Ireland is to provide €20 million in humanitarian assistance to the UN World Food Programme, it has been announced.
In total, the initiative helps to feed about 80 million people in 75 different countries annually.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is 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.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is the lead Department for the Irish Government’s relationship with the FAO.
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed T.D said: “The UN World Food Programme feeds 80 million of the most malnourished people in 80 countries. It also plays a significant role in the UN’s global campaign for zero hunger, and is at the forefront of dealing with the migration crisis.
This contribution will help save lives and support food security and nutrition and (re)build livelihoods in fragile settings. This support is particularly necessary in the context of the current refugee crisis, where large parts of our funding will be targeted.”
Minister Creed also announced the provision of €100,000 in emergency funding for Ethiopian farmers, through the FAO, adding: “These monies will fund urgent FAO work in distributing seeds to families in Ethiopia who have been experiencing one of the most severe droughts in 50 years, due to the effects of climate change.”
