Press release
Minister McConalogue announces International Development Assistance funding of €28.9 million for 2022
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on
Last updated on
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, today announced funding of €28.9 million from his department for international development for 2022.
This includes an advance payment of Ireland’s 2023 commitment of €25 million to the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP).
Announcing the funding details Minister McConalogue said:
“The continuing effects of climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic has forced millions of vulnerable people into greater food insecurity because of failed harvests, disrupted supply chains, as well as regional conflict. Russia’s illegal and unjustified invasion of Ukraine has compounded these impacts, particularly in parts of East Africa where starvation is endemic and famine now imminent.
“My department leads on Ireland’s engagement with two UN agencies, the World Food Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organisation, and Ireland’s funding to these agencies reinforces our global solidarity with the most vulnerable people in the world who are facing unimaginable food insecurity and nutrition crises.”
Acknowledging the advance payment of Ireland’s 2023 commitment to the WFP, Executive Director, Mr David Beasley said:
“The government and people of Ireland have been long-time friends and partners to WFP in our fight against hunger. We are facing an unprecedented global food security crisis right now and Ireland’s flexible approach to funding is helping WFP to deliver vital assistance to some of the world’s most vulnerable people. We look forward to continuing our important partnership to save lives and change lives in 2023 and beyond.”
Minister McConalogue also announced payments of €1.75 million for specific Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) projects and programmes, in addition to Ireland’s annual assessed contribution of €1.61 million. These specific projects have a strong focus on climate change resilience; emergency agricultural assistance; rural women’s economic empowerment; and work on sustainable food systems. It also includes the €750,000 project to support the farming community in Ukraine, which the Minister announced recently.
Payments of €240,000 under the Africa Agri-food Development Programme (AADP), which is operated by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in cooperation with the Department of Foreign Affairs, were also made.
WFP is a United Nations organisation responsible fighting hunger worldwide and is funded exclusively from voluntary contributions. Sustainable Development Goal 2, Zero Hunger, pledges to end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture, and is the priority of the WFP.
Globally 828 million people do not have enough food and 49 million people are facing emergency levels of hunger.
Parts of Yemen, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Nigeria are close to or are already in the grip of famine.
WFP funding requirement for 2022 stands at US$22.2 billion to reach 160 million people in 123 countries.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is the lead department for the Irish Government’s relationship with the World Food Programme, the UN’s frontline humanitarian agency. The WFP-Ireland Strategic Partnership Agreement 2022-2024 contains a commitment from Ireland to increase core funding to €75 million. This includes a €5 million per year allocation to WFP’s trust fund for hunger-related climate change; and an €8 million annual allocation to the WFP Syrian emergency response.
In addition to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s core funding to WFP, Irish Aid in the Department of Foreign Affairs also provides funding to WFP for crisis programmes in specific countries and regions. In 2022 Department of Foreign Affairs funding to WFP was over €6 million, which includes support to activities in Uganda, Lebanon, Zimbabwe and Lao PDR.
FAO is a United Nations organisation mandated to help eliminate hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition, make agriculture, forestry, and fisheries more productive and sustainable, enable inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems and increase the resilience of livelihoods to threats and crises. Further details of the partnership between Ireland and the FAO are outlined in the report which is available at gov.ie - FAO + Ireland: Partnering for a Peaceful, Equal and Sustainable World.
The AADP is a joint initiative between the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Department of Foreign Affairs. The objective of the AADP is to develop partnerships between the Irish Agri-Food Sector and African countries to support sustainable growth of the local food industry, build markets for local produce and support mutual trade between Ireland and Africa.
This funding and the partnerships with WFP and FAO are within the framework of Ireland’s policy for international development, "A Better World”, the whole-of-government policy for Ireland’s development cooperation programme, on which DAFM works closely with Irish Aid in the Department of Foreign Affairs.
| International Development Assistance - DAFM 2022 | € | |
| World Food Programme (WFP) | ||
| Advance payment of 2023 commitment under Ireland – WFP Strategic Partnership Agreement (2022-2024) | 25,000,000 | |
| Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) | ||
| Ireland - FAO Assessed Contribution 2022 | 1,609,107 | |
| Emergency livelihood support to rural households in conflict-affected Ukraine | 750,000 | |
| Building resilient communities through climate smart and market driven production for improved food and nutrition security in Sierra Leone | 500,000 | |
| Protecting the diets of the most vulnerable people as part of COVID-19 response and recovery programme in Kenya and Malawi | 120,000 | |
| Supporting Livelihoods of Rural Women in the mountainous regions in the north of Vietnam. | 100,000 | |
| Global Bioeconomy Alliance (Scoping Study) | 80,000 | |
| Empowering the Youth to co-develop innovative solutions food system transformations – Food Systems Transformation Hub | 50,000 | |
| Livestock Environmental Assessment and Performance Partnership (LEAP) | 40,000 | |
| Global Alliance for Climate Smart Agriculture Facilitation Unit (GACSA) | 40,000 | |
| Global Agenda for Sustainable Livestock (GASL) | 40,000 | |
| Support funding to support the work of the FAO Committee on Agriculture (COAG) Sub-Committee on Livestock | 30,000 | |
| FAO Total | 3,359,107 | |
| Africa Agri-Food Development Programme (AADP) | ||
| 2022 AADP project funding | 239,650 | |
| Total | 28,859,847 |