Articles Tagged with ''united nations''

The inspection of grain ships entering and leaving the Black Sea is set to resume Thursday now that Russia has resumed participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, and that is allowing the United Nations to focus on preventing the Nov. 19 expiration of the agreement.

The Russian government says it will continue to allow grain shipments out of the Black Sea. All inspections of grain ships were due to stop on Wednesday because of uncertainty about Russia's plans.

Russia announced on Saturday that it was suspending its involvement in the agreement that has allowed Ukraine to ship grain and other commodities from its Black Sea ports. The UN estimates the Black Sea deal has saved 100 million people globally from extreme poverty.

Haiti has remained a major customer of U.S. rice through decades of turmoil, but that has come to an end. The implosion of the country that has descended into the chaos of gang rule and disease outbreak has made it impossible for U.S. exporters to keep supplying the country even in its time of most dire need.

The deal that opened up grain exports from three ports in Ukraine is widely lauded as a success in bringing down global food prices, but the future of the Black Sea Grain Initiative is being threatened by Russia, and United Nations officials are scrambling to save it.

President Joe Biden announced Wednesday a U.S. contribution of $2.9 billion to help fund global food security efforts around the world.

The three Ukrainian ports in Odesa are ramping up grain exports now that they are free to ship, and the U.S. Agency for International Development is funding some of that new activity.