2070WD GLOBAL FOOD/UN
Metadata
- 2070WD GLOBAL FOOD/UN
- August 3, 2023
- Blinken urges world to tell Russia: Enough using Black Sea as blackmail
- Language English
- Transcript/Script RIGHTS and RESTRICTIONS: Broadcast: None. Digital: None.. For Reuters customers only. ORIGINAL TEXT PROVIDER: Reuters ALTERNATE TEXT PROVIDER INFO: Reuters, AUG 03 ORIGINAL VIDEO PROVIDER: Reuters ORIGINAL VIDEO SOURCE: UNTV BY: UNTV, AUG 03 ORIGINAL VIDEO DESCRIPTION: NATURAL WITH ENGLISH SPEECH INTRO TEXT: Blinken urges world to tell Russia: Enough using Black Sea as blackmail ADDITIONAL INFO: =====SCRIPT BODY TEXT===== VIDEO SHOWS: U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE, ANTONY BLINKEN, AT U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL MEETING RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT SHOWS: UNITED NATIONS (AUGUST 3, 2023) (UNTV - Access all) 1. U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL MEETING 2. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE, ANTONY BLINKEN, SAYING: "Hunger must not be weaponized. I urge all member states to join this communique. We also must significantly increase aid to tackle extreme hunger and to avert famine. Last year, governments and private donors made record contributions providing direct relief, equipping farmers with fertilizer, using satellite imagery to maximize yields. Donations for the World Food Programme jumped 48%. The United States alone provided more than $7.2 billion, funding roughly half of the World Food Programme's budget. These and other efforts helped the world narrowly avoid famine last year. But this year, as we've heard, the World Food Programme estimates that it has to spend $25 billion to deliver relief to 171 million people. To date, countries have funded only $4.5 billion, in other words, 18% of what's required. The cost of that shortfall will be measured in growth stunted and in lives lost." 3. BLINKEN 4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE, ANTONY BLINKEN, SAYING: "This past year, the Black Sea Grain Initiative, negotiated by the United Nations and Turkey delivered over 32 million tons of Ukrainian foodstuffs to the world. Wheat exports alone were the equivalent of 18 billion loaves of bread, 18 billion loaves of bread. Keep in mind, this initiative never should have been necessary in the first place. It only was necessary because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and its blockade of Ukrainian ports. But the initiative produced concrete, demonstrable, powerful results in making sure that these food products could continue to get to world markets going to those who needed it. And let's be very clear about who benefited from this initiative. Over half the food products exported through this effort and two thirds of the wheat went to developing countries. These shipments helped to lower global food prices for everyone by roughly a quarter since Russia's full scale invasion. Since Russia pulled out of the arrangement on July 17th, ignoring the world's appeals, grain prices have risen by more than 8% around the world. Kenya's foreign ministry called Russia's move and I quote, 'A stab in the back.' The Kremlin claims that it tore up the deal because international sanctions were restricting its agricultural exports. In reality, sanctions explicitly exclude food and fertilizer. In fact, at the time it abandoned the initiative, Russia was exporting more grain at higher prices than ever before. And what has Russia's response been to the world's distress and outrage? Bombing Ukrainian granaries, mining port entrances, threatening to attack any vessel in the Black Sea, no matter its flag, no matter its cargo. These actions are consistent with Russia's decision last month to block the reauthorization of critical cross-border humanitarian assistance to Syria, a country where, after February's devastating earthquake, 12 million people don't have enough to eat. The United States is prepared to renew efforts to mandate this vital lifeline if the United Nations and Syria cannot find a way forward. We also very much appreciate Turkey and others working to reinstate the grain deal. Every member of this Council, every member of the United Nations should tell Moscow, 'Enough.' Enough using the Black Sea as blackmail; enough treating the world's most vulnerable people as leverage; enough of this unjustified unconscionable war." 5. DELEGATES LISTENING / U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL MEETING STORY: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged all countries at the United Nations on Thursday (August 3) to tell Russia to stop using the Black Sea as blackmail after it quit a deal that had allowed Ukraine to safely ship its grain to global markets. "Every member of the United Nations should tell Moscow, 'Enough.'" said Blinken as he chaired a U.N. Security Council meeting on famine and food insecurity caused by conflict. "Enough using the Black Sea as blackmail; enough treating the world's most vulnerable people as leverage; enough of this unjustified unconscionable war," he told the 15-member body. Blinken announced that nearly 90 countries had backed a short U.S.-drafted communique in which they commit "to take action to end the use of food as a weapon of war and the starvation of civilians as a tactic of warfare." While the United States, the European Union and others have accused Russia of using food as a weapon of war by worsening a global food crisis when it invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the U.S. communique does not specifically call out any countries. Russia last month quit a deal that had allowed the safe Black Sea export of Ukraine grain for the past year. The pact was brokered by the United Nations and Turkey to help ease a global food crisis following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine and Russia are both leading grain exporters. After Moscow quit it began targeting Ukrainian ports and grain infrastructure on the Black Sea and Danube River and global grain prices spiked. Moscow has said that if its demands to improve its own exports of grain and fertilizer were met it would consider resurrecting the Black Sea agreement. "The Kremlin claims that it tore up the deal because international sanctions were restricting its agricultural exports," Blinken said. "In reality, sanctions explicitly exclude food and fertilizer." "At the time it abandoned the initiative, Russia was exporting more grain at higher prices than ever before," he added. Moscow has said that restrictions on payments, logistics and insurance have been a barrier to its agricultural exports. The Security Council also adopted a formal statement on Thursday - agreed by consensus - on conflict-induced food insecurity, including famine, in situations of armed conflict. "The Security Council strongly condemns the use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare, which is prohibited by international humanitarian law, and the unlawful denial of humanitarian access" it read. (Production: Roselle Chen)
- NewsML Media Topics Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
- Rights Broadcast: None. Digital: None.. For Reuters customers only.
- Network VOA
- Location (dateline) UNITED NATIONS
- Expiration Date September 2, 2023 11:58 EDT
- Embargo Date August 3, 2023 12:15 EDT
- Brand / Language Service Voice of America