Slovenia will contribute  EUR 1 million through the World Food Programme (WFP) to the ‘Grain from Ukraine’ initiative, which will enable a shipment of cereals from Ukraine to the developing countries that are hardest hit by food shortages.

Under the humanitarian initiative, Ukraine donates the grain, the donor countries contribute to its transport, and the WFP coordinates and delivers the aid. Several countries have joined the initiative. The first ship carrying 25,000 tonnes of wheat for Ethiopia sailed in mid-November. Subsequent shipments of wheat will be directed to countries where the humanitarian situation is considered to be the direst according to the WFP, namely Somalia, Yemen and Sudan.

Slovenia's participation in the ‘Grain from Ukraine’ initiative will be announced with a pledge of EUR 1 million by the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Borut Pahor, who will attend the inauguration of the initiative in Kyiv on 26 November 2022 via audio-video link.

By joining this humanitarian initiative, Slovenia is showing solidarity and assuming its shared responsibility in the international community for ensuring food security in the poorest countries affected by famine. The latest contribution complements Slovenia’s previous efforts this year to address the global food crisis, providing humanitarian assistance in response to crises in Yemen, Haiti, Laos and 14 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.