The disruption of maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, Black Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait has worsened hunger crises and must immediately end, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said.
Speaking to reporters in New York on Monday, Mr. Guterres warned that the global food supply has become “collateral damage” in conflicts involving the US, Iran, and Israel; Russia and Ukraine; and the Yemeni Houthis and Saudi Arabia.
The Secretary-General stressed that “maritime chokepoints must never become instruments of coercion” and that the delivery of food, energy and essential goods must never be impeded.
“The unimpeded exercise of navigational rights and freedoms is a cornerstone of peace, security and shared prosperity, and must be respected,” Mr. Guterres said. “Protecting it is a legal obligation and a humanitarian imperative.”
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Conflicts constrict commercial shipping
In the Strait of Hormuz – which connects the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman between Iran and Oman – commercial shipping has slowed to a trickle.
US and Iranian forces have each escorted limited numbers of mostly oil tankers through separate sections of the strait under their control, but Mr. Guterres noted the decline in traffic through the Strait has spiked oil prices and container rates, which in turn affect the cost of food and fertiliser.
In the Bab al-Mandab Strait – which connects the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden between Eritrea, Djibouti and Yemen – Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen have declared a naval blockade against shipping linked to Saudi Arabia.
About 12 per cent of seaborne oil trade has historically passed through Bab al-Mandab, and around 20 per cent of the world’s oil supply has historically passed through Hormuz. The current conflicts have triggered global oil price shocks and higher prices.
In the Black Sea, Russian and Ukrainian forces have intensified attacks on ports and cargo ships in recent months, threatening the global grain supply.
Together, the three conflicts are making food more expensive to produce and to ship.
The conflicts are also putting grain shipments from two of the world’s major grain exporters at significant risk.
“These crises are choking arteries of global trade and squeezing the global food system especially hard,” Mr. Guterres said. “The result is clear: higher prices, deepening hunger, weaker harvests and greater suffering – especially for the world’s most vulnerable people.”
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Calls rooted in international law
Navigational rights refer to the international legal right of all ships to move through strategically important international waterways, even though those waterways may fall within the sovereignty or jurisdiction of coastal states.
Under the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), countries that border straits “shall not hamper transit passage.” The US, Iran and Israel have not ratified the treaty
“Navigational rights and freedoms are not abstract principles. They are international law,” Mr. Guterres said. “Those rights and freedoms are vital for international peace and security.”
UN task force could protect some shipments
On Monday, Mr. Guterres framed a task force he established in March for the “safe, orderly and predictable maritime transit for humanitarian purposes” through the Strait of Hormuz, with an initial focus on commercial fertilisers and related raw materials, as part of a possible solution.
Headed by UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) Executive Director Jorge Moreira da Silva, the task force could be expanded to include other products, according to Mr. Guterres.
Mr. Guterres described it as a temporary measure until countries reestablish full navigational freedom, which he said is necessary to protect millions of vulnerable people around the world.
“This mechanism is not a substitute for fully restoring navigational rights and freedoms, or for the political solutions needed to end these conflicts,” the Secretary-General said. “But it is a practical first step.”