The 4th International Food Security Conference Food from Ukraine is taking place in Kyiv on 19 November — an important global platform for strengthening cooperation on food security and developing strategic partnerships between Ukraine and countries worldwide.
The conference included bilateral meetings attended by world leaders, ministers, representatives of international organisations and leading experts.
During a bilateral meeting between Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture Taras Vysotskyi and UAE Deputy Foreign Minister Sultan Al Shamsi, the parties discussed the creation of agri-hubs in the UAE. These hubs would receive Ukrainian products for further packaging and distribution to countries in need, including Gaza, Sudan, Kenya, Somalia and others. This would optimise logistics and improve the efficiency of delivering food to the most vulnerable regions.
At the thematic panel discussions of Food from Ukraine 2025, Deputy Ministers Taras Vysotskyi and Denys Bashlyk outlined Ukraine’s vision for strengthening global food systems, expanding humanitarian assistance and developing innovative forms of cooperation with the Global South. Speaking at the panel “Ukraine – Africa Forum: Aligning Partnerships for Shared Technologies and Production”, Vysotskyi emphasised the importance of transforming the “Grain from Ukraine” initiative into the broader “Food from Ukraine” concept, which includes not only food supplies but also joint technological and production solutions.
“Ukraine has long played a key role in global food security and remains a reliable partner for the Global South. Despite the war and Russia’s attempts to disrupt our exports, since 2022 more than 40% of Ukraine’s grain exports have gone to Asia, Africa and Latin America. We not only deliver food but also offer technologies, experience and production models that ensure long-term stability. This builds equal partnerships that strengthen the resilience of all participating economies,” Vysotskyi said.
At the panel “Food from Ukraine – Ukraine’s Agricultural Potential for Addressing Global Humanitarian Crises”, Deputy Minister Denys Bashlyk presented analytics on Ukrainian food supplies to African and Middle Eastern countries and outlined the humanitarian and diplomatic components of the initiative.
“Despite the challenges of war, Ukraine remains a reliable supplier of food to Africa and the Middle East. Last year we delivered 12 million tonnes of wheat — 7.5% of all imports by Global South countries — and 10 million tonnes of corn, or 8.2%. This shows the importance of stable Ukrainian exports and the high value of humanitarian aid for the most vulnerable regions,” he said.
For the first time, Syria’s Minister for Emergency Situations and Disaster Relief Raed al-Saleh took part in the forum. He noted that for his war-torn country, adopting Ukraine’s experience in humanitarian demining is extremely important. Speaking at the panel “Humanitarian Demining and Responding to Food Crises in Emergency Conditions”, Deputy Minister Ihor Bezkharavainyi stressed that demining agricultural land and its full restoration are essential for global food security.
“It is not enough to simply clear the fields. If there is no development and no one is working the land, what is the purpose? That is why demining must be driven by farmers who are ready to cultivate the land. A tractor or combine in the field triggers an entire chain of economic activity in the community. This is the approach we focus on,” he said.
Participants of the conference emphasised that Food from Ukraine goes beyond traditional humanitarian aid. Ukraine continues to reaffirm its role as a global guarantor of food security and shows that even during a full-scale war it can support the world with food supplies and innovations for countries facing shortages.
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Background
Food from Ukraine is the next stage of the Grain from Ukraine initiative launched by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in 2022 to strengthen Ukraine’s role in addressing the global food crisis. Its core idea is to supply Ukrainian grain to Asian, African, Middle Eastern and other regions on the brink of famine.
Since 2022, more than 320,000 tonnes of agricultural products — wheat and flour, corn, peas and oil — have been delivered to 18 countries in Africa and Asia, including Bangladesh, Djibouti, Congo, Yemen, Ethiopia, Zambia, Kenya, Mauritania, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania and Chad. Over 370 million USD in donor funds has been raised at the three Grain from Ukraine summits.
