00:00The United Nations warns that the ongoing conflict in the Middle East is causing major disruptions to global supply chains
00:07and delaying critical food aid.
00:10The World Food Programme says this is the most significant disruption since the COVID-19 pandemic and the early stages
00:16of the war in Ukraine.
00:19Corinne Fleischer, the agency's supply chain chief, says roughly 70,000 tons of food supplies are currently affected by the
00:27conflict.
00:27She adds that these disruptions are expected to continue, noting that previous crises like COVID-19 took four to five
00:35months to fully recover.
00:37While the World Food Programme does not ship directly through the Strait of Hormuz, where an Iranian blockade is in
00:43place, it is still facing indirect delays across the global supply network.
00:49Fleischer says shipping companies are avoiding key routes such as the Swiss Canal and the Red Sea.
00:54The vessels are being rerouted through the Horn of Africa and the Cape of Good Hope, adding around 25 to
01:0030 days to delivery times.
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