Briefing to EU institutions and Member States on the impact of the war in Ukraine and the outlook for food security and nutrition

The FAO Liaison Office in Brussels organized an online briefing to the EU institutions and EU Member States on the ongoing war in Ukraine and its impacts on food security and nutrition.

The briefing was opened by FAO Deputy Director-General Laurent Thomas, who alluded to the Special Session of the Council taking place on 8 April as well as FAO’s strong engagement in international and multilateral bodies to provide data, share projections and advise on policies. In that respect, he mentioned the Organization’s ongoing work with the G7, the G20 as well as its full support to the Steering Committee of the Global Crisis Response Group on Food, Energy and Finance, recently launched by the UN Secretary-General. His intervention was followed by technical presentations by FAO Chief Economist Máximo Torero Cullen and the Director of FAO’s Office of Emergencies and Resilience Rein Paulsen. Presenting participants with the latest on FAO’s response in Ukraine, the event updated participants on FAO activities: It showed how FAO has stayed in the country, redeploying its staff to key regions according to developing needs on the ground and providing assistance and support to communities suffering from extensive damage and disruption to agricultural activities.

Speakers at the online briefing highlighted the increasing challenges for rural populations in the country while providing information about FAO’s policy recommendations and the future actions required in order to safeguard food security, as many countries are heavily reliant on staple grain imports from both Ukraine and the Russian Federation. The war has already significantly disrupted livelihoods during the agricultural growing season, through constrained access to land and damage to homes, productive assets, agricultural land, roads and other infrastructure.

Together, FAO’s Chief Economist and the Director of FAO’s Office of Emergencies and Resilience explained that it remains uncertain whether Ukraine will be able to harvest existing crops, plant new ones or sustain livestock production as the conflict evolves. As insecurity persists, and both local and national supply chains are disrupted, people are likely to experience increasing levels of hunger and malnutrition.

FAO Chief Economist Máximo Torero Cullen pointed out that agricultural production must be allowed to resume immediately and safely to avoid further potential impact on food security in Ukraine – and beyond – in the coming days, weeks and months.

The Director of FAO’s Office of Emergencies and Resilience Rein Paulsen reiterated the need for urgent funds, as to date only 10 percent of the total USD 50 million required to provide immediate assistance has been made available.

The Briefing was followed by a questions and answers session with the participants.

The dedicated webpage on all FAO activities in Ukraine is available here.