Intervento di Belarus a nome di un gruppo di paesi in seno al Consiglio della FAO contro le sanzioni economiche
09.06.2026 г.Mr Chair,
Distinguished colleagues,
The global food security situation remains complex, though it has not yet reached a point of loss of control. However, ongoing conflicts, including in the Middle East, unilateral coercive measures and embargoes, the projected “super” El Niño, outbreaks of animal diseases, and other factors are all contributing to further increases in food inflation and, in the medium term, may also lead to food shortages.
We value the FAO’s analytical work, which goes beyond merely stating facts and modelling scenarios. The FAO offers countries a concrete list of measures that would help mitigate the negative consequences of various destabilising factors.
The imposition of Unilateral Coercive Measures is not in accordance with international law, the Charter of the United Nations, and jeopardize the fulfilment of all human rights including the right to food.
Unilateral coercive measures have direct and severe effects on food security, disrupting access to critical inputs (fuel, fertilizers), paralysing logistics and food supply chains, limiting or impeding the use of sovereign funds for the acquisition of food, and driving up prices with disproportionately severe humanitarian consequences for targeted countries. Such measures often fail to achieve their political objectives and instead inflict collective harm. Therefore, there is no doubt that unilateral coercive measures constitute a serious obstacle to global food security and have extraterritorial impacts that undermine the effective implementation of the FAO’s mandate.
In this context, it is worth noting the Organisation’s recommendations set out in document CL 180/3, which was presented during the special session of the FAO Council held on 28 April 2026. Thus, paragraph 65 of the aforementioned document directly calls to avoid restrictions on energy and fertilizers, as this will be essential to avoid exacerbation of input price increases.
However, in this regard, there is serious concern about the behavior of individual countries that are trying to put direct pressure on the Organisation and its staff in order to force them to abandon the independent and unbiased implementation of the FAO mandate.
We expect the experts from the FAO and other UN agencies involved in the preparation of the SOFI report to continue to fulfil their obligations as members of the international civil service, guided by the principles of professionalism, independence and impartiality. The FAO Council and the Committee on World Food Security, not to mention the UN General Assembly, have given you sufficient authority to analyse the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on food security and nutrition. In an interconnected world, the overwhelming majority of countries and peoples have a vested interest in understanding the consequences of such measures and making informed decisions.
In conclusion, we strongly urge the States to refrain from promulgating and applying any unilateral economic, financial or trade measures that undermine the right to development and weakens States’ food systems, wellbeing and food security. Rather than resorting to sanctions that externalize human costs, we consider the international community to pursue multilateral and diplomatic pathways. We are also confident that the FAO administration should maintain a line of monitoring and analysis of the impact of these measures, as well as issue recommendations to mitigate their consequences, emphasizing the most vulnerable states.
Thank you for your attention.
