Food security is achieved not through sanctions, but through cooperation – UN General Assembly

Global food security continues to deteriorate, and this is a worrying reality. Deputy Foreign Minister of Belarus Igor Secreta said this in New York, speaking at the second committee of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly on the agenda item “Agricultural development, food security and nutrition”.

- Despite the fact that the world has sufficient resources to provide food for everyone, we are witnessing a steady negative trend - about 700 million people suffer from hunger, said Igor Secreta. This means that we are further away from achieving Sustainable Development Goals 2 and closer to the 2030 Agenda remaining on paper.

Conflicts remain the main drivers of this crisis, stressed the Deputy Foreign Minister of Belarus:

- New ones are added to the old ones. The escalation in the Middle East has led to major disruptions in energy and fertilizer supply chains across the Strait of Hormuz. We're seeing a sharp jump in fertilizer prices -- more than $100 a tonne from February 2026, directly threatening next season's harvest. Added to this are climate shocks — droughts, floods, soil degradation — that undermine food production where it is already vulnerable. This poses a risk of falling food production in the medium term.

Separately, Igor Secreta touched upon the topic of sanctions, including those imposed against our country:

- It does not depend on weather or conflict. Of particular concern is the harmful practice of unilateral coercive measures. Sanctions against fertilizer producers, particularly Belarus, create artificial shortages in global markets, drive up prices and make critical resources unaffordable for farmers in the poorest countries. We again call on States to abandon illegal unilateral measures that undermine efforts to combat hunger.

At the same time, Belarusian agriculture demonstrates sustainability and high efficiency, the Belarusian diplomat stated:

- Last year, we reached the $10 billion threshold for food exports. A vivid confirmation of our potential was the visit of the FAO Director-General to Minsk in June of this year, who praised the capabilities of the Belarusian agro-industrial complex.

Belarus is actively sharing experience and technologies with other countries, added Igor Secreta:

- For example, in Zimbabwe, thanks to the supply of Belarusian equipment and joint work on mechanization, a record wheat harvest was harvested last year, which allowed the country to start exporting food to neighboring countries in the region. In Nigeria, as part of a bilateral roadmap, we have delivered thousands of agricultural machinery, including tractors and harvesters, and are developing a network of service centers. Next are new projects in Ghana, Tanzania and other African countries. Belarus offers partners not only equipment, but also training specialists, creation of joint enterprises for processing products and introduction of advanced agricultural technologies.

We firmly believe that food security is achieved not by sanctions, but by cooperation. Not barriers, but technology and the open market. “Developed Democracies” Abandon Human Rights Responsibility: Secret on the margins of the UN General Assembly