United Nations — Secretary Antony J. Blinken At the Food Security Ministerial - Remarks
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, good afternoon, everyone. Welcome. Thank you all so much for being here today.
We meet during what is the greatest global food security crisis of our time. It's a crisis that we all know has been building for years, driven in part by the pandemic, driven by an accelerating climate crisis. Between 2016 and 2021, the number of people living in acute food insecurity, the level when a person's inability to consume adequate food puts their lives or livelihoods in immediate danger, that has skyrocketed from 108 million people to 161 million people around the world.
It was this growing crisis that led Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield to make the nexus between food security and conflict the focus of a UN Security Council meeting that she chaired in March of last year. And it's why the United States made robust commitments at the secretary-general's UN Food Systems Summit last September.
All of that – all of that was before the Russian Government's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, which, according to the World Bank, may drive 40 million additional people worldwide into extreme poverty and food insecurity this year. Indeed, every driver of the crisis that we'll discuss today has been made worse by President Putin's war of choice.
That's why we thought it was so important to convene this high-level group to put a brighter spotlight on the devastating impact of this crisis and to marshal the global effort that is needed to address it. This is something we're intently focused on every day at the State Department and across the United States Government. But it's a crisis that demands a global response.
Tomorrow, I'll have the opportunity to lead a session in the Security Council on how conflicts like this one are fueling food insecurity and how rising food insecurity is threatening peace and security around the globe, problems that we have to tackle as parts of a whole. Today, in our gathering, we want to focus on what we can do to save lives now and address the long-term drivers of this problem.
I'll start by offering four suggestions, at least on the part of the United States, about what we can do. But having said that, this meeting is really about hearing the perspectives of a range of colleagues and countries, both on how this crisis is affecting lives in your respective countries but also on what we can do together to address it.
First, from our perspective, we need countries to step up with substantial new contributions to fill the gaps faced by humanitarian organizations and agencies that are battling food insecurity which are forcing humanitarian groups to make incredibly wrenching decisions about when and where to cut lifesaving assistance. The cost of doing business for vital organizations like the World Food Program, the Food and Agriculture Organization, UNICEF, and others – the cost of doing business is going up. We have to help them continue to do their business.
In particular, as well, countries with significant grain and fertilizer reserves as well as those with financial resources need to step up and do it fast. The United States has announced more than $2.3 billion in new funding for emergency food assistance to meet global humanitarian needs since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Today, given the urgency of the crisis, we're announcing another $215 million in new emergency food assistance. And we'll do much more. We expect our Congress very soon to approve approximately $5.5 billion in additional funding for humanitarian assistance and food security.
Governments and international organizations can also come together to compel the Russian Federation to create corridors so that food and other vital supplies can safely leave Ukraine by land or by sea. There are an estimated 22 million tons of grain sitting in silos in Ukraine right now, food that could immediately go toward helping those in need if it can simply get out of the country.
Second, we believe we must address the global fertilizer shortage. Consider Africa, where the cost of fertilizer has already quadrupled since the start of the pandemic and has skyrocketed further since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. One way to address this is by creating incentives for countries to produce more fertilizer as the United States is doing by committing $500 million to boost U.S. production. We can also help farmers maximize fertilizer efficiency learning from advances made by countries like Ethiopia.
Some have tried to blame the sanctions imposed on Russian – on the Russian Federation by the United States and many other countries for worsening this crisis. This is false. When we imposed sanctions on Russia in order to end the war as quickly as possible, we deliberately and carefully created exceptions for agricultural goods and fertilizer. We're working every day to get countries any information or assistance they need to ensure that sanctions are not preventing food or fertilizer from leaving Russia or anywhere else.
As with its decision to start this unjustified war, responsibility for the disruption of these supplies and the suffering that it's causing around the world lies squarely and solely with the Russian Government.
Third, we believe we must increase investments in agricultural capacity and resilience. That's what the United States is doing through our Feed the Future program, which will invest $5 billion in more than 35 countries over five years, as well as our longstanding support of international agricultural research centers. It's also the focus of the Agricultural Innovation Mission for Climate[1], which we launched a year ago with the United Arab Emirates to try to turbocharge investment in climate-smart agriculture.
Fourth, we believe that we have to help poor and vulnerable populations bear the colossal impact of this crisis. International financial institutions have a critical role to play in doing this. That's why our Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen convened a session with the leadership of the international financial institutions just a few weeks ago and pushed for the development of the International Financial Institution Action Plan to Address Food Insecurity, which was released on the margins of today's G7 financial ministerial.
Finally, if we want to save lives, we all have to be willing to shoulder added risk. Last week, President Biden traveled to a family farm in Illinois. He talked about how farms like the one he visited are working to double crop, harvesting two crops from the same field in the same year. Now, this is something that doesn't always work. The growing seasons are short. Weather doesn't always cooperate. But as the President said, that's a risk we have to take. So our government is working to provide additional insurance for American farmers who are willing to give it a try.
If we take these steps together – meeting the urgent need for food, fertilizer, and financing; investing more in the resilience of agriculture and vulnerable populations – we will meet this crisis, we'll help prevent others like it, most important, we will save countless lives. That's what's at stake, but I'm convinced that if we come together, we can address this challenge.
So thank you so much again for being here. It's now an honor and a privilege to give the floor to the secretary-general, who has been a leader in rallying the response to this crisis.
Mr. Secretary-General.
[1] Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate
Secretary Antony J. Blinken and Foreign Ministers from Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritania, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia, and Senegal Before Their Meeting
AMBASSADOR THOMAS-GREENFIELD: Good morning, everyone. Let me thank you, every one of you, for joining us today to open up a dialogue about a wide range of shared issues, particularly on climate, conflict, prosperity, and on food security. We also want to talk to you about how we can strengthen our partnership here at the UN.
I recently had a series of meetings that I call listening tours with African ambassadors here at the UN, and in those meetings, I heard loud and clear that people in Africa are hurting from food and fuel price surges that have been exacerbated by Russia's war on Ukraine. As you know, the United States is making food security a core focus of our presidency of the Security Council for the second year in a row, and right now we're hosting a series of Days of Action to bring this crisis to the forefront.
When I first raised this issue in the Security Council in March of 2021, we discussed how COVID, climate, conflict, and strained global supply chains were driving millions more people closer to hunger and malnutrition. In recent months, the war in Ukraine, a major supplier of wheat and other agricultural commodities, has further disrupted global food supplies. And let me just note that we have a very strong statement, a roadmap for action, that we encourage you all to sign as a concrete outcome of the food security ministerial later today.
This meeting is an opportunity. It's an opportunity for us to hear directly from you at the highest levels about this issue and so much more. We want to know what you are seeing and experiencing on the ground, and how we can find ways to work together on a path forward.
To that end, I now have the great privilege of introducing the United States Secretary of State, Secretary Blinken. I'm so grateful he took the time out of his busy schedule to bring us together here today, and I know he's looking forward to hearing from all of you what you all have to say. Secretary Blinken, the floor is yours.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Linda, thank you very, very much, both for the words of introduction but especially for everything you're doing every single day here at the United Nations to represent the United States so effectively, including with so many of our partners around the table today. And I want to extend the same thanks to our Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, Molly Phee, for her constant leadership and engagement with the countries of Africa, with the people of Africa, with the institutions of Africa.
And I just want to pick up at the – on something, Linda, you just said, which is I really am here, we are here today to listen, to hear from you, because we want to know how you are experiencing this acute challenge of food insecurity, and especially ideas for how we can work together to address it. So, I'm grateful to all of you for joining us today, those who will come in shortly. It means a great deal to have the opportunity to spend some time in person. Looking forward to the ministerial very soon.
Any conversation about food security has to focus on what's happening across Africa. Your countries are bearing some of the heaviest burdens. It's something we see, we recognize. No one knows better than you what solutions would help, and which might fall short. There are many reasons for the current food crisis. Linda alluded to some of them, including, of course, the economic ramifications of COVID-19, the accelerated climate crisis which all of us are feeling acutely and which people across Africa have been experiencing firsthand for a long time. Right now, the countries in the Horn of Africa are experiencing a brutal fourth consecutive drought season with, we know, devastating consequences.
And, as Linda said, Russia's war in Ukraine has also had a major effect. We had a preexisting condition that's been significantly exacerbated by this aggression, and an additional 40 million people are believed as a result to be at risk of food insecurity. We've seen global food shortages and rising prices for food, fertilizer, for fuel. And while people worldwide are now dealing with these shortages and dealing with the high prices, people across Africa, we know, have been hit particularly hard. There was a recent study by our U.S. Agency for International Development that found that 32 of the 39 countries at greatest risk from this acute food crisis are in Africa.
I want to emphasize something because it really is important, and I know it firsthand – I can attest to this firsthand. The United States held hundreds of engagements to try to prevent this senseless war against Ukraine. We reached out repeatedly to our Russian partners, to NATO, the African Union, the European Union, other allies and partners. President Putin invaded anyway. The sanctions that dozens of countries have imposed on Russia after the invasion included very clear carveouts for food, for fertilizer, for seeds. But the Kremlin has chosen to deliberately hold back these exports from Ukraine. There's an abundance of grain, of wheat that was produced this year in Ukraine; it is just sitting there because it cannot get out of the country. Why can't it get out of the country? Because Russia is blockading the ports from which it would leave and targeting, indeed, those ports, targeting farms and the lands for cultivation. Ukrainian farmers in many cases have been forced into a choice of either fighting for the freedom of their country or fleeing.
All of this together has had a major impact. And because Ukraine is one of the world's top exporters of key crops, including corn, as well as wheat, seeds for cooking oil, the result that we're seeing is that people around the world are suffering the consequences of choices that President Putin has made, and especially, again, people across Africa. So, that's why it's critical that we get together today so that we can hear directly from you what your citizens are actually dealing with and how we can help. For example, if there is specific assistance that countries need to ensure that sanctions don't prevent the flow of food or fertilizer to you, we want to know. And we're ready to act fast to help.
When I had the opportunity to visit Kenya and Nigeria and Senegal in November, I talked about how the United States sees the countries of Africa as partners in solving the challenges that we face. Food security is one of the most urgent of those challenges, and simply put, we want to partner with you on a coordinated response.
So, let me just very briefly summarize what we've committed to do to try to end the near-term crisis as well as focus on the long term, and then we're extremely anxious to hear from each of you.
First, we're addressing the humanitarian needs caused by the war of aggression against Ukraine. Just since February, the United States has pledged more than $2.3 billion of food assistance. And pending final approval from our Congress, we'll provide more than 5 billion in additional aid, including more than $760 million specifically for global food security. Plus, today we're announcing an additional $215 million for emergency food assistance in Algeria, Cameroon, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Mauritania, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Kenya, among other countries.
Second, we are working to alleviate what is also a global fertilizer shortage, including by boosting our domestic production. President Biden committed an additional $250 million just a week ago for a total of $500 million invested in American fertilizer production this year.
Finally, we're focused on building agricultural resilience over the long term. And here I really want to commend the great work of the African Development Bank with its $1 billion plan to help 40 million African farmers use climate-resilient technologies and increase crop yields. Likewise, we have our Feed the Future initiative that's focused for 15 years on creating long-term improvements to food security, including with partners across Africa. We're growing Feed the Future with another $5 billion over the next three years and expanding it to new countries, including, indeed, primarily in Africa.
These investments show that global food security is a priority for the United States, and we want to do all that we can to coordinate and cooperate with our partners to help countries with the most urgent needs get the relief that they need fast while investing in their own food production.
Most important, we know that we do not have all the answers, and we certainly are not in the position of dictating solutions from afar. We're eager to hear, again, what we can do, what we can do better, how we can do it more effectively, understand how the crisis is really affecting your countries, and especially, again, get your ideas for how to solve it and how we can help.
So, with that said, I'm very, very grateful for everyone's participation today, and let's open it up for conversation.
Secretary Blinken's Meeting with African Foreign Ministers - Readout
The below is attributable to Spokesperson Ned Price:
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken hosted a conversation today with visiting African leaders in New York prior to their participation in the Global Food Security Call to Action Ministerial. They discussed a range of issues of mutual concern, including the pressing challenge of food security in Africa and ways in which the United States and multilateral institutions can support food system resilience in the immediate and long-term.
Secretary Blinken emphasized the United States is focused on partnering with African nations to address the growing concern of food insecurity on the continent, which has been worsened by climate-induced drought, COVID-19-related supply chain disruption, and the global impact of the Kremlin's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. They discussed how each of their countries are working to meet domestic food supply needs and ways the United States can collaborate to bolster those efforts.
Remarks by Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield During an African Ministerial Meeting with Secretary Antony Blinken on Food Security
AS DELIVERED
Thank you for joining us today to open up a dialogue about a wide range of shared issues, particularly on climate, conflict, prosperity, and on food security.
We also want to talk to you about how we can strengthen our partnership here at the UN. I recently had a series of meetings, that I call listening tours, with African ambassadors here at the UN. And in those meetings, I heard loud and clear that people in Africa are hurting from food and fuel price surges that have been exacerbated by Russia's war on Ukraine.
As you know, the United States is making food security a core focus of our Presidency of the Security Council for the second year in a row. And right now, we're hosting a series of Days of Action to bring this crisis to the forefront. When I first raised this issue in the Security Council in March of 2021, we discussed how COVID, climate, conflict, and strained global supply chains were driving millions more people closer to hunger and malnutrition.
In recent months, the war in Ukraine – a major supplier of wheat and other agricultural commodities – has further disrupted global food supplies. And let me just note that we have a very strong statement – a Road Map for Action – that we encourage you all to sign as a concrete outcome of the Food Security Ministerial later today.
This meeting is an opportunity for us to hear directly from you, at the highest levels, about this issue and so much more. We want to know what you are seeing and experiencing on the ground and how we can find ways to work together on a path forward.
To that end, I now have the great privilege of introducing the United States Secretary of State, Secretary Blinken. I am so grateful he took time out of his busy schedule to bring us together here today, and I know he is looking forward to hearing from all of you what you all have to say.
Secretary Blinken, the floor is yours.
AS DELIVERED
Ladies and gentlemen, today we are releasing a global food security call to action. This roadmap affirms our commitment to act with urgency at scale and in concert to respond to the urgent food security and nutrition needs of millions of people in vulnerable situations around the world.
It outlines seven actions that Member States can take to address this crisis and ensures coordination with UN system agencies, the G7, the G20, the AU, multilateral development banks and international financial institutions, and other partners as appropriate. We invite all of your governments to commit to the ideas and the roadmap for global food security, and to join us in endorsing this statement. Already, 32 participants have joined us in this roadmap, and we welcome others to join us as well.
As we've clearly outlined today, the global food security situation is dire and made all the more urgent by recent events. Famine is preventable. No one has to go hungry. Those of us who never have to worry about whether we will find our next meal have a special obligation to act on behalf of the millions of families who do. We have a duty to identify where conflict or climate will drive hunger to stop manmade famines in their tracks to prevent children from dying; to put our differences aside, come together, and eliminate hunger and food insecurity across the world.
And so, we are beyond grateful that you all joined us today and stayed here as long as you did, traveling from far and wide to offer your perspectives on the pressing crisis of food insecurity. Together, let's commit to endorsing this statement, mobilizing our resources, coordinating our efforts, implementing this roadmap and doing everything – everything – in our power to end the scourge of global food insecurity as we know it today.
Thank you very much.
The United States Leads Days of Action on Global Food Security at the United Nations
FACT SHEET
The United States is committed to ending hunger and malnutrition and building more sustainable, equitable, and resilient food systems around the world. In support of these ongoing efforts, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken is traveling to New York City May 18-19 to convene meetings to mobilize action on global food security.
In 2021, more than 193 million people worldwide experienced acute food insecurity, an increase of 40 million people from the year before. It is estimated that as many as 40 million people are projected to be pushed into poverty and food insecurity by the end of the year. Shortages of fuel and fertilizer in many countries and accelerating spikes in food prices threaten to destabilize fragile societies, increase hunger and malnutrition, drive migration, and cause severe economic dislocation. Conflict has greatly exacerbated food security issues globally.
The "Days of Action on Global Food Security" is one component of the United States' multi-pronged strategy to help mitigate the food security crisis through humanitarian assistance, multilateral engagements, and increased food production. We are taking action to end hunger and malnutrition and build more sustainable, equitable, and resilient food systems at home and abroad.
- We have announced over $2.3 billion in new global humanitarian food assistance since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February, with a particular focus on countries hardest hit by food price hikes.
- We will announce additional new emergency food assistance at the May 18 Food Security Ministerial, bringing the U.S. total for emergency food assistance since February to nearly $2.6 billion.
- The United States is doing its part at home to mitigate the global fertilizer shortage by acting to boost domestic production of fertilizer through a $500 million USDA program.
- Through Feed the Future and our nutrition commitments, we are committing over $5 billion over the next five years to address food security threats and nutrition across the globe in addition to the over $4 billion in humanitarian assistance funding, recently signed into law, for Ukraine and its neighbors.
- We will issue a Roadmap for the Global Food Security Call to Action to reflect the outcomes of the May 18 Food Security Ministerial, outlining commitments that participants have made to address these challenges.
- We will strengthen resilience by building inclusive and equitable food systems that empower women, youth, and disadvantaged communities to weather the effects of climate change, conflict, and supply chain disruptions, as noted at the UN Food Systems Summit last year.
- The United States is working in multilateral fora with our Group of Seven (G7) partners to target the work of international finance institutions, including the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF), to mitigate food security challenges.
- The United States recognizes the critical role so many around the world are currently playing to address food insecurity – from governments to the UN to civil society organizations. This current crisis requires a global, collaborative response, and the United States is committed to helping to coordinate these efforts.
The United States Announces Additional Funding To Respond To Global Food Insecurity
United States Agency for International Development
At the UN Security Council's Ministerial on Food Security today in New York, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced nearly $215 million in additional humanitarian assistance to address the global food security crisis, which has been exacerbated by Russia's war on Ukraine and its corresponding impact on global markets. Even before the war began, approximately 768 million people were chronically hungry. This new crisis has only made an already dire situation significantly worse, with as many as 40 million people projected to be pushed into poverty and food insecurity through the end of the year.
This additional support, provided through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), will expand emergency food security operations in several countries already facing food insecurity as a result of conflict, drought, and other natural disasters, including Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and Yemen.
In addition to announcing new humanitarian food assistance funding, the United States will issue a Roadmap for the Global Food Security Call to Action to reflect the outcomes of the ministerial-level meeting, outlining the commitments that countries have made to address these challenges.
With today's announcement, the United States has provided nearly $2.6 billion in emergency food assistance since Russia's further invasion of Ukraine began on February 24. This includes nearly $1.7 billion in humanitarian assistance to respond to worsening food insecurity around the world. It also includes USAID and the U.S. Department of Agriculture taking the extraordinary step to program the full balance of the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust as part of an effort to provide $670 million in food assistance to six countries facing severe food insecurity: Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, and Yemen.
The United States is continuing to scale up assistance to respond to this crisis by increasing emergency food assistance in countries that have high levels of food insecurity and are vulnerable to price shocks. We are also continuing to call on other donors to increase funding to prevent this global food security crisis from getting even worse and use data analysis to project the potential impacts of the crisis on countries with existing humanitarian emergencies.
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U.S. Department of the Treasury Welcomes IFI Action Plan to Address Food Insecurity
Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury welcomed the IFI Action Plan to Address Food Insecurity developed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the African Development Bank (AfDB), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group. This Action Plan stems from a meeting convened in April 2022 by Secretary Yellen on "Tackling Food Insecurity - The Challenge and Call to Action", which included the heads of the IMF, World Bank, IFAD, and the Finance Ministers of Indonesia and Germany representing the G20 and the G7, respectively, as well as lead technical experts on food security and agriculture from the International Financial Institutions (IFIs).
The Russian war against Ukraine is the latest global shock that is exacerbating the sharp increase in both acute and chronic food insecurity in recent years driven by conflict, climate change and economic downturns, such as those associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The IFIs are working swiftly to bring to bear their financing, policy engagement, technical assistance, and knowledge work to address rising food insecurity. The IFI Action Plan to Address Food Insecurity details how IFIs are stepping up, surging, and scaling their work on food security and agriculture. Highlights include:
- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is working with the World Food Program (WFP) and the Food Agriculture Organization (FAO) to address severe food insecurity through emergency food assistance, food-for-work and cash-for-work programs. In Afghanistan, ADB is financing $200 million for sustaining essential food and livelihood-related services to the vulnerable communities and will re-align planned activities as necessary to respond to immediate needs. In Sri Lanka, ADB is supporting the country to address food insecurity challenges through repurposing its existing portfolio. The assistance may include cash transfer to the poor and vulnerable groups and livelihood development program in relation to food and nutrition. In addition, ADB is also exploring different options of trade finance and private sector loans to support food imports.
- As part of the African Emergency Food Production Facility, a proposed $1.5 billion facility, the African Development Bank (AfDB) will deliver climate-smart, certified seed, fertilizer and extension services to 20 million farmers, as well as provide financing support for large-scale procurement of fertilizer to African countries through wholesalers and credit guarantees to aggregators, local input suppliers, and other players along the fertilizer value chain. The Facility also aims to support policy reforms facilitating modern agritech to farmers, including strengthening African national institutional capacity to oversee input and output markets. The AfDB is also seeking opportunities to provide budget support to certain countries to support vulnerable consumers.
- The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development's (EBRD) Resilience and Livelihood Framework will support businesses and public services across all sectors affected by the war in Ukraine and neighboring countries with a package of investments expected to reach €2 billion over the next two years. Food security and trade finance of agricultural and food products are expected to represent €500 million, of which €200 million is for Ukraine and €300 million is for neighboring countries.
- The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) will support countries to broaden and deepen social programs that target food insecure people and households, including through unconditional cash transfers, food vouchers, school meals, and other programs. IDB is preparing a $60 million cash transfer program for Haiti that will support vulnerable populations, as well as similar activities in Honduras. Also, the IDB aims to finance investment projects and technical cooperation for over $400 million in 2022 to increase food systems' resilience, inclusiveness, and productivity in Latin America and the Caribbean.
- The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) will aim to invest $3.5 billion in 78 countries to build the resilience of the world's poorest and most vulnerable rural people to current global challenges, including the Ukraine crisis and other food system shocks over the next three years. IFAD's newly launched Crisis Response Initiative aims to address short-term food security needs in 22 countries primarily in Africa, and Asia. IFAD has received initial pledges of €11 million for the Crisis Response Initiative.
- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will support countries affected by food insecurity with the full range of its instruments, focusing on its macroeconomic expertise. Working closely with the World Bank and other IFIs, the IMF will provide policy advice, capacity development assistance, and financial support either through programs or emergency financing. The IMF will work with country authorities on macroeconomic frameworks, improving social safety nets to protect vulnerable households from the imminent threat of food insecurity, and safeguarding food security without resorting to export restrictions. These policy objectives are reflected in program engagement. IMF financing support for Moldova and Mozambique, for instance, includes a focus on strengthening social safety nets.
- The World Bank Group response is global and will provide clients with comprehensive, streamlined solutions to the impacts of the crisis with $30 billion available for the next 15 months, comprising $12 billion towards new projects and about $18 billion of undisbursed balance in the existing portfolio of projects linked to food and nutrition security. It will assist clients and partners to mitigate against the short-term negative impacts on food and nutrition security of the current global food and fertilizer price crises while remaining focused on medium- and longer-term actions that create pathways out of the crisis and greater resilience to price spikes going forward. The World Bank's global response will address four priorities: (i) Facilitate unhindered trade: Build international consensus (G7, G20, others) and commitment to avoid export restrictions that exacerbate global food price increases: (ii) Support consumers: Scale up nutrition-sensitive social protection programs and replenish early-response financing mechanisms to protect vulnerable households (including in some exceptional circumstances directly financing the food imports); (iii) Support producers: Ensure next season's production by removing input trade barriers, focusing on more efficient use of fertilizers, repurposing public policies and expenditures to better support farmers; and (iv) Invest in sustainable food and nutrition security: Strengthen food systems to make them more resilient to rising risks (conflict, climate, pests, diseases), trade disruptions and economic shocks - balance immediate/short term needs with long-term investment for transforming the food system.
