A declaration passed
by the International Grains Council calls on Russia to ‘immediately and unconditionally’
cease its aggression against Ukraine.
At its session on 6 April 2022, International Grains Council ( IGC ) has adopted a declaration on the impact of the Russian aggression in Ukraine on the global grains and oilseeds markets and on world food security through a majority vote.
The 15-point resolution condemns Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, which has propelled global export prices to multi‐year highs. It underscores that the military action and damage to logistics and infrastructure in Ukraine has immediate and potentially long‐term consequences on global grains and oilseeds trade and supplies to susceptible regions, including Africa, the Near East, and Asia. The resolution calls on Russia to ‘immediately and unconditionally’ cease its large‐scale aggression, withdraw its troops from Ukraine.
Here’s the IGC’s declaration on Russia’s aggression against Ukraine:
The International Grains Council:
- strongly condemns the large-scale aggression by the Russian Federation against the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine, and expresses its deep sadness by the devastating human losses and suffering, and its solidarity with Ukraine;
- further highlights that Russia’s aggression in Ukraine is counter to the objectives of the Grains Trade Convention (GTC) as set forth in Article 1 of the Convention, specifically Article 1(c) to contribute to the fullest extent possible to the stability of international grain markets in the interests of all members, to enhance world food security, and to contribute to the development of countries whose economies are heavily dependent on commercial sales of grain; and impedes the International Grains Council’s (IGC) mission to promote transparency, to expand international grains trade and to contribute to the stability of the global grains market through cooperation;
- recalls the UN General Assembly resolution (A/RES/ES‐11/1, 2 March 2022), which deplored in the strongest terms the aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine in violation of article 2(4) of the Charter, and demanded that the Russian Federation immediately cease its use of force against Ukraine;
- further recalls the UN General Assembly resolution (A/RES/ES-11/2, 24 March 2022), which expressed concern about the impact of the conflict on increased food insecurity globally, in particular in Least Developed Countries, as Ukraine and the region are one of the world’s most important areas for grain and agricultural exports, and recalled that armed conflict and violence have a devastating impact on agricultural production and livelihoods, and calls on all parties to respect International Humanitarian Law (IHL) in all circumstances;
- condemns Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, which has propelled global export prices to multi-year highs. Amid steep gains across grains and oilseed markets, the IGC Grains and Oilseeds Index (GOI) reached the highest in its 22-year history on 15 March 2022.;
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deplores the damaging impact of Russia’s aggression on global food security and the affordability of food for people suffering from hunger and all forms of malnutrition caused by the destruction of agriculture, agricultural infrastructure, and the shutdown of trade activities in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov area, which greatly undermines the Sustainable Development Goals. Notes that together, Ukraine and
Russia account for around 30% of global wheat exports, 15% of maize exports, close to 16% of rapeseed exports, 77% of sunflower seed oil exports and 80% of sunflower seed meal exports (based on a 5‐year average up to and including 2020/21);
- recalls that nearly all of Ukraine’s grains exports are carried out through seaports on the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov and deplored their naval blockade and deliberate shelling by the Russian navy that prevented foreign‐flagged commercial vessels, including loaded with grains and other agricultural commodities, from leaving the ports;
- underscores that the military action and damage to logistics and infrastructure in Ukraine has immediate and potentially long‐term consequences on global grains and oilseeds trade and supplies to susceptible regions, including Africa, the Near East, and Asia;
- reiterates in this regard the paramount importance of preserving the safety and security of international shipping in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov region, which serves as the supply chains sustaining other nations and provides them with food;
- calls on Russia to immediately and unconditionally cease its large‐scale aggression, withdraw its troops from Ukraine, end the suffering it is inflicting on the people of Ukraine, as well as refrain from taking steps in furtherance of the military operations that prevent restoring Ukrainian farmers’ and producers’ safe access to fields and infrastructure related to the production and transportation of grains, and recognizes the danger posed for agricultural activities by the contamination of lands with explosive remnants of war;
- acknowledges that, with the start of winter wheat harvesting and spring grains and oilseeds planting now imminent, the next few months will be a crucial period for farmers in Ukraine. Safe access to fields and adequate supply of seeds, fuel and fertilizers are among the main factors needed in Ukraine to achieve a successful harvest in order to ensure domestic food security and contribute to the global food balance.
- calls on all countries to keep their agricultural markets open and to refrain from excessive stockpiling and hoarding or imposing any restrictive measures on their exports, taking into account WTO rules. Due to low stocks level of grains in the major exporting countries, any measures to further limit trade would further fuel the current food price inflation;
- recognizes the value of the G20 Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS) to enhance food market transparency and policy response for food security and urges continued support for as broad participation in AMIS as possible, including sharing or updating information on stocks and production;
- requests that the IGC Secretariat take appropriate action to monitor the impact of the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine on the activities of the IGC and prepare the recommendations for the Council’s consideration on how to improve world grains and oilseeds markets and trade information for members, notably through:
- monitoring trends in global sunflower seed and products markets;
- setting up an expert group with the support of GEOGLAM to improve the accuracy of grains and oilseeds supply forecasts and estimates for Ukraine, including logistics capacity and trade;