India has asserted that the immediate priority of the United Nations Security Council must be to take steps to mitigate the humanitarian consequences of ongoing hostilities. Addressing a Security Council open debate titled “Food Under Fire:
The Security Council’s Role in Mitigating Global and Local Food Crises”, India’s permanent representative to the UN, P. Harish, called for safe, rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access, as well as support for effective de-confliction arrangements.
He further urged the Security Council to ensure that its measures, including sanctions, do not inadvertently impede humanitarian assistance or legitimate food and agricultural trade.
He noted that disruptions to energy markets, fertiliser supplies, maritime transport, humanitarian logistics and agricultural trade have demonstrated that regional conflicts can threaten food security across the world.
The Indian envoy, however, underlined that building resilient and food-secure societies remains primarily the responsibility of national governments, supported by the UN development system and the Rome-based agencies, rather than the Security Council.
