Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, announced the allocation in 2024 of €39.86 million in funding for international development and humanitarian relief.

This marks the largest-ever annual contribution from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).

The package includes an advance payment of €35 million for the UN World Food Programme (WFP) under a new €105 million partnership agreement for 2025-2027, representing a 40% increase over the previous Strategic Partnership Agreement.

The funding package also includes €4.86 million for Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) programmes, comprising €2.8 million in discretionary funding and an annual assessed contribution of €2.06 million. 

Minister McConalogue stated: “Ireland’s unwavering commitment to addressing global hunger and food insecurity is reflected in this historic level of funding.

“By strengthening our partnership with the WFP, we are providing life-saving assistance and laying the foundation for sustainable food systems that can help achieve the Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger by 2030.”

Highlighting the urgent need for support in regions impacted by conflict, the minister added: “The humanitarian crises in Sudan, Gaza, and other conflict zones have left millions of innocent people facing acute hunger.

“Ireland stands in solidarity with these communities, and our enhanced funding will enable the WFP to deliver critical assistance to those most in need.”

Reflecting on his March 2024 visit to the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya and WFP and FAO projects in South Sudan and Ethiopia, Minister McConalogue emphasised: “Seeing first-hand the transformative impact of these initiatives reinforced the importance of Ireland’s contributions.

“Whether providing emergency relief or empowering farmers through sustainable practices, our support delivers real and lasting change.”

DAFM funding

Ireland is a longstanding partner to WFP in the mission to end global hunger.

WFP executive director, Cindy McCain said: “Thanks to this funding, WFP can reach vulnerable communities struggling to cope with the devastating impacts of conflict and climate change, and help them build long-term resilience against food insecurity.

“We look forward to growing our partnership with Ireland in the years ahead.”

Minister McConalogue reiterated Ireland’s strategic commitment to global food security: “Our partnerships with the WFP and FAO are critical in addressing immediate crises while fostering long-term solutions to hunger and malnutrition.

“This funding announcement demonstrates Ireland’s leadership in promoting sustainable development and humanitarian relief globally.”

Global hunger statistics 2024

Global Prevalence: In 2024, approximately 735 million people faced hunger, equating to one in 10 individuals globally, and one in five in Africa.

Acute Food Insecurity: 290 million people in 60 countries and territories experienced high acute food insecurity, necessitating urgent food and livelihood assistance.

Catastrophic Hunger: Approximately two million people are experiencing chronic hunger, primarily in Gaza, Sudan, South Sudan, Haiti, and Mali, teetering on the brink of famine.

UN World Food Programme (WFP) 

WFP is a United Nations (UN) organisation responsible for 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.

DAFM 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 2025-2027 contains a commitment from Ireland to increase core funding to €105 million.

This includes a €5 million per year allocation to WFP’s trust fund for hunger-related climate change; a €10 million annual allocation to WFP’s work in the Horn of Africa and a contribution in 2025 of €8 million to the WFP Syrian emergency response. 

In addition to DAFM’s core funding to WFP, Irish Aid in the Department of Foreign Affairs also provides funding to WFP for its programmes.

In the lifetime of the SPA 2022-2024, Department of Foreign Affairs funding to WFP was over €32.9 million in support of activities in Uganda, Mozambique, Syria, Lebanon, Tanzania, Madagascar, Lao PDR, Ukraine, Vietnam, and Gaza.

Source - https://www.agriland.ie