WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The World Bank, International Monetary Fund, United Nations World Food Program and World Trade Organization on Wednesday called for urgent, coordinated action on food security, and urged countries to avoid export bans on food or fertilizer.

In a joint statement, the leaders of the four institutions warned that the war in Ukraine was adding to existing pressures from the COVID-19 crisis, climate change and increased fragility and conflict, threatening millions of people worldwide.

Sharply higher prices for staples and supply shortages were fueling pressure on households, they said. The threat is greatest to the poorest countries, but vulnerability was also increasing rapidly in middle-income countries, which host the majority of the world’s poor.