The US-Iran War’s Threat to Food Security in the Middle East and North Africa

Description

The conflict in Iran and restrictions on traffic through the Strait of Hormuz have upended global fertilizer supply chains, putting tens of millions at risk of severe hunger over the coming months. Our panelists examined the second-order effects of the crisis in the Gulf on agricultural stress and food insecurity in the Middle East and North Africa, which carry potentially destabilizing political or security consequences. Drawing on perspectives from the private sector and international aid organizations as well as regional experts, the event assessed near-term risks to MENA populations, identify long-term structural vulnerabilities to the region’s agricultural markets, and offered policy recommendations to governments and stakeholders for how to address this and future such crises. Opening Remarks Gov. David Beasley, Former Executive Director, World Food Programme, Former Governor of South Carolina Amb. Yael Lempert, Vice President for Outreach, Middle East Institute Panel 1: Supply Shocks: Politics, Production, and the Strait of Hormuz ​​​​​Charlotte Hebeband, Director of Communications and Public Affairs, International Food Policy Research Caitlin Welsh, Director of Global Food and Water Security Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies Dr. Karen E. Young, Senior Fellow, Middle East Institute David J. Lynch, (Moderator), Global Economics Correspondent, The Washington Post Panel 2: Downstream Risks: Fertilizer Shortages, Food Insecurity, and Regional Instability Eugenio Da Crema, Senior Early Warning Economic Risk Analyst, World Food Programme Aaron Renenger, General Counsel and Chief of Strategic Relations, The World Central Kitchen Çağlar Özden, Deputy Chief Economist, World Bank Intissar Fakir (Moderator), Senior Fellow, Middle East Institute