(Reuters) - The United Nations said on Friday it was setting up a task force to design a mechanism to keep trade flowing through the Strait of Hormuz, warning that disruptions caused by the Iran war risked greater food shortages and humanitarian crises worldwide.
"Immediate action is essential to mitigate these consequences," U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.
U.N. Under-Secretary-General Jorge Moreira da Silva, executive director of the United Nations Office for Project Services, will lead the project, Dujarric said.
He said the envisaged task force would draw inspiration from other U.N. initiatives, including the Black Sea Grain Initiative for Ukraine and the UN2720 Mechanism, opens new tab for Gaza.
"The task force will now be in touch with all the relevant member states to see how this can be operationalized," Dujarric said. "We hope that all member states involved will support this, especially for the sake of people ... who are already being impacted."
Disrupted fertilizer shipments and soaring energy prices are threatening fresh food‑price surges in vulnerable countries, risking a years‑long setback just as many were emerging from successive global shocks, U.N. and other experts warn.
An analysis released by the U.N. World Food Programme last week warned that tens of millions more people will face acute hunger if the Iran war runs through to June.