Statement by Dmitry Chumakov, Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to the UN, at the virtual high-level meeting on food security and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
Madam Chairperson,
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
We welcome today’s high-level meeting of the Group of Friends of Food Security and Nutrition. Allow me to extend our thanks to the organizers and high-level briefers for tackling the projected COVID-19 impact on food security.
The current public health crisis poses multifaceted challenges to the global economy. The agri-food sector is no exception, and this requires close attention to mitigate potential food security risks.
The pandemic has already led to restrictions in international and domestic trips. It threatens to affect cargo shipments, and, ultimately, international trade prospects. In these circumstances, it is important to avoid interruptions in established supply chains for key foodstuffs, prevent volatility and unjustified price speculation in food markets.
Another aspect is the impact on the continuity of agricultural production and the food industry functioning. It requires strengthened sanitary measures at workplace and promoting workforce availability, including for seasonal agricultural activities. The situation can erode employment, as ILO warns against a rise in those loosing jobs by up to 25 million globally. This can adversely affect the purchasing power, while the food basket may be among the first to be put at risk. This calls for targeted support measures for vulnerable segments of the population, with a focus on the economic and physical accessibility of food essentials. It is also important to provide the necessary support to both socially critical enterprises and small businesses in the agri-food sector.
As food security has always been among Russia’s priorities both domestically and internationally, my Government is putting in place a multitude of the above-mentioned assistance measures at home. That involves credit facilities, favourable machinery leasing for agribusiness, employment support, workforce facilitation for the planting season, among many others.
In this stressful time, it is important to continue international aid to those countries that faced food security challenges even before the outbreak. Thus, Russia maintains its strategic partnership with the Rome-based UN Agencies to support those in need. Since 2003, our total regular contributions to WFP alone have reached US$400 million. Apart from food aid, we partner with the RBAs for long-term sustainable agriculture solutions, post-conflict rehabilitation and enhancing school feeding systems. As a follow-up to the first Russia-Africa Summit, this year will see a double increase in our additional annual contribution to the WFP, complementing the so-called regular funding, with US$10 million reserved for the food needs of Africa.
Lastly, the current situation with COVID-19 is only one particular case. However, it again stresses the importance of a wider and more complex food systems agenda. In this regard, we are looking forward to the preparation of the Food Systems Summit 2021, with Member States being fully involved. We commend the engagement of the RBAs in this process, and consider them a platform of choice for professional food security discussions.
Thank you very much for your attention.
