I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Nordic Countries: Norway, Iceland and EU members Denmark, Finland and Sweden, who align with the EU statement.
We continue to condemn Russia’s brutal war of aggression against Ukraine in the strongest possible terms.
More than three years after Russia launched its full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine, Moscow has shown no real willingness to pursue peace. Russia continues its illegal war, occupying Ukrainian territory, fighting along the frontline, launching missiles and drones, terrorizing the civilian population, conducting its war with brutal force, causing immense destruction and humanitarian crisis.
Russia’s war continues to disrupt Ukraine’s agri-food sector, causing acute food insecurity, constraining farmers’ access to inputs, limiting yields, with severe consequences for the people of Ukraine but also for global food security, food availability, and food prices.
The Nordic countries stay firm in our support to Ukraine. We remain substantial humanitarian donors, to Ukraine and elsewhere, and we encourage other donors to maintain or increase assistance.
We commend Ukraine’s achievements in keeping its grain and agriculture products flowing to the global market. We support Ukraine’s ‘Grain from Ukraine’ initiative, which has ensured access to food for people affected by hunger in many countries.
The agricultural sector is vital for Ukraine’s economy and resilience. We call on FAO to continue to support Ukraine. Estimated costs related to destruction and losses in the agricultures sector in Ukraine are 80 billion USD. According to FAO’s emergency response plan, five million people in Ukraine need food security assistance.
We call on FAO to collaborate with other international organizations ensuring effective and efficient responses to the crisis caused by Russia. We call on FAO to continue providing analyses and reports on the impact of Russia’s war on food security, in Ukraine and globally.
We call on the Council to condemn Russia’s actions and continue to implement the Council’s decisions.