Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Thursday to exclude Russia from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), accusing Moscow of blocking and stealing Ukrainian grain.
“What would Russia’s place in the FAO be if it starved at least 400 million people, or even more than a billion?”Zelensky said in a speech broadcast by videoconference at a ministerial meeting of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
The blockade of Ukrainian ports by the Russian Black Sea fleet, starting with Odessa, the country’s main port, paralyzes grain exports, especially wheat. Before the Russian invasion, which began on February 24, Ukraine was about to become the world’s third largest exporter of this cereal.
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Countries in Africa and the Middle East are the first affected and fear serious food crises.
“The Black Sea, which is one of the world’s main food export routes, is blocked by the Russian Navy,” President Zelensky told the Paris conference, which was attended by the Italian head of government, Mario Draghi, and the African Union. President Macky Sall.
Created in 1945, the FAO aims to “achieve food security for all” by ensuring that “people have regular access to sufficient food of good quality to lead active and healthy lives,” its website reads.
The organization has counted Russia among its member countries since 2006.
The monthly index of food prices published by this international organization, which includes tariffs on vegetable oils, cereals or dairy products, set a record in March due to the war in Ukraine.
Source: Observadora
