Task force lead warns Strait of Hormuz disruptions could push 45 million into hunger

The task force lead said the disruption of the Strait of Hormuz "can push 45 million more people into hunger and starvation," and urged international coordination to protect fertilizer shipments.

The task force lead said the region is central to fertilizer flows: "We have 1/3 of all fertilizers uh going through the Strait of Hormuz," and described how interruption of that route would ripple through the global supply chain, reducing agricultural productivity in vulnerable countries.

Explaining efforts underway, the task force lead said the idea of the task force they are leading, with UNOPS, UNCTAD, the International Maritime Organization and the International Chamber of Commerce, "was to develop a mechanism uh focused on fertilizers and related raw materials such as urea, uh sulfur, uh and ammonia to prevent a massive humanitarian crisis." The speaker framed the mechanism as a way to prioritize transit and avoid worsening food insecurity.

The speaker also warned that countries already fragile from climate change would be especially at risk because agricultural productivity depends on fertilizer access; without it, he said, "you will have food insecurity, uh hunger, and starvation." The task force lead added that the Secretary-General wanted the UN to prepare and prioritize such a mechanism.

The task force lead's remarks outlined the problem, the materials of concern and the proposed multilateral response; no formal decisions or votes were recorded in the transcript. Next steps described in the remarks are preparation of the mechanism and coordination among the named international organizations.