I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Nordic Countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Sweden, and my own country Norway). (We fully align ourselves with the EU statement).
The illegal full scale invasion and the devastating Russian aggression against Ukraine have destroyed key infrastructure and hindered agricultural production in Ukraine. Rebuilding the country will take many years. Meanwhile, despite being subjected to the ongoing aggression – Ukraine – one of the world’s major breadbaskets – has shown impressive efforts to address the challenges of global food insecurity.
The war endangers people’s lives and livelihoods, hampers innovation and agrifood systems transformation, and makes the region a high-risk area for sustainable investment, with increased risks and uncertainties, especially for the most vulnerable. The simple first step to eliminate all these negative consequences: Russia’s immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal of all its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders.
We praise Ukraine’s achievement in keeping its grain and agricultural products flowing to the global market. And despite Russia’s continued attacks against Ukrainian port and storage infrastructure and despite Russian tanks, bombs and mines preventing Ukraine from planting and harvesting large areas on its territory within internationally recognized borders. President Zelenskyy’s «Grain from Ukraine» humanitarian food programme has accumulated support in the amount of about USD 220 million to supply Ukrainian grain to countries in Africa and Asia in order to overcome the humanitarian and economic consequences of the global food crisis caused by Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine.
In this dire situation with increasing humanitarian needs and scarce resources, we appreciate that FAO is delivering according to its mandate.
The FAO Council has clearly condemned Russia’s actions and provided guidance on how to tackle their global impacts, including on food security. We, the Nordic countries, request FAO to continue implementing the 169th Council decisions.
We highlight the importance of AMIS and continued collaboration with all relevant partners to monitor the situation, ensure transparency, and minimize any adverse effects on global markets.
We reiterate our appreciation for FAO’s efforts to analyse, evaluate and report on the impact of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine on global food security and nutrition. We recall the projections presented by FAO indicating that, because of the war, 23 million more people will suffer food insecurity by 2030 compared to a no-war scenario. We request FAO to report more regularly to members, including on the reconstruction and rehabilitation costs of Ukrainian agricultural sector due to loss and damage resulting from Russia’s war of aggression.
It is crucial that we respond to the immediate humanitarian needs, in Ukraine and in other crises around the world. The Nordic countries are major donors to the UN development system, and we will continue our support to humanitarian crises around the world. We will continue to focus on flexible and predictable core support and encourage others to do the same.
We strongly reiterate the call for Russia to immediately and unconditionally cease its aggression against Ukraine and withdraw its forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.