World ‘sleepwalking into global food crisis’ says Yvette Cooper

Yvette Cooper’s warning comes as the government launches a fresh international drive to reshape development partnerships and tackle mounting global challenges.

Speaking at the Global Partnerships Conference in London, Ms Cooper called for urgent collective action to strengthen global resilience amid rising instability in the Middle East and its knock-on effects on food and energy security.

Ms Cooper said: “The world is sleepwalking into a global food crisis.

“We cannot risk tens of millions of people going hungry because one country has hijacked an international shipping lane.

“Iran’s continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz while the agriculture clock is ticking shows why we need urgent global pressure to get the Strait reopened, fertiliser and fuel moving and ease the costs of living pressures.”

She warned that if the Middle East conflict is not resolved soon, nearly 45 million more people could face acute food insecurity.

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has restricted the movement of fertiliser, risking further disruption to essential supplies and threatening harvests worldwide.

Ms Cooper said: “This crisis is affecting developed and developing countries, the private and public sectors alike.

“It shows why we need a new approach to global partnerships, to drive international development to prevent crises in the first place.”

She explained that the conference represents the UK’s “modern approach” to development, bringing together a broad coalition of international partners to devise practical solutions to urgent problems.

The UK, alongside co-hosts South Africa, British International Investment (BII), and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), is encouraging a renewed, pragmatic approach to aid and development.

This week’s events will focus on the economic and humanitarian fallout of the Iran crisis, with particular emphasis on supply chain disruption, fertiliser shortages, and rising food insecurity.

The Foreign Secretary will use her keynote address to advocate for a more shock-resilient model of international cooperation.

Central to the conference is the Global Partnerships Compact—a shared agreement to work together differently, faster, more openly, and in genuine partnership.

The Compact aims to help countries respond to crises while strengthening their systems to withstand future shocks and take ownership of their growth.

Baroness Chapman, minister for development, said: “We have heard what our partners have been calling for.

“They want to work in partnership with the UK.

“Countries want to have more control, move beyond aid, attract investment, strengthen their own health and education systems, and take charge of their own futures.

“Traditional development finance alone cannot meet that call, indeed it never could.

“Nor can it respond to the scale of today’s challenges. We need to bring new ideas and a broader coalition of partners to the table,

“The decisions that come out of this conference will benefit everyone: stronger economies, fewer crises, and a more stable and prosperous future that unlocks opportunity.”

Ms Cooper said the UK’s commitment to development reflected both national values and interests.

She said: “In an increasingly interconnected world, instability abroad affects us here at home, from energy prices to food security.

“Building resilience abroad makes the UK stronger, that’s what this week’s conference is about.”

The conference aims to unlock billions of pounds in innovative finance, harness technology including AI, and build new partnerships that help countries strengthen systems, manage risk earlier and become more self-sufficient in the face of future shocks.

It emphasises investment, innovation, and early action to help countries become more self-sufficient and better protected against future crises.