food security without peace. The tasks of this council are therefore not merely to respond to the consequences of hunger, but to discharge its primary responsibility to prevent and resolve the conflicts that produce it. Pakistan will continue to support our collective efforts towards that objective. Thank you.


Denmark · President [2:16:47]:

I thank the representative of Pakistan for the statement, and I now give the floor to the representative of Liberia.


Liberia [2:16:53]:

Thank you, Madam President. Liberia joins in thanking the Danish Presidency for convening this timely high-level open debate. I also thank the Secretary-General, the acting Executive Director of the World Food Programme, the the co CEO of Action Against Hunger representing the coalition against conflict and hunger for their insightful briefings and field based perspectives. We welcome the many excellencies and distinguished colleagues participating. Madam President, Liberia speaks today not as an observer of hunger, but we speak as a survivor. We know the sound of a food convoy turned back at a checkpoint. We know the silence of a market. Destroyed because the road to it became a frontline. 14 years of civil war. Taught my nation a brutal axiom. When war traps food war has already won. and a nation's future staffs alongside its people. We continue to struggle to rebuild our peace on that painful memory. That is why for Liberia, food security is not a line item in a development plan. It is a pillar of our national security. Madam President, let us be precise about what we are discussing. Hunger is the empty stomach. Food insecurity is the weaponized pipeline behind it. The shelled silo. The blockaded port. The scorched field. The fertilizer shipment interdicted at sea. The aid truck held hostage for a fortieth day. Today 318 million human beings and we heard the statistics repeatedly quoted live inside that engineered man-made Gap the escalation across the street of ***** continue sorry across the street of ***** alone threatens to push 45 million more over that cliff. Turning a vital maritime artery into a chokehold for global hunger. Excellencies in twenty twenty-five for the first time this century this council washed two famines declared at once in Gaza and in Sudan. This is seven years after resolution 2417, after that resolution declared such outcomes intolerable. The inconvenient truth is that This is not fate. It is choice. And where there is choice, there is culpability. Let's be clear. Starvation is not an incidental byproduct of war. Deliberately denying civilians food is a war crime. and this council must stop treating it as a footnote to conflict. Therefore, Liberia calls on this council to act on four points. First, operationalize resolution 2417's early warning architecture with automatic non-discretionary triggers when hostilities disrupt Maritime corridors energy flows or fertilizer exports beyond the battlefield mandatory reporting must trigger targeted sanctions against those weaponizing access without waiting for a famine to be declared second protect the most food insecure import dependent states with humanitarian corridors, maritime and overland that are safe, unimpeded, and protected by binding council mandate and not by the goodwill of belligerence. Third, move from reactive relief to institutional resilience. International financial institutions, the UN system, and regional organizations must deploy emergency liquidity for post-conflict and high-risk states. Because investing in local agro-food production is not charity, it is preventive disarmament. Fourth, Empower the Secretary General's good offices to negotiate real-time protection for civilian supply routes and feed satellite monitoring, including to market data directly into this council's briefings. So markets are safeguarded before collapse, not eulogized after. Excellencies, hunger does not stay contained. Across Africa and in many other places around the world, it empties villages into displacement camps. And displacement camps become the recruitment grounds for tomorrow's wars. A denied harvest today is a radicalized generation tomorrow. And that generation's war produces the next famine. This council, therefore, cannot claim to protect peace while tolerating the starvation that manufactures enemies of peace. In conclusion, Madam President, Liberia rose from a war that used our children's hunger as a weapon. We will not sit in this chamber and watch the world negotiate the logistics of mass starvation because the next famine this council fails to prevent will not be recorded in a report. it will be etched in a grief. I thank you for your kind attention.


Denmark · President [2:25:59]:

I thank the representative of Liberia for the statement and I now give the floor to the representative of Greece.


Greece [2:26:04]:

Madam President, I thank Denmark for convening this very important debate. I also thank the Secretary-General for his continuous and strong engagement on this issue. I would like to thank as well the acting director of World Food Program, Mr. Karl Schou, and the co-CEO of Action Against Hunger and member of the Global Coalition Against Conflict and Hunger, Dr. Perrine Benoit, for their powerful messages, action, and dedication. The message is clear. Eight years after the adoption of Security Council Resolution 2417, Conflict remains as principal driver of acute food insecurity. The latest FAO WFP Hunger Hotspots Outlook warns that acute food insecurity is expected to deteriorate in 13 hotspots, with Sudan, Palestine, South Sudan, Haiti and Mali facing the highest risk of famine or catastrophic food insecurity. At the same time, the consequences of conflict increasingly extend far beyond the battlefield. Allow me to highlight four points. First, Greece underscores that resolution 2417 must remain an instrument for action rather than merely a declaratory framework. The Council should use this tool more consistently to prevent, expose and respond to hunger caused by armed conflict, including by demanding compliance with international humanitarian law and unimpeded humanitarian access. Member States have a responsibility to uphold and comply with the resolutions of this Council. Second, access is key. Protecting food systems requires protecting the infrastructure and routes that sustain them. Food insecurity does not stop at borders when maritime security is disrupted and trade routes are endangered. The war in Ukraine and the tensions in the Strait of Hormuz have shown that disruptions to maritime trade routes, energy flows, fertilizer supplies, and humanitarian logistics can rapidly translate into higher food prices and greater food insecurity, particularly in import-dependent countries. In recent months, Russia has resumed a practice dating back to the first months of its war of aggression against Ukraine, namely the targeting of Ukraine's port infrastructure and civilian vessels in the Black Sea, depriving developing countries of vital grain supplies and contributing to significant increases in food and fertilizer prices. Assessments by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization emphasize that restrictions on Black Sea grain logistics directly undermine the purchasing power of low-income populations, further exacerbating food insecurity and malnutrition in crisis-affected regions. In Gaza, the gap between humanitarian needs and the assistance reaching civilians remains equally alarming. A steady and predictable flow of humanitarian and commercial supplies must thus be fully maintained and significantly increased, including through the removal of remaining obstacles to their delivery. Humanitarian actors, including UNRWA, can play a significant role in this regard. In Sudan, increasing drone attacks are disrupting humanitarian aid, commercial food supplies, markets, and essential infrastructure, further worsening food insecurity, particularly in Darfur, Kordofan, and Blue Nile. In North Kordofan, the UN documented 21 drone-related incidents between the first and the 19th of July affecting residential areas fuel stations electricity infrastructure and markets in all Continued insecurity has aggravated food and medical shortages while triggering further displacement. Third, as one of the world's leading maritime nations, Greece stresses that freedom of navigation and the rights of passage through international straits must be fully respected in accordance with international law as reflected in UNCLOS. Security lines of communication are indispensable to global food security. Safeguarding maritime security, transport routes and humanitarian supply chains must therefore remain a core priority for the Security Council. Fourth, the world faces shrinking humanitarian resources at precisely the moment when needs are rising. As our briefers underlined, humanitarian actors are increasingly forced to do more with less. while crises multiply and funding gaps widen. Predictable and adequate financing, including through multilateral mechanisms, is not only a moral imperative, it is essential to prevent today's food crisis from becoming tomorrow's famines. Madam President, Greece is a member of the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty since 2024 and a signatory to the 2023 joint communique condemning the use of food as a weapon of war, remains committed to translating solidarity into action. We continue to support the World Food Programme, including through our participation in the Grain from Ukraine initiative and our contributions to WFP's operations in Sudan. Building on our humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza last year, Greece delivered three tons of humanitarian aid, including food and water, to Lebanon earlier this year. In concluding, Madam President, conflict-driven hunger is neither inevitable nor acceptable. Resolution 2417 provides a framework. Our collective responsibility is to implement it. Greece stands ready to work with all partners towards its shared objective. I thank you.


Denmark · President [2:33:03]:

I thank the representative of Greece for the statement, and I now give the floor to the representative of Panama.


Panama [2:33:10]:

Thank you. Madam President, we'd like to welcome His Excellency, Lasse Loke Rasmussen, Foreign Affairs Minister of Denmark, who has presided over today's meeting, and we'd like to thank the Presidency of Denmark for convening this important open debate. We'd also like to thank the Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, for his briefing, and Mr. Klaus Gaa, the Acting Executive Director of the World Food Programme, for the briefings and we'd also like to thank Ms. Perrine Benoit, co-CEO of Action Against Hunger. Your briefings should invite us to take action and to mobilize the appropriate policies. President, eight years ago this Council recognized through resolution 2417 the link between armed conflicts and food insecurity, which today continues to affect millions of people. Food insecurity brought about by conflicts is not just limited to being a consequence of war. It affects production, it displaces people, and it chokes off markets, commercial routes, and supply chains. And as a result, its effects go beyond areas of conflict and particularly affect countries that depend on imports. Food security is no stranger to the relations of power that structure conflicts. Territorial control also means control over land, maritime routes, markets, supply chains, and resources. Therefore, preserving food systems means reducing economic pressure that can deepen the dynamics of conflicts. The recent report by the FAO and the WFP, which was published in June of this year, states that armed conflict is a key factor in 12 of the 13 major areas where there was hunger in the world. Sudan is one of the most serious expressions of this dynamic. According to the latest analysis, in line with the IPC index, about 19.5 million people are facing acute food insecurity, and 14 areas in Darfur and Kordofan are facing the risk of famine. This deterioration of the situation in Sudan is not occurring in parallel to the conflict, it is part of the conflict itself. In Gaza, in the midst of the destruction of infrastructure and displacement, We must recognize how access to large-scale humanitarian assistance has improved conditions in some areas. Nevertheless, the needs remain pressing, with more than 1.4 million people who may face levels of crisis during the second-half of this year. In addition to this, in Haiti, violence and gang control are Breaking off and affecting the functioning of the main logistical routes, extortion and violence are making basic products more expensive and restricting access to food for many people. In Artibonite, one of the main areas that produces food in Haiti, violence in rural communities and producing communities weakens agricultural production and increases dependence on imports. These are factors that exacerbate one of the most severe food and humanitarian crises in our region. President, the war in Ukraine and the breaking off of exports of grain and fertilizer have highlighted another dimension of this issue. The food security of many states can be affected by conflicts that are happening thousands of kilometers from their borders. The Black Sea Grain Initiative showed that even in armed conflicts, diplomacy can bring about concrete mechanisms. Thanks to the good offices of the Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, and thanks to the government of Turkey, it was possible to establish mechanisms to facilitate the export of food and fertilizers, particularly important for countries that are highly dependent on international markets. Similarly, events in the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea show that maritime routes are a critical part of the strategic infrastructure that underpins access to food and energy. Their interruption, either through attacks or blockades, translates the harmful effects of a conflict to economies situated thousands of kilometers away, particularly in the global south and countries who have the least ability to absorb these impacts. Panama stresses the need to ensure safe, unhindered humanitarian access and conditions to protect people's means of subsistence. We condemn attacks on humanitarian workers and we urge respect for international humanitarian law. Madam President, as a country whose history, economy and international responsibility are deeply linked to the sea, Panama understands this reality particularly acutely. The Panama Canal connects markets and facilitates the transfer of essential products. Five percent of global maritime commerce goes through the Panama Canal and significant volumes of agricultural products such as corn, grain and soya. For Panama, guaranteeing open, safe and efficient maritime routes also means contributing to the stability of global supply chains and the resilience of our food systems. This commitment in line with humanitarian work is also reflected in the regional logistical center for humanitarian assistance, which is located in Panama and the UN humanitarian response depot, which is administered by the World Food Program's office in our country. As a result of this capacity and together with international bodies, Panama developed the Humanitarian Assistance Observatory, which aims and is geared towards strengthening the analysis, coordination and early work contributing to a more timely response to crises and dealing with effects on food security and means of subsistence. President, for Panama, resolution 2417 continues to provide a compass to address the link between conflict and food insecurity. The implementation of this resolution is geared towards protecting people, their means of subsistence and essential infrastructure, ensuring safe, robust humanitarian access. Panama reaffirms its support to diplomatic initiatives and humanitarian efforts geared towards strengthening the role of this Council to mitigate global and local food crises. Thank you.


Denmark · President [2:40:45]:

I thank the representative of Panama for the statement. Before we turn to Rule 37 speakers, I would like to highlight that we have a long list of speakers on this important topic, so I therefore wish to remind all speakers to limit their statement to no more than five minutes. The flashing light on the microphone will prompt speakers to bring their remarks to a close after five minutes. And with that, I give the floor to the representative of Kazakhstan.


Kazakhstan [2:41:11]:

Madam President, I would like to thank the Danish Presidency for committing today's timely high level open debate under the chairmanship of His Excellency Lars Rasmussen, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. I would also like to thank the briefers for their insightful and valuable perspectives. Conflict remains the principal driver of acute food insecurity worldwide. It has become a driver on the stability, displacement and repeated cycles of violence. Addressing this vicious cycle requires not only timely humanitarian action, but also sustained efforts to prevent conflicts and build lasting peace. Kazakhstan attaches particular importance to Security Council Resolution 2417. During our tenure as a non-permanent member of the Security Council in 2017-2018, Kazakhstan actively participated in the Council's work and negotiations that culminated in the unanimous adoption of this landmark resolution. We worked at that time with Sweden, which was the member of the Council, and we worked very closely with Carl on this important document. Having contributed to this important outcome, I agree with Carl and other colleagues who believe that the time has come to focus not only on reaffirming the principles of resolution 2417, but on strengthening its practical implementation. We believe that food must not be used as a weapon of war. The Security Council should continue to strengthen early warning mechanisms, facilitate safe and unimpeded humanitarian access, and respond promptly when conflict threatens food security. At the same time, early warning must be matched by early action, timely political engagement, preventive diplomacy, and coordinated humanitarian response before food insecurity escalates into famine and broader regional instability. Today's food security challenges extend well beyond the immediate areas of hostilities. Disruptions to transport corridors, energy markets, fertilizer supplies, and agricultural trade have profound consequences for food importing countries, particularly developing and landlocked developing countries. Preserving resilient, open, and predictable global supply chains is in the common interest of all member states. Madam President, Kazakhstan firmly believes that regional cooperation is indispensable for strengthening global food security. In Central Asia, we are increasingly working together to support Afghanistan's long-term recovery through enhanced trade, connectivity, agricultural cooperation, and humanitarian assistance. Kazakhstan remains convinced that strengthening Afghanistan's food security and agricultural capacity is essential for improving the lives of Afghan people and fostering long-term regional stability. We will continue supporting Afghanistan's integration to regional economic and transport networks, recognizing that sustainable development, food security, and peace are mutually reinforcing. In this regard, the United Nations Regional Center for Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty will provide an important platform for advancing regional cooperation, including on sustainable agriculture, food security, climate resilience, and coordinated international support for Afghanistan. We believe the center can serve as a practical bridge between humanitarian action, sustainable development, and peace building across the region. Kazakhstan also remains committed to early preventive actions and strengthening international cooperation through the Islamic Organization for Food Security, IOFS, headquartered in Astana. As a specialized institution of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the IOFS contributes to developing strategic food reserves, strengthening agricultural resilience, supporting early warning systems, and delivering humanitarian assistance to vulnerable populations. We encourage closer cooperation between this organization and relevant UN agencies, including FAO, World Food Program, and IFAD, to build more resilient global food systems. Regional organizations can and should serve as effective partners of the United Nations in addressing food security. We remain convinced that preventing food insecurity requires more than emergency response. It demands long-term investment in climate resilient agriculture, water efficient technologies, modern logistics, early warning systems, and inclusive rural development. Madam President, resolution 2417 reminded us that hunger and conflict are inseparable. Today's discussion reminds us that food security and peace are equally inseparable. No lasting peace can be achieved where hunger persists, and no sustainable food security can be ensured without peace. The Security Council, therefore, has both the responsibility and the opportunity to act in a preventive, coordinated, and forward-looking manner. Kazakhstan stands ready to work with all partners to strengthen global food security and build a more peaceful, resilient and sustainable future. I thank you.


Denmark · President [2:46:30]:

I thank the representative of Kazakhstan for the statement and I now give the floor to the representative of Republic of Korea.


Republic of Korea [2:46:37]:

Thank you, Madam President. The Republic of Korea commends Denmark for convening this timely debate. I also express gratitude to Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Acting Executive Director Carl Skau of the World Food Programme and Dr. Perin Benoit of action against hunger for their insightful briefings. Madam President, as recognized in Security Council Resolution 2417, the link between conflict and acute food insecurity is clear. Eight years after its adoption, however, we are still witnessing unprecedented levels of global hunger due to armed conflict and its cascading consequences. In this regard, the Republic of Korea would like to highlight the three following priorities. First, hunger must never be wielded as a weapon of war. Resolution 2417 expressly prohibits the weaponization of hunger, the targeting of civilian infrastructure indispensable to food distribution, and the obstruction of humanitarian food supplies. Yet today, we see blatant disregard of these fundamental principles, as witnessed in attacks on agricultural logistics, commercial seaports, and energy pipelines, as well as the deliberate obstruction of humanitarian aid and targeting of humanitarian workers. The Security Council must act unanimously to ensure the full protection of vital food supply lines and unhindered access to humanitarian aid. Second, we must invest in long-term resilience to prevent local disruptions to food security from spiraling into global instability. Align with international efforts such as the 2025 Kampala the Republic of Korea is sharing sustainable agricultural technology with African countries. By strengthening local food production capacity, we are helping vulnerable nations build immunity against geopolitical and environmental shocks. Third, we need integrated strategy that bridge the humanitarian development peace nexus to address causes of conflict-driven hunger. In this connection, the Security Council should strengthen its constructive engagement with the Peacebuilding Commission, relevant UN entities, international financial institutions and regional organizations, while ensuring each UN entity fulfills its mandate efficiently. Amid this global food crisis, the Republic of Korea has launched its flagship initiative in partnership with WFP called the REACH initiative, which stands for Responding with Emergency Assistance for Complete Affected Household. Through this initiative, we have not only offered direct assistance to more than two million people across some of the world's most challenging humanitarian settings such as Gaza, Sudan, and Syria, but also helped to build their resilience by revitalizing local markets and restoring local supply chains. Along with this REACH initiative, the Republic of Korea has launched the REVIVE initiative with UNDP, the Resilience for Children initiative with UNICEF. Under these current 3R flagship projects, we are addressing not only immediate needs, but also long-term development and resilience in vulnerable countries. Madam President, We must break the vicious circle of conflict and hunger and replace it with a virtuous circle of food, security, resilience, and peace. The Republic of Korea reaffirms its unwavering commitment to this end and continue to work closely with the Security Council and key international partners to deliver tangible results on the ground. I thank you.


Denmark · President [2:51:21]:

Representative of the Republic of Korea for the statement and I now give the floor to the representative of Egypt.


Egypt [2:51:28]:

Sayed Al-Rais.

Madam President, I thank you for convening this open debate on an issue of prime importance to the international community. We welcome the participation of Mr. Karl Skau, Acting Executive Director of WFP and Ms. Perrine Benoit. Madam President, the Security Council, through its resolution 2417, reaffirmed the connection between conflicts and food insecurity and reiterated the importance of protecting the civilians, humanitarian supplies, and the rejection of using famine as a weapon of war. Nonetheless, problems continue, which means that the challenge for us is as follows: to transform our commitments into specific actions and to move from reaction to prevention and action. Madam President, Egypt is of the view that in order to tackle this issue, we need to mobilise ourselves at three levels, and they are all interlinked. We need to prevent conflicts and go after their root causes, and this requires that there be early warning mechanisms and that we should use United Nations expertise, which is very varied and diverse. This way, we could identify risks in the non-provision of supplies, energy, and humanitarian assistance. Second, the protection of civilians during conflict. Here, we need to ensure that food and assistance arrives to the needy. And for that, humanitarian assistance needs to be delivered in a way which is safe, rapid, stable and unimpeded. Essential civilian infrastructure also needs to be protected, and this includes sources of water and the infrastructure having to do with the production, stockpiling and distribution of food, all the while respecting the international law, international humanitarian law. In Gaza and in Sudan, we can see the humanitarian consequences, the tragic humanitarian consequences of conflict on food security, in particular when food production is disrupted. We can see how this affects civilians. how civilians are displaced when they don't receive humanitarian assistance. Next, we need to strengthen the capacities of countries, in particular developing countries, those who import foods. Their capacity needs to be built because the maritime routes, the trade routes, and the increase in price of energies and others impacts all countries. Those countries which are not parties to the conflict pay a very heavy price. WFP warned us about an extended crisis in the Middle East and the increase in energy prices and the disruption of supply chains. which resulted in an additional 45 million people and in an unprecedented level of food insecurity. Mintusko just said just now and issued a warning against the consequences of the disruptions in Bab Al-Mandeb on food commerce going also through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. This is of major importance, in particular for developing countries who import food and who also have debt to reimburse and who need all available funds to pay off their debt and to ensure their food security. Madam President, the consequences of conflicts are multiplying when they impact structural lacunae, water, climate change, deterioration of arable land in developing countries. In fact, limited water resources is an impediment to food production and to resilience. And that is why Egypt reiterates the importance of the link between water security and food security. Funding and technology. And capacity building needs to be available, and investment needs to be made for the good management and use of water for agriculture and food production. To conclude, I would like to reaffirm the importance of institutional role. The Security Council has a principal role to play, namely, maintain international peace and security. And the specialized agency of the United Nations, and international financial institutions and other organizations have economic, specific economic roles in coordination and was respecting each other's mandates and specialization. I thank you.


Denmark · President [2:57:11]:

Representative of Egypt for the statement. And I now give the floor to the representative of India.


India [2:57:18]:

Madam President, India thanks Denmark for convening this important open debate. We also thank the Secretary General and the other briefers for their valuable insights. Food insecurity remains one of the gravest humanitarian consequences of armed conflict. Today's conflicts increasingly generate ripple effects far beyond the immediate theater of hostilities. Disruptions to energy markets, fertilizer supplies, maritime transport, humanitarian logistics and agricultural trade have demonstrated how regional conflicts can threaten food security across the world. with the greatest burden falling on developing countries that are highly import dependent. Let us nevertheless remain clear about the causality of this challenge. Food insecurity is fundamentally a consequence of conflict, political instability, and underdevelopment, not their root cause. While the Security Council has an important role in responding to threats to international peace and security, building resilient, food secure societies remains primarily the responsibility of national governments supported by the UN development system and the Rome-based agencies. Resolution 2417 of the Security Council on conflict-induced food insecurity provides an important framework by recognizing the relationship between armed conflict and hunger. Early warning should therefore not be limited to identifying deteriorating humanitarian conditions on the ground. It should also include timely assessments of disruptions to critical supply chains, including food, fertilizer, fuel, and humanitarian logistics, drawing upon the technical expertise of the Food and Agricultural Organization, the World Food Program, and other relevant agencies. Such assessments must remain objective, evidence-based, and free from politicization. Madam President, the Council's immediate priority should be to mitigate the humanitarian consequences of conflict. This requires facilitating safe, rapid, and unimpeded humanitarian access, supporting deconfliction arrangements where appropriate, and ensuring that the Council's own measures, including sanctions regimes, do not inadvertently impede humanitarian assistance or legitimate food and agricultural trade. Equally important is the protection of civilian infrastructure essential for food security, including agricultural land, irrigation systems, storage facilities, transport corridors and ports. Equally important is the need to preserve the safety and freedom of navigation for commercial shipping in accordance with international law. Secure and predictable maritime trade routes are indispensable for the uninterrupted movement of food, fertilizers, fuel, and other essential commodities. Disruptions to commercial shipping during conflicts can have cascading effects far beyond the immediate region, disproportionately affecting food importing developing countries and humanitarian operations. The international community must therefore work collectively to safeguard critical sea lanes and maritime infrastructure while ensuring that legitimate commercial trade and humanitarian shipments are able to proceed without undue impediment. At the same time, lasting resilience cannot be delivered through humanitarian action alone. Member states, international financial institutions, Regional organizations and development partners must work together to strengthen domestic agricultural production, diversify supply chains, improve storage and logistics infrastructure, and promote climate resilient agriculture. Predictable and affordable access to fertilizers, quality seeds, technology, and concessional finance remains indispensable, particularly for developing countries. Open, transparent, and rules-based trade in food and agricultural inputs also remains critical to global food security. India's own experience underscores the centrality of sustained nationally owned investments in resilient food systems. The National Food Security Act provides a statutory entitlement to subsidize food grain, direct benefit transfers to over 110 million farming households under the PM Kisan, which have strengthened the economic resilience of small and marginal producers. India's championing of the International Year of Millets in 2023 has catalyzed global attention to climate resilient, nutrient rich crops as a viable pathway to diversified food security. These efforts underpinned by digital public infrastructure and climate adaptive agricultural practices have enabled India to remain both food secure and a net contribution to global food supply. We remain committed to sharing these experiences through South-South cooperation and development partnerships. Furthermore, ocean atmospheric variability, such as El Nino, add an additional layer of vulnerability. They disrupt monsoon patterns, reduce crop yields, and strain water resources, compounding the food security problems. Addressing this requires strengthened international cooperation, and we look forward to working with the international community in that regard. Madam President, the Secretary-General's good offices can play a valuable role in facilitating dialogue, reducing tensions, and supporting humanitarian access where appropriate. The broader UN system should continue to leverage scientific expertise, operational capabilities, and timely data to inform decision-making. Such efforts should complement, not substitute for national ownership and nationally-led responses. India firmly believes that peace, development and food security are mutually reinforcing. The Security Council should focus on fulfilling its mandate by addressing conflict, facilitating humanitarian access, and supporting conditions for peace. The General Assembly, the ECOSOC, the UN Development System, and the Rome-based agencies should continue to lead the long-term response to food insecurity. Finally, Over reliance on any single model of production would be counterproductive as they are vulnerable to geopolitical disruptions, economic coercion, and weaponization. We must encourage small and marginal farmers to enhance their productivity and contribute to ensuring food security in developing countries of the global south. We must also encourage climate resilient crops such as millets rather than limit conceptions of food security to the biggest staple grain crops such as rice, wheat, and corn. By acting within their respective mandates and in a spirit of genuine multilateral cooperation, the United Nations system can better prevent food crisis. I thank you, Madam President.


Denmark · President [3:03:56]:

I thank the representative of India for the statement, and I now give the floor to the representative of Switzerland.


Switzerland [3:04:04]:

Madam President, Switzerland thanks Denmark for convening this open debate. Eight years after its adoption, resolution 2417, remains as relevant as ever. Armed conflict continues to be one of the primary drivers of food insecurity. In 2025, for the first time this century, famine was declared simultaneously in two separate contexts, parts of the Gaza Strip and Sudan. In 2026, the risk of famine persists in both contexts. Across armed conflicts, violations of international humanitarian law have exacerbated food insecurity. These include attacks affecting civilian objects and infrastructure essential to the survival of the civilian population, restrictions on humanitarian access, and other impediments to the delivery of essential goods. Russia's war against Ukraine and the conflicts in the Middle East, demonstrate that armed conflicts and repeated and related violations of international law can have major consequences for global food security. Disruptions to maritime routes have exposed the fragility of global supply chains. Conflicts undermine food systems by disrupting agricultural production, markets, trade routes, energy supplies and access to fuel and fertilizers. These developments underscore the importance of investing in resilient and sustainable food systems and reducing external dependencies. They also reinforce the urgent need to translate the commitments contained in resolution 2417 into concrete action. Switzerland calls on the Council to strengthen its implementation in three priority areas, First, we must strengthen prevention by making better use of early warning information and acting before crises reach catastrophic levels. Bridging the gap between warning and action requires political will and the council's timely engagement. Secondly, we must preserve humanitarian space and ensure respect for international humanitarian law. This includes protecting civilians and objects indispensable to their survival, and ensuring safe, rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access. In this regard, we also recall resolution 2573 on the protection of civilian infrastructure and resolution 2730 on the protection of humanitarian and UN personnel. Thirdly, We must combat impunity by ensuring that violations of international humanitarian law are investigated and those responsible held to account. The use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare is prohibited under international humanitarian law and constitutes a war crime. Harm to food security, whether caused by disruptions to shipping routes or by other conflict-related factors, must never be accepted as an inevitable collateral consequence of armed conflict. Madam President, addressing conflict-induced hunger must remain a priority for this Council. Financial support and greater resilience are necessary, but they cannot on their own address the root causes of conflict-related food insecurity. Prevention, mediation, dialogue and the peaceful resolution of conflicts are indispensable. Switzerland remains committed to these efforts, including in its capacity as a host state and a facilitator of mediation processes. I thank you.


Denmark · President [3:08:10]:

Thank you, Switzerland, for the statement.

I now give the floor to the representative of New Zealand.


New Zealand [3:08:18]:

President, I thank all those involved in responding to this devastating issue. Conflict remains one of the greatest drivers of global food insecurity. Through the destruction of farms and fisheries, the displacement of communities, restrictions on humanitarian access, and the disruption of trade and supply chains, armed conflict undermines access to sufficient, safe, and affordable food. Civilians invariably bear the heaviest burden. New Zealand remains deeply concerned by the devastating humanitarian situations in Gaza and Sudan. Access to food, water, and essential services has been severely affected, while humanitarian agencies continue to face significant challenges in reaching those in need. International humanitarian law is clear. Access to food and other goods essential for survival must never be denied, and humanitarian assistance must be able to reach those in need safely, rapidly, and without obstruction. But the impacts of conflict are not confined to conflict zones. Recent events have demonstrated how disruptions to agricultural production, trade routes, energy supplies, and global markets have far-reaching consequences for food security around the world. Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine demonstrated how conflict can reverberate through global food systems. Disruptions to grain exports, fertilizer supplies, and energy markets contributed to higher food prices and increased food insecurity far beyond Europe. Disruptions to maritime shipping routes, including through the Black Sea and the Strait of Hormuz, have reinforced the continued vulnerability of global food systems to geopolitical instability. For Pacific Island countries at the end of some of the world's longest and most vulnerable supply chains, these are not abstract geopolitical concerns. Food security is increasingly linked to events far beyond our region. For countries already facing climate-related pressures, conflict-driven shocks to food and energy markets have direct consequences for food affordability, livelihoods, and economic resilience. The ramifications of conflicts on the other side of the world remind us how the three pillars of the UN are deeply interconnected. President, the Security Council has already recognized the connection between armed conflict and hunger through resolution 2417. Eight years after its adoption, our focus must be on translating that framework into earlier and more effective action. We need to make better use of early warning. The Council should receive timely and systematic information when conflict threatens serious food insecurity. including where effects extend beyond the immediate conflict zone through disruptions to energy and fertilizer supplies, humanitarian operations, or critical land and maritime trade routes. We should also make greater use of the Secretary General's good offices and the expertise of the wider UN system. Finally, where conflict threatens critical food supply routes or obstructs humanitarian access, The council should support diplomatic efforts to maintain those routes and enable food and agricultural products to reach those who depend upon them. International law guarantees freedom of navigation and transit passage under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and customary international law. Upholding these fundamental rights in peacetime and conflict is critical for maritime trade and protecting global food security. This Council should address the drivers of conflict, support humanitarian access, and uphold the international rules and institutions that underpin food security for millions. Through our international development cooperation programme, New Zealand supports climate resilient agriculture and food systems to sustain livelihoods. New Zealand also funds the World Food Programme to alleviate hunger amongst the world's most vulnerable populations, including those affected directly by conflict. These investments help communities withstand the combined impacts of climate change, economic shocks, and disruptions to global food and agricultural supply chains. President, I conclude by affirming that not only should hunger never be used as a tool of war, it should not be seen as an inevitable consequence of conflict either. Thank you.


Denmark · President [3:13:39]:

Thank you, representative of New Zealand for the statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Indonesia.


Indonesia [3:13:45]:

Thank you, Madam President. Let me begin by thanking Denmark for convening this important open debate. I also thank the Secretary General, Mr. Khashcow, the WFP acting executive director, and Dr. Perin Benoit, the co-CEO of Action Against Hunger for their briefings. Excellencies, eight years after the adoption of the Security Council Resolution 2417, the intrinsic link between armed conflict and food insecurity remains stark. Food insecurity remains at alarmingly high level with conflict continuing to be one of its principal drivers. The weaponization of hunger, destruction of objects indispensable to civilian survival, disruptions of global supply chains, and blockage of maritime trade routes have pushed millions of civilians into increasingly vulnerable conditions. Developing countries across the global south often bear the brunt of these conflicts far beyond their borders. Against this backdrop, Indonesia wishes to emphasize three key points. First, we must stand firm to ensure that starvation is never tolerated as a weapon of war. Such action represents a grave violation of international humanitarian law and constitutes a war crime. In this context, Indonesia draws this Council's attention to the alarming findings of the UN Special Committee to investigate Israeli practices, which document serious breaches of international humanitarian and human rights law in Gaza, revealing a catastrophe where hunger is systematically weaponized. When a UN mandated body warns of such systematic starvation, the Council must act to ensure unhindered humanitarian access and ensure that such action will not go without consequences. Second, the Council must ensure accountability for those who weaponize hunger. In line with resolution 2417, the Council must use its authority consistently against any party that deliberately blocks humanitarian aid and destroys food infrastructure. Reports from the Secretary-General and other UN entities Documenting these violations should serve as a strong basis to ensure that accountability is upheld. Impunity does not only embolden perpetrators, it further erodes the credibility of the Council itself. The Council must therefore close this accountability gap to uphold the integrity of international humanitarian law and prevent starvation from becoming a normal feature of today's conflict. Third, we must protect global food and agricultural supply chains from the crossfire of geopolitical conflicts. Disruptions to energy flows, maritime trade routes, and fertilizer supplies have severely trained global food production and inflated price worldwide. Food security must never become a casualty of war or collateral damage of conflicts. We urge all member states and regional organizations to support efforts to protect vital arteries of global trade. In this regard, we welcome the Secretary-General's good offices and recent UN initiatives, including the Task Force on the Strait of Hormuz, to ensure safe, orderly and reliable transit for humanitarian and essential commodities. Madam President, starvation in conflict is preventable. To this end, this Council must show that international law still carries weight by confronting those who starve civilians as a tactic of war. Let us turn our resolution into decisive action before conflict starves the future of yet another generation. Thank you, Madam President.


Denmark · President [3:17:40]:

I thank the representative of Indonesia for the statement. There are still a number of speakers remaining on my list for this meeting. I intend, with the concurrence of members of the Council, to suspend the meeting until 3:00 p.m. This meeting is suspended.