UN secretary-general travels to Ukraine to assess grain initiative

Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, is all set to travel to Ukraine, to the Black Sea port of Odesa where grain exports have resumed on Friday.

This was as a result of the Black Sea Grain Initiative – a victory from the efforts of the UN –  that was implemented to help reduce global food insecurity.

Since Ukraine is among the world’s leading grain exporters, providing more than 45 million tonnes annually to the global market, the blocking of the export of this grain under Russian control has had a devastating effect on food security.

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According to reports, some 20 million tonnes of grain had been held up in the Ukrainian port of Odessa. As a result, 47 million people were estimated to be suffering from severe hunger due to worldwide soaring food costs.

Closer to home, the South African Human Rights Commission embarked on an enquiry in the Eastern Cape, after children were said to be suffering from malnutrition as a result of the extremely high food price.

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But, there is a ray of hope for developing and emerging countries in the same boat as South Africa in the form of the Black Sea Grain Initiative – an agreement that was signed in Istanbul by Ukraine, Russia and Türkiye.

The Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) will help to facilitate the implementation of the initiative and monitor the movement of commercial vessels to ensure the compliance with the procedures developed through the Initiative for shipments to and from Ukrainian ports. It will also report on shipments facilitated through the initiative.

The Secretary-General has emphasised the importance of the parties working in partnership directly to effectively implement the Black Sea Grain Initiative, with a view to reducing global food insecurity.

While in Ukraine, Secretary General Guterres will also meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to also discuss the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, along with finding a political solution to the conflict with Russia.