GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS
Submitted by the Liberal Democrats UK, Liberal International British Group (LIBG), FDP Germany & German Group of LI (DGLI) – 63rd Congress of Liberal International
The 63rd Congress of Liberal International, convening in Sofia, Bulgaria, on 30 June to 2 July 2022:
Notes
- With alarm the unfolding global food crisis, already threatening, but brought fully to bear by the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 due to the high dependence of Russian and Ukrainian grain exports of many African and Asian countries. The UN FAO estimates that 20 million face hunger in the Horn of Africa alone;
- That grain and fertiliser are not covered by the sanctions imposed on Russia in response to its act of aggression, that Ukraine is unwilling to de-mine the approach to the port of Odesa whilst Russia is poised to attack, reports that Russia has stolen upwards of 500,000 tonnes of grain from occupied Ukrainian territory and that Russia is using the threat of starvation as leverage to get SWIFT sanctions removed.
Calls on
- Russia to negotiate quickly in good faith following the Turkish initiative to accept an alternative offshore interim payment method for its grain and to allow escorts for Ukrainian grain shipments from Odesa.
- The UN to immediately take action to mandate supervising escorts of grain through the Black Sea under UN umbrella.
- All Liberal International member parties to facilitate grain exports from Ukraine by all other means.
- All Liberal International member parties to facilitate grain exports from Ukraine by all other means. target support for increased grain storage to avoid the destruction of the grain harvest.
