The final consultations meeting on the Memorandum of Understanding between the United Nations and the Russian Federation took place today, in Geneva.
The Memorandum of Understanding was signed on 22 July 2022 with an implementation period of three years as part of the efforts of the United Nations Secretary-General on global food security in the context of the Istanbul agreements.
The United Nations committed under the Memorandum of Understanding to “efforts to facilitate the transparent unimpeded access of food and fertilizers, including the raw materials required to produce fertilizers (including ammonia), originating from the Russian Federation to the world markets. This includes impediments that may arise in the sectors of finance, insurance and logistics.”
To accomplish this, the Secretary-General established a Task Team, led by UNCTAD Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan, to engage with all relevant stakeholders, including private sector actors, with a view to realizing the established exemptions related to the agricultural sector.
Over three years, the United Nations and the Russian Federation maintained constructive consultations to find solutions to address global food security.
This work shows that, even in the most challenging of circumstances, the United Nations can convene around a shared commitment to global food security and the Secretary-General will continue to make his good offices available towards that objective.