The United Nations said Friday it is setting up a task force to design a mechanism to keep trade flowing through the Strait of Hormuz, warning that disruptions caused by the Iran war could trigger worsening food shortages and humanitarian crises worldwide.
“Immediate action is essential to mitigate these consequences,” UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said.
UN Under-Secretary-General Jorge Moreira da Silva, executive director of the United Nations Office for Project Services, will lead the initiative, Dujarric said.
The proposed task force will draw on previous UN efforts, including the Black Sea Grain Initiative for Ukraine and the UN 2720 mechanism for Gaza.
“The task force will now be in touch with all relevant member states to determine how this can be operationalized,” Dujarric said. “We hope all involved countries will support this, especially for the sake of people who are already being impacted.”
Disruptions to fertilizer shipments and rising energy prices are already threatening new food price increases in vulnerable countries, raising concerns of a prolonged setback just as many economies were beginning to recover from previous global shocks.
An analysis released last week by the UN World Food Programme warned that tens of millions more people could face acute hunger if the Iran war continues through June.