Since the war started, I have been highlighting that there is no solution to the global food crisis without ensuring full global access to Ukraine’s food products and Russian food and fertilizers. Today there is a beacon of hope on the Black Sea... The comprehensive Black Sea grain agreement secured in Istanbul is a big step forward in tackling the global food crisis now gripping the globe.

We must honour and preserve the gift of rainforests. Because this is not a gift that will keep on giving … Destruction in rainforest systems around the world must be a global wake-up call to save the lungs of our planet … The equation is simple: If we protect the rainforests, they protect us. If we destroy the rainforests, we destroy ourselves.

Ending hunger is within our reach. But unless we solve this problem today, we face the spectre of global food shortages in the coming months ... Our only chance of lifting millions of people out of hunger is to act together, urgently and with solidarity.

The war on Ukraine is senseless in its scope, ruthless in its dimensions and limitless in its potential for global harm. We need quick and decisive action to ensure a steady flow of food and energy in open markets, by lifting export restrictions, allocating surpluses and reserves to those who need them, and addressing food price increases to calm market volatility.

[L]et me say that, in many ways, we are at ground zero for the world we need to build – a world of respect for international law, the UN Charter and the power of multilateralism, a world that protects civilians, a world that advances human rights, a world where leaders live up to the values that they have promised to uphold.