Myroslava Shcherbatiuk- Ambassador of Ukraine to Jordan

On the 26th of November, 2022 during the International Food Security Summit held in Kyiv the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy came up with a humanitarian initiative “Grain from Ukraine”. Based on the results of the summit a Joint Statement was adopted which is open to accession by other countries during the implementation period of the “Grain from Ukraine” initiative.

This initiative which is implemented in partnership with the World Food Programme emphasizes the importance of food security and the global role of Ukraine and its partners in guaranteeing it.

The initiative is supported by the International Coordination Group for the Prevention of Hunger (ICGPH) which is headquartered in Odesa.

The ICGPH operates under the leadership of the President of Ukraine.

The group is chaired by the Head of the Presidential Office. The ICGPH includes representatives of governments, corporations, NGOs, international partners and private philanthropists who have a direct impact on meeting the food needs of millions of people around the world.

Food security is one of the elements of Ukraine’s peace formula for the world. Russian aggression hit Ukrainian people and almost all nations of the world. Therefore, Ukraine’s humanitarian initiative “Grain from Ukraine” together with the current export grain initiative is a response to the threat created by Russia.

It is aimed at defusing the food crisis and saving millions of people from hunger, and therefore dozens of countries from social chaos. The initiative strengthens the support of Ukraine’s agricultural sector and implements a win-win strategy for Ukraine’s international partners.

The initiative envisages the purchase of at least 60 vessels with Ukrainian grain which will be sent from Ukrainian ports to the countries most affected by the food crisis and which are in need of urgent aid - Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Congo, Kenya, Yemen and others.

Following the International Summit on Food Security around $200 million were raised. This sum will be used to purchase food for countries in Africa and Asia suffering from hunger.

More than 30 countries and the European Union are financially participating in the initiative. The President of Ukraine offered to the partners of Ukraine to choose the form of their participation in the program.

The first vessel Nord Vind under the flag of Barbados within the framework of this program arrived to the port of Djibouti in early December, 2022 from where 25,000 tons of wheat were delivered to the people of Ethiopia.

On the 20th of March, 2023 another vessel delivered a humanitarian cargo of 30,000 tons of wheat to the Kenyan port of Mombasa.

The shipment of this batch of Ukrainian grain took place with the financial assistance from the governments of the United Kingdom, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia and the Czech Republic. According to rough estimates by the UN World Food Programme, this quantity of grain will provide bread for about 2 million people for 1.5 months.

"Today, almost 350 million people on our planet are suffering from hunger. Ukraine suffers daily from endless shelling and destruction caused by Russia's military aggression. However, as part of the civilized world, we will never give up our joint participation in overcoming global challenges, including food security.

Therefore, despite the gravity of the situation Ukraine is facing today, we will continue not only to bravely confront the enemy, but also to do everything possible to help countries whose citizens face food shortages, particularly in Africa and Asia," the President of Ukraine Mr Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

The sixth ship in four months within the framework of the “Grain from Ukraine” humanitarian initiative will deliver 30,000 tons of grain to Yemen from the port of Chornomorsk in Odesa region (Ukraine). The USA, France and Spain became donors of this aid.