UNITED STATES MISSION TO THE UNITED NATIONS
Office of Press and Public Diplomacy
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 3, 2023
Ninety-One Countries Sign U.S.-Led Joint Communiqué Condemning the Use of Food as a Weapon of War
In a demonstration of solidarity and commitment, 91 UN Member States signed a U.S.-led joint communiqué pledging action to end the use of food as a weapon of war.
Roughly 345 million people – in 79 countries – face acute food insecurity, often caused or exacerbated by armed conflict.
Today’s joint communiqué was born out of the United States’ resolve to once again use its UN Security Council presidency to draw attention to conflict-induced food insecurity.
“We can deliver lifesaving aid to those in urgent need,” Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said during today’s UN Security Council High-Level Open Debate on Famine and Conflict-Induced Global Food Insecurity. “We can ensure that people around the globe are fed, now and for years to come. If we do that, if we build a healthier, more stable, more peaceful world for all, we will have at least begun to live up to the responsibility entrusted to us, entrusted to this Council, entrusted to this institution.”
U.S. Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said, “In a world abundant with food, no one should starve to death – ever. This is a humanitarian issue, this is a moral issue, and this is a security issue. And we must address the most insidious driver of famine and food insecurity: conflict.”
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