Remarks to the Security Council by Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths [As delivered] 31 October 2022

Thank you very much, Mr. President, thank you for this opportunity.

Thirty-eight countries have purchased some nine million tons of grain from Ukraine under the Black Sea Grain Initiative. As has been noted, not all of it has gone to the neediest countries.

But all of it has a humanitarian impact: the reduction of prices, the calming of market volatility. Ukraine’s grain exports are not a food aid operation, but they do operate as a huge lever on price, with positive ripple effects throughout the world. New security allegations are a cause of grave concern to the Secretary-General and many Member States are worried now the deal is in trouble.

So it’s a privilege for me, Mr. President, to brief the Council on this particular matter today.

Over the weekend, the Secretary-General heard from our Russian colleagues of their intent to suspend participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, the reasons for which I am sure they will share with us today.

Mr. President,

It would indeed be a grave abuse of the Black Sea Grain Initiative if it were used in any way for military operational advantage.

The United Nations has the solemn privilege of assisting the Parties to implement this unique arrangement. Acting as a Secretariat, the UN is ready to investigate, along with Member States party to the Initiative, any and all evidence, if requested.

The Joint Coordination Centre – comprised of representatives of all four signatories to the Initiative – has established and agreed processes for such incidents and accidents.

When a ship’s captain reported seeing a possible floating mine recently, the JCC, the Joint Coordination Centre, agreed by consensus to pause shipping, and it allowed a Ukrainian tugboat, accompanied by a search-and-rescue vessel at a distance, to search the area. Nothing was found, and the JCC decided to resume shipping the next day, and I cite this as an example of the JCC’s functioning.

This, of course, is why Russia’s suspension is concerning: There is a painstaking process, in the JCC, to arrive at a consensus on matters large and small, even when a hot war is raging. The JCC has to be, and is, meticulously impartial.

The corridor has been tranquil. The ships sailed, the food did flow, prices did drop. And we must all hope that this [hope] will rise again.

I wish to stress three points related to the alleged connection to the Initiative of the Sevastopol attacks and the damage to Russian military vessels and infrastructure.

Firstly, to be clear, no military vessels, aircraft or assets are, or have been, involved in support of the Initiative by any party. They are not required. In fact, they are prohibited from going closer than ten nautical miles to the cargo ships, according to procedures agreed by all the parties.

Secondly, the corridor itself is just lines on a chart: When Initiative vessels, vessels involved in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, are not in the area, the corridor has no special status. It provides neither cover nor protection for offensive or defensive military action. It’s not a shield, it’s not a hideout, it’s not a no-go zone. These things come into play when a ship passes through those lines on the sea.

Third, coming to alleged misuse of cargo vessels in the Initiative for military purposes, none were in the corridor on the night of 29 October when the reported attacks took place. No vessel reported an incident over the weekend. So we are ready to consider and inquire into any evidence that is reported to us in the JCC.

All sides decided in the JCC that this Initiative should be entirely civilian in nature. Rather than escorts, as was imagined by some, or patrols, the safety of shipping is protected by the commitments of Ukraine and the Russian Federation. Both commit not to attack ships and related port facilities, under paragraph C of the agreement signed on 22 July in Istanbul.

We stand ready to discuss any concerns, therefore, in terms of the Initiative and its implementation. We continue to rely on the key contribution of Türkiye as a mediator, facilitator and host.

Mr President,

The JCC’s operations are an open book, or, I should perhaps say, an open database: The journeys of cargo vessels in the Initiative can be tracked in real time on public websites. All parties share the same information about ships, cargo, inspection and destinations. The data for 9.5 million tons of shipments on the UN website, that’s the export to date, has been accessed over 70,000 times.

The rigorous joint inspections, including, of course, by Russian inspectors, as well as all of the parties to the Initiative, have combed through the storage holds, engine rooms and tanks of ships over 800 times. The searches have come up with plenty of minor inconsistencies: missing paperwork, some sacks of rice swept from a previous cargo shipment, a crew member’s passport recorded wrongly. More seriously, the JCC teams have battled to maintain a balance between safety and rigor when inspecting cargo that has been fumigated with toxic insecticide. The JCC has recorded some 60 navigational deviations from the agreed corridors in over 820 voyages facilitated by the Initiative.

On over 100 occasions when problems were raised, the JCC process is comprehensive and exhaustive. Corrective measures have been agreed by consensus. It’s not the easiest format for countries at war to work. But, Mr. President, up to now, it has worked, to their great credit.

However, Mr. President, in the days leading up to Russia’s suspension of its participation, it is true that the process had been getting bogged down, due to insufficient inspection capacity. Food for millions was stuck in a maritime traffic jam in the Bosphorus, visible from above. Ships’ captains are calling in, desperate to get moved up through the queue.

And that meant we lost time, the shipping industry lost money, and we are delaying food delivery, and we need to get back to the status quo ante when we were able to export those millions of tons.

Let me conclude by observing, Mr. President, that some have questioned the value of this quite extraordinary effort. They have said it’s not enough, that the food is going to the wrong places, and it’s the wrong type of food.

Mark my words, when things go awry, as now, we can see together can see how much good it can do and has been doing.

We insist, as we have all along, that the exports from both of these global breadbaskets, Ukraine and Russia, are vital. We need unimpeded exports from both. Of course, Rebeca [Grynspan, Secretary-General of the UN Conference on Trade and Development] will brief you in more detail, but let me also say very clearly that we hope and expect all Member States to work to support the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding between the United Nations and the Russian Federation, also signed on 22 July, to ensure their own food and fertilizer exports can expeditiously reach global markets.

Because if we can’t get more fertilizer out, we face even worse shortages next year. And I, as the Emergency Relief Coordinator, for me, the thought of even more global hunger next year – that’s the nightmare that we face.

I particularly welcome pledges from both countries, Russia and Ukraine, to donate food to support humanitarian relief operations in the world’s hardest-hit and hungry nations. It’s a heartening sign that both sides recognise the special responsibilities that they share.

As I’m sure Rebeca will explore and explain much better than I, when the Chicago Board of Trade opened today, wheat prices jumped. Wheat prices jumped as a result of recent events, and each fraction of a percentage point increase pushes someone, somewhere, over the line into extreme poverty. Insurers tell us their premiums may leap by a quarter or a half for shipping across the Black Sea.

We are very encouraged by Russia’s assurance, and this is an important, not merely a distinction, it’s an important fact, that it is not pulling out of the Initiative, as has been said by some. It is only temporarily suspending activities in the implementation of the Initiative. The Russian Federation has deployed a highly professional team at the JCC for its implementation and they are still there. We look forward to welcoming them back as a full and active participant as soon as may be in the fulfilment of the goals that we have all agreed and signed up to. The United Nations is ready to address concerns and listen to suggestions from all sides, we’ve had many discussions, as we approach the 120-day extension point on November 19th, where the Initiative can be renewed.

Today, emergency measures were taken to release some of the cargo from Ukrainian ports and to inspect some of 100 or so vessels that are queued up and ready to go. We need to continue fulfilling our commitments and act in concert as before. Our understanding is that the Initiative and commitments remain in force, even during the suspension of Russia’s participation.

Today, 12 ships sailed out from Ukrainian ports and two headed in to load food. All of these ships were previously inspected by the full membership of the Joint Coordination Centre.

One headed south through the corridor, as an example, is the IKARIA ANGEL, with 30,000 tons of World Food Programme wheat for Ethiopia. Another passed inspection on its onward journey, the PANGEO, full with wheat destined for Yemen and Afghanistan. The next WFP vessel is on its way.

So, Mr. President, I have a simple message: Let us keep this supply line open. Let us keep this Initiative in action. Let us resolve our differences with all speed. This initiative is too important to fail.

Thank you very much.