ROME NUTRITION WEEK 2026 Special Event: Food Security and Nutrition Under Pressure: Consequences of the Middle East ConflictWith the participation of H.E. Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister of Spain Opening Statement

Your Excellency the Prime Minister of Spain

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear Colleagues,

It is a great honour to welcome His Excellency the Prime Minister of Spain to FAO headquarters.

Your personal participation in this important dialogue once again is a testimony of how Spain has always been a steadfast pillar of FAO, and we value your ongoing commitment to multilateralism, agrifood systems transformation, and rural development.

We are meeting at a moment of profound geopolitical and economic fragility leading to a systemic shock on the global agrifood system.

The conflict in the Middle East and the disruption of the Strait of Hormuz have exposed - like adding frost on the heavy snow (man made disasters in region and beyond) – how deeply interconnected energy, fertilizer and all agricultural inputs, as well as transport and trade, are for the effective functioning of our agrifood systems.

The largest impacts of this crisis may not be immediate. They may emerge in the months since March, when farmers begin harvesting less because they planted less, fertilized less, or could no longer afford production.

Today, the world is not yet facing a global food crisis as we have had relatively good harvests and significant global cereal stocks, but this short-term stability should not create complacency.

Beneath the surface, the pressures are intensifying rapidly.

Severe disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz have affected the movement of oil, liquefied natural gas, and fertilizers – with seed prices set to increase because of their dependency on fertilizers.

When energy prices rise, agrifood systems become more expensive everywhere.

Import-dependent countries are facing rising food import bills, and vulnerable households are losing purchasing power as inflation erodes incomes.

For many countries, especially in Africa and parts of Asia, this is not occurring in isolation; it is hitting economies already under pressure from debt distress, climate shocks, conflict, and fiscal constraints.

We must act early before humanitarian and economic costs rise.

FAO has responded immediately.

We mobilized technical support, strengthened monitoring systems, and expanded coordination through mechanisms such as the Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS) – launched by the G20 15 years ago - and through releasing the monthly FAO Food Price Index.

And have released evidence-based policy recommendations, which include:

First: countries must keep trade flowing.

Export restrictions, particularly on fertilizers and agricultural inputs, must be avoided. These measures intensify shortages, increase instability, and hurt poorer import-dependent countries most.

Second: we need smarter agricultural responses.

Traditional emergency packages centered exclusively on fertilizer-intensive systems may no longer be viable under current conditions.

Countries should support adaptive strategies such as inter-cropping, improving nitrogen efficiency, and promoting crops less dependent on synthetic fertilizers.

Third: support must be targeted.

This is fundamentally a supply shock, not a demand shock. Resources should focus on the most vulnerable populations through targeted social protection systems and rural support mechanisms.

And Fourth: international financial institutions must act rapidly.

Farmers and other stakeholders across agrifood systems, as well as import-dependent countries, need liquidity support now - before the next agricultural cycle.

A delay in financing will result in lost production.

Excellences,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This crisis reflects a deeper global structural problem: agrifood systems cannot be overly dependent on a few trade bottleneck points, or fertilizer suppliers.

We need more diversified logistics corridors, stronger regional trade integration, strategic reserves, resilient rural infrastructure, and energy transformation across agrifood systems.

We need to increase investment in innovation, and we must accelerate science-driven and locally adapted approaches.

Currently, we also have an elevated climate risk of a potentially strong El Niño, which could further amplify existing pressures and disruptions to supply chains.

The interaction between geopolitical shocks and climate shocks is becoming one of the defining risks of modern agrifood systems.

Food crises do not begin when shelves are empty. They begin when farmers cannot plant, when fertilizers become unaffordable, when transport systems break down, and when vulnerable households lose their purchasing power.

The decisions we make now will determine whether this remains a manageable shock, or evolves into a deeper global food security crisis in 2026 and 2027, and beyond.

We have a window to act, but that window is narrowing. Human beings can delay any action, but crops cannot wait for your delay!

This week, as we mark Rome Nutrition Week 2026, we must remember that food security will be guranteed only when nutritious foods are available, accessible and affordable.

The shock to fertilizer availability will reduce the protein content and micronutrient density of staple foods. When soils are degraded due to lack of inputs, the fruits and vegetables that form the foundation of healthy diets become scarcer and more expensive.

It is critical that even amidst supply shocks, we must protect the nutritional integrity of our agrifood systems.

Your Excellency Prime Minister Sánchez,

Spain is an important partner, and a strategic ally in the fight against hunger and malnutrition.

We are grateful for Spain’s ongoing support of the FAO‑Spain Partnership Programme, which has assisted to strengthen food security in Latin America and the Caribbean.

And we look forward to deepening our collaboration on the ground, particularly in monitoring maritime chokepoints that affect global food trade.

With the support of world leaders such as yourself (you are famous for being a sober stateman), and working as ONE UN together with all partners and friends, we can act efficiently, effectively and coherently – with urgency and with solidarity – to ensure the smooth functioning of global agrifood systems,

Which are essential for the Four Betters: better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life – leaving no one behind.

Thank you. Muchas gracias.