STATEMENT - ACP and the war in Ukraine

The ACP-EU Follow-up Committee points out that, in a globalised world, armed conflict and food insecurity go hand in hand.

According to the FAO, Russia is the world's largest exporter of wheat and Ukraine the fifth largest. Together, they supply 19% of the world’s barley, 14% of wheat, and 4% of maize, making up more than one third of global cereal exports. They are also the leading suppliers of vegetable oil (e.g. sunflower oil) and fertilisers.

Many vulnerable countries are unable to cope with such shocks. Disruptions to agricultural inputs will have long-term negative consequences not only for small-scale producers, but also for social and political stability and for democracy itself. Across East Africa, below-average rainfall has created some of the driest conditions in four decades which, according to the United Nations, are already leaving more than 13 million people at risk of severe hunger.

The unilateral aggression and invasion of Ukraine by Russian military forces violates all international rules and agreements in force[1] and represents a new threat to food security, as there is no guarantee that farmers in Ukraine will be able to harvest cereal and oilseed crops and deliver them to market this year, despite the efforts being made by international organisations.

The ACP-EU Follow-up Committee therefore strongly affirms its great concern at the war's repercussions for global food supply, which will further exacerbate an already challenging food security situation in many countries that are dealing with the COVID-19 recovery, political crises and environmental challenges.

We wish to point out that supply shortages and price inflation caused by the war in Ukraine will heavily affect the populations of the 79 non-EU countries involved in the Organisation of Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (OACPS) and EU partnership. The FAO food price index averaged 159.9 points in March 2022, the highest level ever reached since its inception in 1990, and all indications are that food prices will continue to rise.

The ACP-EU Follow-up Committee calls on the EU to pay particular attention to the situation in the ACP countries and to take every possible measure to prevent global food insecurity from increasing in countries with food shortages, especially in Africa, by means of humanitarian assistance and emergency support, among other things.

We urge the international community and China in particular to step up action to reduce the debt of OACP countries.

In the medium term, we encourage policymakers and governments to rely on the expertise of local communities and CSOs, including non-governmental organisations (NGOs), farmers' organisations, and the social partners, to build local and resilient food systems that are not heavily dependent on third countries and which offer sufficient income opportunities, in particular to rural populations, including women and young people.