The United Nations creates a working group to deal with challenges related to navigation in the Strait of Hormuz

Today, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced the establishment of a specialized working group to deal with current challenges related to navigation in the Strait of Hormuz to secure global humanitarian needs.
A statement distributed by the office of the official spokesman for the Secretary-General, Stephane Dujarric, revealed the components of this team, which will be headed by the Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Project Services, Jorge Moreira da Silva, indicating that the team will include representatives of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the International Maritime Organization, and the International Chamber of Commerce, and stressed the possibility of expanding participation in this team to include other parties.
He explained that this team will focus its work on developing technical mechanisms aimed at facilitating the flow of humanitarian goods, especially the trade in fertilizers and related raw materials, while benefiting from previous UN experiences, such as the verification and inspection mechanism in Yemen, the Black Sea Grains Initiative, and the United Nations mechanism for the Gaza Strip. He pointed out that the activation of these mechanisms usually takes place in consultation with the concerned member states, and within a framework of full respect for national sovereignty and other international legal frameworks, with the aim of mitigating potential humanitarian repercussions and enhancing stability in global supply chains.
Dujarric revealed that the Secretary-General assigned his personal envoy, Jean Arnault, to lead political efforts and dialogue with the parties concerned, with the support of the working group that was established today, and within the framework of broader efforts to reach a comprehensive settlement of the current conflict in the region.
He pointed out that this UN step comes in light of the escalation of tensions in the Middle East, and the accompanying increasing risks to maritime trade movement through the Strait of Hormuz, which he pointed out is a vital artery for global energy supplies and basic commodities.
Dujarric warned against continuing disturbances in this sea corridor or harming it, as this would have a negative impact on food security and global agricultural production and the widespread humanitarian repercussions it would cause in the coming months, stressing in this regard the need for urgent action to limit these repercussions.
At the conclusion of his statement, the official spokesman stressed that the success of today’s United Nations initiative regarding the Strait of Hormuz would contribute to strengthening confidence in the diplomatic track, and pave the way towards broader political solutions in the region, in light of the growing fears of the worsening crisis and its global effects.