A man and a woman in front of monitors
The UN Chief of Operations (right) and watchkeepers at the Joint Coordination Centre follow vessel movements in the maritime humanitarian corridor using terrestrial and satellite means and communicate with the vessels’ master, 13 March 2023, Istanbul. © UN/Corinna Windisch

Joint Coordination Centre for the Black Sea Grain Initiative

Mission

The Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) facilitated the implementation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative to allow ships to safely export grain, other foodstuffs and fertilizers, including ammonia, from Ukraine via a maritime humanitarian corridor.

Background

The JCC was established on 27 July 2022 in Istanbul. The JCC comprised representatives of Ukraine, the Russian Federation, Türkiye and the United Nations.

The JCC was born out of the recognition of the critical importance of global food security, and its significant dependence on the supply of grain and other foodstuffs produced in the region. The Initiative was focused on exporting grain, other foodstuffs and fertilizers, including ammonia, from Ukraine.

The Initiative saw significant volumes of commercial grain exports move from three key Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea – Odesa, Chornomorsk, Yuzhny/Pivdennyi – to world markets.

During its implementation, over 32 million metric tons of grain and foodstuffs were moved to 45 countries, in close to 2,000 voyages back and forth helping to bring down global food prices and stabilizing the markets. Thanks to the Initiative, the World Food Programme shipped over 725,000 metric tons of wheat from Ukraine in direct support of its humanitarian operations in Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa and Yemen.

The Initiative was terminated on 17 July 2023.

Roles and responsibilities

The JCC monitored the movement of commercial vessels and ensured the compliance with the procedures developed through the Initiative for shipments to and from three Ukrainian ports: Chornomorsk, Odesa and Yuzhny/Pivdennyi.

It also reported on shipments facilitated through the Initiative.

Inspections of vessels were conducted by joint inspection teams, under the auspices of the JCC. The JCC coordinated with the relevant authorities to determine appropriate actions when non-compliance was determined.

The UN’s role in this Initiative was subject to the United Nations authorities and mandates, including OCHA’s existing global humanitarian mission.

Commercial ships submitted applications to the JCC via Ukrainian port authorities to ensure the appropriate monitoring, inspection process and safe passage. Procedures for merchant vessels can be found here.