India calls on international community to safeguard critical sea lanes

India has called on the international community to work collectively to safeguard critical sea lanes, emphasising that secure and predictable maritime trade routes are indispensable for uninterrupted movement of food, fertilisers and fuel.

"Food insecurity remains one of the gravest humanitarian consequences of armed conflict.

Today's conflicts increasingly generate ripple effects far beyond the immediate theatre of hostilities," India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni said.

Addressing the UN Security Council High-Level Open Debate titled 'Food Under Fire: The Security Council's Role in Mitigating Global and Local Food Crises' on Tuesday, Parvathaneni said disruptions to energy markets, fertiliser supplies, maritime transport, humanitarian logistics and agricultural trade have demonstrated how regional conflicts can threaten food security across the world, with the greatest burden falling on developing countries that are highly import-dependent.

Ind