UN / BLACK SEA GRAIN INITIATIVE UPDATE

STORY: UN / BLACK SEA GRAIN INITIATIVE UPDATE
TRT: 03:51
SOURCE: UNIFEED / FILE
RESTRICTIONS: CHECK SHOTLIST FOR RESTRICTIONS
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 11 MAY 2023, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

SHOTLIST:

FILE - NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, United Nations Headquarters

11 MAY 2023, NEW YORK CITY

2. Wide shot, Dujarric at podium
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, United Nations:
“Turning to the Black Sea Initiative, a quadrilateral meeting was held today in Istanbul to discuss the future of the Black Sea Initiative with senior-level officials from the Russian Federation, Türkiye, Ukraine and of course the United Nations. Speaking at the meeting, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, congratulated the parties on facilitating the safe export of over 30 million metric tonnes of grain and foodstuffs from Ukraine since the beginning of the Initiative. He reiterated the importance of the Initiative for global food security and also recognized the important contribution of food and fertilizer exports from the Russian Federation in this regard.”
4. Med shot, journalists speaking
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, United Nations:
“Participants in the meeting discussed the recent proposals by the UN, namely the resumption of the Togliatti-Odesa ammonia pipeline, the longer extension of the deal, improvements at the Joint Coordination Centre for stable operations and exports, as well as other issues raised by the parties. The parties presented their views and agreed to engage with those elements going forward. Mr. Griffiths stressed that the UN will continue to work closely with all sides to achieve the continuation and full implementation of the Initiative, in pursuit of their broader shared commitment to addressing global food insecurity.”
6. Close up, journalist speaking
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, United Nations:
“What I can tell you is that contacts will continue over the next few days. I think, as you can well imagine, what the delicate phase here. I think the fact that we reached the 30 million metric tonnes milestone today shows the importance of what we, and I include all the parties in this, have been doing since the beginning of the initiative.”
8. Wide shot, briefing room
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, United Nations:
“It is clear if this initiative cannot continue, and its package cannot continue, it will have a negative impact on global food security, on global food prices.”
10. Wide shot, journalists
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, United Nations:
“You know, we're talking about geography here. I mean, there's no plan B for the Black Sea. I mean, there is the Black Sea we can't we can't move the ports. We can't move the sea, we can't move the Bosphorus.”
12. Wide shot, Dujarric at podium

FILE - CREDIT UNODC ON SCREEN - 20 FEBRUARY 2023, BLACK SEA, TÜRKIYE

13. Various aerial shots, grain ships awaiting inspection

FILE – CREDIT OCHA ON SCREEN - 19 SEPTEMBER 2022, BARANOVE, ODESKA OBLAST, UKRAINE

14. Aerial shot, sunflower harvesting operations
15. Various shots, sunflower harvesting operations

STORYLINE:

Asked about alternative plans for the Black Sea Grain Initiative, the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General said, “there is no plan B for the Black Sea”, adding, “We can't move the ports”.

Briefing journalists in New York today (11 May), the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, Stéphane Dujarric, said, “A quadrilateral meeting was held today in Istanbul to discuss the future of the Black Sea Initiative with senior-level officials from the Russian Federation, Türkiye, Ukraine and of course the United Nations”.

Dujarric also said, “Speaking at the meeting, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, congratulated the parties on facilitating the safe export of over 30 million metric tonnes of grain and foodstuffs from Ukraine since the beginning of the Initiative.”

According to Dujarric, Griffiths reiterated the importance of the Initiative for global food security and also recognized the important contribution of food and fertilizer exports from the Russian Federation in this regard.

The Spokesperson noted, “Participants in the meeting discussed the recent proposals by the UN, namely the resumption of the Togliatti-Odesa ammonia pipeline, the longer extension of the deal, improvements at the Joint Coordination Centre for stable operations and exports, as well as other issues raised by the parties.”

He also said, “The parties presented their views and agreed to engage with those elements going forward. Mr. Griffiths stressed that the UN will continue to work closely with all sides to achieve the continuation and full implementation of the Initiative, in pursuit of their broader shared commitment to addressing global food insecurity.”

Answering questions from journalists Dujarric explained, “contacts will continue over the next few days”.

He continued, “I think the fact that we reached the 30 million metric tonnes milestone today shows the importance of what we, and I include all the parties in this, have been doing since the beginning of the initiative.”

Dujarric stressed, “It is clear if this initiative cannot continue, and its package cannot continue, it will have a negative impact on global food security, on global food prices.”