‘Secure sea lanes indispensable’: India urges UN to safeguard key maritime routes
India called for collective international action to safeguard critical sea lanes and maritime infrastructure. Secure shipping routes are essential for uninterrupted movement of vital commodities globally. Conflicts and attacks on maritime routes threaten food and energy supplies worldwide. India stressed the need for unimpeded humanitarian access and objective supply chain assessments.…
India has urged the international community to collaborate in safeguarding crucial sea lanes and maritime infrastructure, emphasizing that stable shipping routes are vital for uninterrupted transportation of essential goods like food, fertilizers, fuel, and more amid ongoing conflicts and supply chain disruptions. During a UN Security Council high-level debate chaired by India, Permanent Representative Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni highlighted the far-reaching impacts of regional conflicts on global food and energy security.
He stressed the necessity of ensuring safe and predictable maritime trade, citing the Strait of Hormuz, which handles about a fifth of global oil supplies and a third of fertiliser trade, as a prime example. Parvathaneni warned that disruptions, including attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea, could have severe repercussions, particularly for food-importing nations and humanitarian efforts.
He appealed for collective action to protect these critical routes, ensuring legitimate commercial and humanitarian shipments could proceed unhindered. India also stressed the importance of timely evaluations of supply chain disruptions, urging evidence-based assessments without political interference, drawing on expertise from organizations like the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the World Food Programme.
The Ambassador argued that food insecurity stems from conflicts, political instability, and underdevelopment, advocating for enhanced cooperation among nations, international bodies, regional organisations, and development partners to bolster agricultural production, diversify supply chains, and improve logistics infrastructure.
India cautioned against an overdependence on single production models, advocating for climate-resilient crops to reduce vulnerability to geopolitical disruptions and economic coercion.
Written by urgent.news from Times of India's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
