Tajani opens Italy/FAO/MED9 meeting on Hormuz blockade and implications for energy and fertilisers

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, together with the Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Gordan Grlić-Radman (in his capacity as rotating President of the MED9), and the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization, Qu Dongyu, opened a ministerial meeting with around 40 countries and regional and international organisations-including the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Arab League-aimed at strengthening political coordination on food security and access to fertilisers through the Strait of Hormuz. The aim of the meeting will be to coordinate operational responses and promote mitigation measures to ensure the continuity of food and fertiliser supplies, with particular attention to the impact on the most vulnerable countries and the broader implications for global economic and social stability. The escalation in the Middle East has led to a deterioration in the humanitarian situation, with 24.6 million people displaced, many of whom face urgent humanitarian needs.

The FAO has identified several possible responses to the crisis, including support for countries dependent on food imports through the FAO Food Import Financing Facility (FIFF). The meeting will also be joined by the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), Jorge Moreira da Silva, who leads the UN task force on the implications of tensions in the Strait of Hormuz for food security and international agricultural markets.