WHO, FAO, WTO to nations: Food trade can’t be disrupted
The leaders of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) are urging the governments around the world to minimize the impact of COVID-19 related border restrictions on food trade.
Qu Dongyu, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Roberto Azevedo, Directors-General of the FAO, WHO and WTO, respectively, on March 31 issued the following joint statement on the matter:
“Millions of people around the world depend on international trade for their food security and livelihoods. As countries move to enact measures aiming to halt the accelerating COVID-19 pandemic, care must be taken to minimize potential impacts on the food supply or unintended consequences on global trade and food security.