Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday urged the international community to urgently deal with the disruptions of global logistics and supply chains as Ukraine war has seriously strained the already fragile pandemic-hit global economy. “This will help control the rising commodity price,” she told the first high level meeting of Global Crisis Response Group on Food, Energy and Finance (GCRG) organised by United Nations. The GCRG has been established by the UN to coordinate the global response to the widespread impacts of the war in Ukraine. The group has on board the world’s six eminent leaders: Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen, Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz, President of Indonesia Joko Widodo and President of Senegal Macky Sall. Joining Friday’s meeting virtually from her official Ganobhaban residence the prime minister said that the war in Ukraine comes at a time when the world is still struggling to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. Read: EU releases additional €22mn in Bangladesh, Myanmar She said that short supply and unusual price hike of food, fuel and other commodities have already put serious strain on the lives of the common people. She mentioned that as a representative of the global South, she brought to the table the voices of the millions of people who are the most affected due to this crisis. Referring to Bangladesh’s attainment of food and energy security she said the Ukraine war, however, has made the situation extremely volatile. The PM said that Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDs) are bearing the heaviest brunt. “They need immediate and targeted support measures to overcome this situation,” she told the forum. Hasina said that advanced economies and multilateral financial institutions have to come forward and grant duty-free-quota-free market access and more accessible financing to the vulnerable countries. She underlined strengthening global solidarity and adoption of a well-coordinated response where the G-7, G-20, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and international financial institutions have a crucial role to play. “I am happy to see that the Steering Committee of this Group comprises all the major financial institutions. We will lend our full support to their efforts for tailoring actionable recommendations to tackle the crisis,” he said.