The second Grain from Ukraine summit is scheduled for autumn 2023

In the fall of 2023, Ukraine plans to hold the second Grain from Ukraine summit. This measure is designed to ensure the further functioning of this humanitarian initiative. This was reported by the special representative of Ukraine for the Middle East and Africa, Maksym Subkh, in an interview with Ukrinform.

"In the fall of this year, we plan to hold the second Grain from Ukraine summit in order to raise additional funds for this program to function. Therefore, we need to encourage a wider range of countries to join this program," Maksym said. Subh.

The diplomat informed that at Grain from Ukraine, honorary ambassadors appeared - well-known African political and economic figures. During his visit to Ethiopia, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken visited warehouses where Ukrainian grain was stored, and also noted that Grain from Ukraine should continue to work.

"We even have official appeals from several African countries with a request to help them with grain within the framework of the "grain initiative". We are currently looking for logistical tools to ensure this. Because it is much easier to deliver grain to countries that have access to the ocean, such as Ethiopia, Somalia, or Kenya, than to countries that do not have access to it. But we are working with the World Food Program to find ways to meet the needs of these countries," he emphasized.

“Grain From Ukraine” is a humanitarian food program that was launched by President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy on November 26, 2022 and presented during the first inaugural International Summit on Food Security in Kyiv.

Under this Initiative Ukraine, partner countries and private sector donors will deliver Ukrainian grain to countries in Africa and Asia that are facing malnutrition and extreme hunger problems. The goal is to provide grain to at least 5 million people by the end of this spring. The Initiative should contribute to overcoming the humanitarian and economic consequences of the global food crisis caused by the Russian Federation's war of aggression against Ukraine. 

Austria, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, the European Union, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Republic of, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Qatar, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States have already announced their pledges for about $200 million to support this humanitarian program. 
The recipients of Ukrainian grain within the framework of this humanitarian program will be countries suffering from food shortages, in particular: Ethiopia, Somalia, Nigeria, Kenya, Sudan, Yemen, Afghanistan, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and others. This year, we plan to send at least 60 ships from Ukrainian ports to countries most affected by the food crisis and that are in need of urgent aid.
The program is implemented in close partnership with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).