On 13 October, Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Mariana Betsa took part in a joint briefing of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Organization.

During the briefing, which symbolically took place on the eve of World Food Day, Deputy Minister informed ambassadors and heads of international organizations in Ukraine on the impact of Russia’s armed aggression on food security and the lives of Ukrainians.

In her address, Mariana Betsa expressed sincere gratitude to states and international partners for their consistent support of Ukraine, particularly in restoring its agricultural potential. She also called for continued active engagement in strengthening the resilience of Ukraine’s food system.

Participants highlighted Ukraine’s key role in ensuring global food stability, including through the implementation of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s “Grain from Ukraine” initiative, which has enabled the Ukrainian grain delivery to the most vulnerable states in Africa and Asia. A new stage of this program will begin with the Fourth International Conference on Food Security, which will be held this November in Kyiv.

The participants emphasized FAO's significant contribution to supporting Ukraine amid the ongoing full-scale war, presented the results of joint projects, and discussed further steps aimed at stabilizing the domestic agricultural market, preserving export potential, and protecting the most vulnerable producers.

Deputy Minister Mariana Betsa also thanked representatives of foreign states for the support provided by their governments to Ukraine's candidacy for the FAO Council, to which our state was elected in July 2025. She emphasized that Ukraine's experience and expertise will undoubtedly contribute to further strengthening FAO's operational activities and stressed Ukraine's commitment to fruitful work within this body, particularly in implementing joint initiatives.

The event was also attended by Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine Denys Bashlyk, Director of the Department of Economic Diplomacy of the MFA of Ukraine Kira Spyrydonova, representatives of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the academic community, as well as Ukrainian business, in particular PJSC “MHP”, which provided support to the event.

The briefing reflected the joint efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the UN system to draw the attention of the international community to the devastating consequences of Russia’s aggression and to the importance of ensuring the uninterrupted functioning of UN structures in Ukraine.