Recommendation 18

HM Government Acknowledged

Partially Accept The Global Alliance for Food security (GAFS) was set up with the aim to ensure that the support reaches those in most urgent need and coordinates aid measures relating to food security. It has evolved since the report was published, but it is not yet at a stage of securing the provision, delivery and distribution of food assistance, however they remain one of the avenues in which we coordinate with other international donors and multilateral organisations. There is also consensus that GAFS must not duplicate processes that already work well. We are encouraging greater coherence and coordination in the global humanitarian and development response to the current crisis, which is broader than merely food assistance, along the lines of the GAFS priorities of “advise”, “act”, and “learn and adapt”. The government has remained engaged with the Global Alliance for Food security (GAFS) and continues to feed into a number of their activities in development, with a focus on GAFS needing to add value and not do harm. Specifically, we have encouraged GAFS to use the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification12 to direct international efforts in food assistance and more long-term approaches to supporting food security. FCDO has also been a major donor and supporter of Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, both of its acute and chronic food security classification methodologies and scaled-up rollout, and we remain an advocate for its use and expansion to countries not currently covered who may face food insecurity as the crisis develops. We will also continue to make data available to them as they continue their work. As above we are also remain heavily engaged with Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP) which represents a more developed platform for global multilateral coordination where the focus is on the poorest and most vulnerable countries. The UK has also been taking action to address food security and cohere the international response through the G7 and G20. At the G7 Summit, leaders issued a Food Security Statement with commitments including $4.5bn additional funding to support vulnerable countries. We are also a signatory to the US Call to Action on food security, and are working closely with allies and partners to progress urgent international action. In June 2022 both Minister Prentis and Minister Ford attended a Ministerial Conference which aimed to bring together ministers from the G7 members and the Champions’ Group, as well as from key donor countries and the most vulnerable and two most affected countries, with key stakeholders from the United Nations system, philanthropists and civil society to discuss joint action b) support Ukraine to transport its food produce for both internal consumption and international export to help feed in-need communities. Such support should include the supply of protective equipment and transport vehicles to Ukraine and participation in multilateral initiatives to facilitate food exports by Ukraine. Accept Until Russia’s invasion, Ukraine was one of the largest exporters of grains and vegetable oils, exporting grain to meet the needs of hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Previously 96% of Ukrainian grain was exported through the Black Sea. The UK welcomes the agreement that was reached in Istanbul on 23 July 2022 between Ukraine, Russia and Turkey13, and witnessed by the UN, which has allowed exports by sea to resume. The agreement establishes a safe maritime corridor for the export of grain and other foodstuffs from the Ukrainian Black Sea ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi. The first shipment left the port of Odesa on 1 August and by the end of the first month 65 ships had departed carrying 1.5 million tonnes of agricultural products. The UK pushed for this agreement, putting the need to get grain out of Ukraine and into world markets firmly on the agenda of G7, NATO and G20 summits. Ministers and officials consistently raised the issue with their counterparts. The UK has also provided military equipment which helps give Ukraine the confidence it can defend its ports against Russian attack. It is important that Russia continues to meet in full its commitments under the agreement signed in Istanbul so that exports by sea can further increase and continue at scale in the long-term helping to alleviate the global food security crisis. The UK also welcomes the successful efforts made by the EU under its Solidarity Lanes programme to rapidly increase the amount of grain that Ukraine can export by rail, road and barge across land and river borders into EU Member States. Export volumes have risen from 300,000t in March to an estimated 3mt in August. The UK’s £10m of support to Ukrainian Railways will help in the repair of bridges and other rail infrastructure and also facilitate the export of grain by rail both to ports and across land borders.