Global food supply has become ‘collateral damage’ in conflicts: Secretary-General

UN warns of 'collateral damage' to global food supply

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters in New York on Monday that the global food supply has become “collateral damage” in conflicts involving the US, Iran, and Israel; Russia and Ukraine; and the Yemeni Houthis and Saudi Arabia. He stressed that “maritime chokepoints must never become instruments of coercion” and that the delivery of food, energy and essential goods must never be impeded.

“The unimpeded exercise of navigational rights and freedoms is a cornerstone of peace, security and shared prosperity, and must be respected,” Mr. Guterres said. “Protecting it is a legal obligation and a humanitarian imperative.”

The warning comes as conflicts constrict commercial shipping through several strategic waterways.

Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab under pressure

In the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman between Iran and Oman, commercial shipping has slowed to a trickle. US and Iranian forces have each escorted limited numbers of mostly oil tankers through separate sections of the strait under their control. Mr. Guterres noted that the decline in traffic has spiked oil prices and container rates, affecting the cost of food and fertilizer.

In the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden between Eritrea, Djibouti and Yemen, Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen have declared a naval blockade against shipping linked to Saudi Arabia. About 12 per cent of seaborne oil trade has historically passed through Bab al-Mandab, while around 20 per cent of the world’s oil supply has historically passed through Hormuz. The current conflicts have triggered global oil price shocks and higher prices.

The Secretary-General also cited the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), noting that countries bordering straits “shall not hamper transit passage.” He pointed out that the US, Iran and Israel have not ratified the treaty.

Black Sea grain supply at risk

In the Black Sea, Russian and Ukrainian forces have intensified attacks on ports and cargo ships in recent months, threatening the global grain supply. Together, the three conflicts are making food more expensive to produce and ship, and are putting grain shipments from two of the world’s major exporters at risk.

Mr. Guterres described the situation in stark terms: “These crises are choking arteries of global trade and squeezing the global food system especially hard,” leading to higher prices, deepening hunger, weaker harvests and greater suffering.

He also noted that 2025 saw the highest number of armed conflicts since World War II and among the highest levels of global acute hunger, with at least 266 million people facing acute food insecurity. That year also marked the first time this century that two famines were confirmed simultaneously, in Sudan and Gaza, which Mr. Guterres called a “shameful milestone.”

According to the UN’s latest Hunger Hotspots report, conflict and violence are primary drivers in 12 out of 13 hunger hotspots.

Task force for maritime transit

The Secretary-General mentioned a task force he established in March for “safe, orderly and predictable maritime transit for humanitarian purposes” through the Strait of Hormuz, headed by UNOPS Executive Director Jorge Moreira da Silva. He described the task force as a temporary measure until countries reestablish full navigational freedom.

India calls for collective action to safeguard sea lanes

Meanwhile, India called on the international community to work collectively to safeguard critical sea lanes, emphasizing that secure and predictable maritime trade routes are indispensable for uninterrupted movement of food, fertilizers and fuel.

“Food insecurity remains one of the gravest humanitarian consequences of armed conflict. Today's conflicts increasingly generate ripple effects far beyond the immediate theatre of hostilities,” India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni, said.

Addressing the UN Security Council High-Level Open Debate titled “Food Under Fire: The Security Council's Role in Mitigating Global and Local Food Crises” on Tuesday, Parvathaneni said disruptions to energy markets, fertilizer supplies, maritime transport, humanitarian logistics and agricultural trade have demonstrated how regional conflicts can threaten food security across the world, with the greatest burden falling on developing countries that are highly import-dependent.

India emphasized that the “immediate priority” of the UN Security Council should be to mitigate the humanitarian consequences of conflict. “This requires facilitating safe, rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access, supporting de-confliction arrangements where appropriate, and ensuring that the Council's own measures, including sanctions regimes, do not inadvertently impede humanitarian assistance or legitimate food and agricultural trade,” Parvathaneni said.

He underscored the need to preserve the safety and freedom of navigation for commercial shipping in accordance with international law.

India also called for timely assessments of supply chain disruptions, using the technical expertise of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP) and other agencies, with assessments being objective, evidence-based and free from politicization.

In addition, India called for strengthening domestic agricultural production, diversifying supply chains, improving storage and logistics, and promoting climate-resilient agriculture. India cautioned against “over-reliance” on any single model of production as being vulnerable to geopolitical disruptions, economic coercion and weaponization. It encouraged small and marginal farmers and climate-resilient crops such as millets, rather than limiting food security to staple grains like rice, wheat and corn.