U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said that by keeping millions of tons of grain from Ukraine out of the international market, Russia was forcing up food prices around the world.
The untimely convergence of soaring temperatures, erratic weather and Vladimir Putin’s worldview through a lens of anger and suspicion means a lot more poor people could be going hungry in the foreseeable future.
The Russian president’s announcement earlier this month that he was backing out of a U.N.-administered agreement that had allowed Ukraine to export tens of millions of metric tons of food sent grain prices up as much as 17% in the first week, while sparking outrage in global capitals.
The number of people facing high levels of acute food insecurity has increased every year since 2019.
The U.N. body also demands Israel be held accountable for possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
The ruling orders Israel to allow aid trucks loaded with food and supplies to enter Gaza unhindered "without delay."
WHO warns disease and hunger are at alarming levels in the Congo, where almost 10 million people are on the move.
Fourteen cases remain under investigation by U.N. investigators, who have met with authorities in Israel.
The chair of the talks called for optimism despite divisions among plastic-producing nations and those urging restraints.
The number of people facing high levels of acute food insecurity has increased every year since 2019.
The group of organizations that reviewed the U.N. agency recommends several ways of strengthening its neutrality.
