An alliance of global policy specialists and former heads of state has appealed for a maritime safety corridor by proposing a “Hormuz Initiative” to prevent a collapse of world agricultural systems. 

In a joint declaration issued by the International Crisis Group on Tuesday, 31 March 2026, signatories detailed how hostilities in the Middle East threaten to block essential trade routes. 

The group is to establish a transit mechanism through the Strait of Hormuz, modelled on the Black Sea Grain Initiative, to ensure the flow of food, fertiliser, and chemical inputs like sulphur and ammonia.

The disruption poses a severe risk to global production, as the Strait currently facilitates nearly one-third of the world’s fertiliser shipments, and experts warn that rising input costs could force smallholder farmers in developing nations to reduce planting, potentially worsening food shortages in vulnerable regions such as Sudan. 

The statement noted, “The focus should be narrow: working with all parties to develop a mechanism that allows for the unhindered flow of fertiliser, related intermediate materials (such as sulfur and ammonia), and food through the Strait, whether outgoing or incoming.”

The proposed initiative is designed to be independent of any military plans to open the Strait by force, serving the domestic interests of both Washington and Tehran. 

While the group expressed scepticism regarding immediate diplomatic breakthroughs in the broader conflict, it urged world leaders to treat food security as a practical priority.

“The UN has taken the welcome step of announcing a task force to address maritime trade disruption through the Strait… The task force, working with the Secretary-General’s new envoy for the Middle East conflict, should bring together diplomatic, maritime and humanitarian specialists charged with crafting a Hormuz transit initiative,” the signatories stated.

The appeal features a high-profile list of signatories, including former Prime Ministers and Foreign Ministers from Sweden, New Zealand, Australia, Germany, and Norway, as well as prominent African voices like Mo Ibrahim and Ibrahim Mayaki. 

The coalition argued that protecting the waterway would lower conflict costs for the rest of the world while safeguarding Iran’s own food security. 

The statement concluded that while efforts to end the war must continue, the international community cannot afford to delay action, warning that “the prospect of continued or even more destructive confrontation should also focus minds on immediate steps that can be taken to manage the fallout.”

Source: This Day Live
Image Credit: Daily Sabah