Signed in Istanbul in July 2022, the Black Sea Initiative (BSI)* and the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)** aim to facilitate shipments of grain and fertilizers from the Russian Federation and Ukraine to world markets.

These agreements remain a lifeline for global food security and they must continue.

Conflict, climate change, energy prices and other factors continue to roil the production, availability and affordability of food, while 258 million people face hunger in 58 countries.

Our objective is simple: to preserve the lifeline provided by the BSI and MoU to bolster global food security. Russian and Ukrainian exports of food and fertilizers are critical in achieving this goal.

The BSI has allowed, to date, more than 32 million metric tons of foodstuffs to be exported from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports to 45 countries across three continents.

The proportion of wheat exported to Least Developed Countries and to sub-Saharan Africa through the Black Sea remains mostly unchanged from pre-war levels***.

As a positive impact of these exports through the Black Sea and the exports of food and fertilizers from the Russian Federation, the Food and Agriculture Organization reports that global food prices have dropped by 22 per cent since March 2022.

Crucially, the World Food Programme is once again procuring wheat from Ukraine at the same volumes as in 2021, purchasing nearly 700,000 tons through the Black Sea Initiative to support humanitarian operations in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

Türkiye has played a crucial role in hosting and facilitating the implementation of the Initiative.

Since the signing of the MoU in July 2022, the United Nations has made significant efforts to engage relevant authorities including in the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States, and the private sector to realize the existing exemptions for food and fertilizers within the sanctions that can facilitate exports of Russian food and fertilisers to address global food security.

Disruption of trade is quick to occur but takes much longer to repair. The first step was to establish the legal and policy frameworks needed to facilitate access to global markets of Russian food and fertilizers. To this end, the United Nations has helped to secure the issuance of U.S. General License 6B and 6C, two UK General Licenses on finance and trade in food and fertilizers, and the derogation by the EU in its ninth sanctions package, as well as a range of clarifications, FAQs, fact sheets and other guidance to the private sector.

In meetings over the past year with relevant industry actors, the private sector has consistently highlighted the benefits of US and UK General Licenses in helping to unblock trade in Russian foodstuffs and fertilizers for key Russian markets outside Europe – including, given the extra-territoriality of US sanctions, many of the key markets of Russian exports in developing countries, with a positive impact on global food security.

Beyond aggregate figures, it is important to note that regional and country disparities and gaps persist. The fertilizer crunch remains a reality for farmers in certain developing countries, against the backdrop of the cost-of-living crisis. The United Nations continues to work on key solutions, such as an innovative Trade Finance Platform with the Afreximbank to facilitate trade between Russian food and fertilizer producers and buyers in African countries; facilities related to banking and insurance; as well as the resumption of key transshipment routes for fertilizer and ammonia.

The United Nations remains committed to ensuring that essential goods can continue to reach global markets safely and predictably, at the scale necessary, for the well-being of all people in developed and developing nations.

*The Initiative on the Safe Transportation of Grain and Foodstuffs from Ukrainian Ports was signed by the Russian Federation, Türkiye and Ukraine and witnessed by the United Nations.
**The Memorandum of Understanding on promoting Russian food products and fertilizers to the world markets was signed by the Russian Federation and the United Nations.
***Source: UN Comtrade database https://comtradeplus.un.org/ The proportion of BSI sea wheat exports from Ukraine to Sub-Saharan Africa is similar to the long-term trend, at eight per cent. The share of wheat exports to Least Developed Countries is similar to the five-year average at about 20 per cent.
For questions on the Black Sea Initiative, contact: Ismini Palla at palla@un.org
For questions on the Memorandum of Understanding, contact: Amalia Navarro at amalia.navarro@unctad.org