Thank you, President,
I speak on behalf of 16 members of the Group of Friends of Action on Conflict and Hunger [The Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, France, Germany, Guyana, Ireland, Mexico, Norway, the Netherlands, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom].
The 2025 Global Food Crisis Report reminds us that extreme hunger and malnutrition continue to escalate, driven primarily by conflict. It challenges us - as an international community - to respond with urgency. Famine, and the risk of famine, is neither inevitable nor acceptable. We can turn back this tide of human suffering.
States and parties to armed conflict must fully respect international humanitarian law and fully, and must consistently implement UNSC 2417.
Immediate, safe and unhindered humanitarian access, the protection of civilians and essential services, and the safeguarding of food infrastructure must be ensured, in accordance with relevant obligations under International Humanitarian Law. We also must ensure accountability for actors who deliberately cause or prolong conflict-induced hunger in violation of international law. The use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare is prohibited.
Given shrinking resources, the international community must prioritize the countering and prevention of conflict-induced hunger through support for protection and resilience, early warning, anticipatory action, and data-driven decisions across food and health sectors. We must also boost agriculture productivity to fuel economic growth, and improve sustainability and other actions such as conflict prevention that address root causes. The financial base for supporting these efforts should be diversified.
Finally, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has long been an essential tool for policy makers in this sector - and is now more critical than ever. Its evidence-based analysis and comparable findings are needed to ground difficult decisions in the context of the Humanitarian Reset. We urge all stakeholders to support the IPC.