New York, August 24 (Petra)-- UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned Monday that ongoing attacks and maritime disruptions "are choking arteries of global trade and squeezing the global food system especially hard." Guterres cited disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea and the Bab Al Mandab Strait, as well as the war in Ukraine, as major drivers of global trade disruptions.

He noted that traffic through the Strait of Hormuz "has slowed to a trickle," pushing up commodity prices and placing additional strain on the global food system. Oil prices remain roughly 33 percent higher than at the start of the conflict, while global container freight rates have surged 84 percent year-on-year, alongside sharp increases in fertilizer costs.

To address the humanitarian fallout, Guterres announced a new, time-bound and practical confidence-building mechanism developed by a UN task force established in March.

Operating as a neutral facilitator, the mechanism aims to de-escalate tensions and secure predictable passage through major waterways, initially focusing on commercial fertilizers and related raw materials.

"This mechanism is not a substitute for fully restoring navigational rights and freedoms, or for the political solutions needed to end these conflicts, but it is a practical first step," Guterres said.

//Petra// HA