UAE warns global trade disruptions threaten food security for millions
The United Arab Emirates has sounded a global alarm over the cascading humanitarian impacts of disrupted maritime trade lanes, urging nations to uphold international law to prevent widespread hunger. Speaking at a United Nations Arria Formula meeting on 17 September 2026, Minister of State Khalifa bin Shaheen Al Marar linked shipping blockades and rerouted cargo routes directly to the risk of acute food insecurity affecting up to 45 million people, according to World Food Programme estimates.
The UAE delegation emphasized that disruptions to global shipping routes are undermining the delivery of essential food and fertilizer to vulnerable regions, including Yemen, Somalia, and parts of sub-Saharan Africa. Minister Al Marar stressed that the erosion of navigational rights and sovereignty claims threatens the foundational frameworks of international commerce.
He underscored the importance of upholding the UN Charter and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea as non-negotiable safeguards for peace, warning that without these principles, international relations risk descending into unilateral action and coercion.
UAE builds resilience with infrastructure and digital trade tools
While advocating globally, the UAE is also strengthening its own resilience. The country is expanding its domestic supply chain capabilities and deepening international partnerships to ensure the steady flow of essential goods.
The National Programme to Strengthen Supply Chain Resilience, approved in April 2026, is accelerating efforts to diversify import partners and enhance domestic production capacity. Agreements under the UAE’s Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements now include five African nations, helping to reduce reliance on single sources of supply.
Regional coordination deepens security of supply
The UAE’s efforts reflect a broader GCC-wide shift toward inter-state cooperation. Member states are aligning customs protocols, exploring shared buffer stocks of food and medicine, and integrating digital trade platforms to reduce friction across borders.
Collectively, these moves reflect a recognition that in an age of heightened instability, economic resilience is security. For UAE residents, this translates into greater confidence that global shocks will not lead to everyday shortages.
Minister Al Marar concluded by reaffirming the UAE’s steadfast support for peaceful conflict resolution, emphasizing that stability on the seas is not a distant diplomatic ideal—it is the foundation of survival at home and abroad.
