UN Chief: Ukraine War Threatens World with “Hunger and Destitution”

By Staff, Agencies

The consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are worsening with 1.6 billion people expected to be affected by the ongoing conflict in 94 countries.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the war is threatening the world with an “unprecedented wave of hunger and destitution” followed by “social and economic chaos.”

“The war’s impact on food security, energy and finance is systematic, severe, and speeding up,” the UN chief stated, presenting the second report on the consequences of the war in Ukraine.

Due to the conflict, the number of food-insecure people may increase by 47 million by the end of 2022, according to the report. The most vulnerable regions are the Middle East and North Africa, where extreme poverty is expected to increase by 2.8 million people this year. Another 500 million people are at risk in South Asia.

Guterres stressed the only way to prevent the global crisis was to find “a package deal that allows for the safe and secure export of Ukrainian-produced food through the Black Sea.”

“This deal is essential for hundreds of millions of people in developing countries, including in sub-Saharan Africa,” the UN chief added.

The UN report comes as Russia and Turkey made little progress in talks over securing safe passage of Ukrainian grain exports from the country’s blocked sea ports. Following the UN request, Ankara proposed to escort maritime convoys from the ports if Moscow guarantees security.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told journalists on Wednesday there were no obstacles for the grain to be transported to destinations but it was “necessary that Mr. Zelensky give an order, if he is still in charge of something there," referring to the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, whose representatives didn’t participate in negotiations.

Despite the UN's efforts to find ways to resolve the growing food crisis, Zelensky warned the amount of grain blocked by the war could triple within several months.