Press Releases
Foreign Minister Hayashi’s attendance at the Ministerial Conference “Uniting for Global Food Security”
On June 24, commencing at 9:30 p.m., Mr. HAYASHI Yoshimasa, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, participated online in the Ministerial Conference “Uniting for Global Food Security”, Germany, for approximately 60 minutes. The overview of the meeting is as follows.
The conference was organized by the Government of Germany, which holds the presidency of the G7 this year, and was hosted by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, and Minister of Food and Agriculture of Germany. The conference brought together ministers and representatives from key donor states, including the G7, international organizations, and the affected countries. In addition, the session on “Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems” was attended by Mr. TAKEBE Arata, State Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
- Following video messages from H.E. Mr. Olaf Scholz, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany and H.E. Mr. António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, discussions were held in the following three sessions: (1) immediate humanitarian action, (2) international cooperation for food security, and (3) sustainable agriculture and food systems.
- An overview of the statements made by Minister Hayashi in the session on “Diplomatic Efforts and Immediate Humanitarian Action” is as follows.
- (1) Minister Hayashi expressed concern about the current situation in which Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is causing serious disruption to the production of food in Ukraine and its distribution, as well as a humanitarian crisis. Minister Hayashi also pointed out that the sanctions were not the cause of the current food crisis.
- (2)Minister Hayashi explained that, in response to the food crisis, through international organizations such as the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Japan has been providing emergency humanitarian assistance to countries that have been affected and agricultural assistance to Ukraine. Minister Hayashi stated that Japan was also looking into providing further assistance and will continue to provide robust support that meets the needs of countries affected by the current crisis.
- (3)Minister Hayashi also stated that it was imperative to resume grain exports from Ukraine, and expressed support for the efforts by the United Nations to reopen grain exports via the Black Sea route, and the European Union’s initiative of “Solidarity Lanes.” Minister Hayashi announced that Japan would contribute to supporting the grain export from Ukraine.
- Many of the ministers noted with concern that Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is deteriorating food security, and also confirmed that in order to deal with the current food security crisis, it is indispensable for all countries concerned to continue to cooperate closely. Following the conference Conclusions by the Chairs has been issued.
(Reference 1) Members attending the meeting other than Japan
(G7) Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States, the European Union (EU)
(Champions of the UN Global Crisis Response Group) Barbados, Denmark, Germany, Indonesia
(Other participating countries) Argentina, Albania, Bahrain, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt ,Ethiopia, India, Kosovo, Mauritania, Netherlands, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Norway, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Spain, Qatar, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates (UAE), African Union (AU)
(Major organizations) United Nations, Committee on World Food Security (CFS), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), World Food Programme (WFP), World Wildlife Fund (WWF), World Bank, and representatives of private entities, etc.
(Reference 2) Foreign Minister Hayashi’s speech (English (PDF))
(Reference 3) Conclusions by the Chairs, the Ministerial Conference “Uniting for Global Food Security” (English (PDF))