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The United Nations is working on a “confidence-building mechanism” to facilitate the passage of fertilizers and other goods through the Strait of Hormuz, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, urging member states to engage “seriously and constructively.”
Guterres said disruptions to commercial shipping caused by conflicts in the Middle East and the Russia-Ukraine war were putting pressure on global food systems.
He pointed to interruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb, as well as threats to navigation routes linked to the Russia-Ukraine war.
“Maritime chokepoints must never become tools of pressure, and the world’s food supply must never become collateral damage of conflicts,” Guterres said.
Guterres said freedom of navigation was essential for international peace and security and for transporting food, energy and other critical supplies.
A task force he established in March is working on a confidence-building mechanism focused initially on the movement of fertilizers and related raw materials through the Strait of Hormuz, he said.
The mechanism could later be expanded to other products.
Guterres stressed that the initiative would not alter member states’ responsibilities under international law and said the U.N. could act as a “neutral facilitator.”
“What is needed now is the cooperation and political will of the parties,” he said. “I call on all authorities to engage seriously and constructively.”
U.N. Office for Project Services Executive Director Jorge Moreira da Silva said the proposal had received support during discussions with member states over the past four months.
He said the mechanism was ready to become operational if countries in the region showed the necessary political will.
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