Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue has announced funding of €28.9 million for international development for 2022 today (Thursday, December 29).

The funding from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) includes an advance payment of Ireland’s 2023 commitment of €25 million to the United Nation's (UN) World Food Programme (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.

Announcing the funding details and the DAFM's leadership on Ireland’s engagement with two UN agencies, the WFP and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Minister McConalogue said:

The continuing effects of climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic have forced millions of vulnerable people into greater food insecurity because of failed harvests, disrupted supply chains, as well as regional conflict, the minister said.

These impacts have been compounded by Russia's illegal and unjustified invasion of Ukraine, particularly in parts of East Africa where starvation is endemic and famine now imminent, he added.

Minister McConalogue has also announced payments of €1.75 million for specific 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.

International development assistance from the DAFM in 2022 also included:

Payments of €240,000 under the Africa Agri-food Development Programme (AADP), which is operated by the DAFM in cooperation with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, were also made.

The AADP aims 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.

The WFP-Ireland Strategic Partnership Agreement 2022-2024 contains a commitment from Ireland to increase core funding to €75 million, according to the DAFM.

This includes a €5 million per year allocation to the WFP’s trust fund for hunger-related climate change, and an €8 million annual allocation to the WFP Syrian emergency response.

The government and the people of Ireland have been long-time friends and partners to the WFP in the fight against hunger, WFP executive director, David Beasley said.

Acknowledging the advance payment of Ireland’s 2023 commitment to the WFP, Beasley said:

"We look forward to continuing our important partnership to save lives and change lives in 2023 and beyond."

This funding and the partnerships with the WFP and FAO are within the framework of Ireland’s policy for international development, "A Better World", on which DAFM works closely with Irish Aid in the Department of Foreign Affairs.