UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday called for action to break the vicious cycle of armed conflict and food insecurity.
The link between armed conflict, violence and hunger is undeniable. Security Council Resolution 2417 of 2018, which highlights this link, must be implemented consistently and in full, he said during a Security Council open debate on the council's role in mitigating global and local food crises.
"Today is about strengthening the implementation of that important resolution. There is no time to lose," he said.
For parties to conflict, this means not depriving civilians of objects indispensable to their survival -- including food, crops, livestock and drinking water supplies -- and refraining from attacking, destroying, removing or rendering them useless, he said.
It also means taking constant care to spare civilian objects necessary for food production and distribution, including farms, mills, water systems, food processing and storage sites, and transportation hubs. And it means providing humanitarian personnel with safe and unimpeded access to civilians in armed conflicts, he said.
"Too many parties to armed conflict disregard their obligations under international humanitarian law with impunity. This is unacceptable," said Guterres. "States must do their part to uphold and ensure respect for international humanitarian law, and use their influence to secure compliance."
Guterres also said that food systems must be protected in their entirety.
Conflict or violence must not keep farmers from their fields, keep crops trapped in or on the ground, or keep food supplies stuck in storage, he said.
He called on the Security Council to renew its support for protection of infrastructure essential to food security. That must include safeguards for farms, water systems, markets, storage facilities, ports and supply routes. It should also reinforce safeguards for the supply of food exports, agricultural inputs and humanitarian aid, including passage across borders and seas.
Guterres stressed that humanitarians must be protected.
All parties to conflict have clear obligations under international humanitarian law. That includes allowing practical arrangements that enable humanitarian operations, and protecting humanitarian workers as they carry out their lifesaving work, he said.
The best protection against food insecurity is peace, and the safest conditions for peace are a world without hunger, said Guterres. "I urge this council to use all tools at its disposal to help prevent and end conflicts, and to stop emerging risks from becoming wider crises of instability and, in particular, food insecurity." ■
