Minister McConalogue meets with Cindy McCain, Executive Director of the World Food Programme
- Published on: 24 August 2023
- Last updated on: 12 September 2023
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, today met with Cindy McCain, Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) during her visit to Dublin. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is the lead department for the Irish Government’s relationship with the WFP, the UN’s frontline agency in the fight against hunger, and currently has a seat on its Executive Board. The Minister’s department has committed €75 million to the WFP under a Strategic Partnership Agreement for the period 2022-2024.
Speaking after the meeting Minister McConalogue said:
"I am very pleased to welcome Cindy McCain to Ireland early in her term as WFP Executive Director and I wish her every success in this crucial role, leading the fight against hunger and malnutrition. Ireland greatly appreciates the work of the WFP and the UN’s global campaign for zero hunger.
"Ireland is a committed partner to WFP and our multi-annual partnership and flexible funding facilitates them to help those most in need. In 2022, WFP was responsible for the delivery of food assistance to 160 million people in over 120 countries. I want to use this visit by the Executive Director to highlight the importance of our continued support to the WFP and to encourage governments around the world to take steps towards giving them the reliable funding they require.”
World Food Programme Executive Director, Cindy McCain said:
“Ireland is a committed friend to WFP and we are working closely together to reverse the global hunger crisis now threatening the lives of 345 million people. The flexible funding provided by the Irish government is critical to help us tackle hunger and malnutrition, support vulnerable communities adapt to climate change, and build more resilient food systems capable of feeding every person on our planet. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Ireland in the coming years.”
Minister McConalogue later joined Executive Director McCain for an engagement with Ireland’s NGO humanitarian relief and development aid delivery partners. This followed a number of other engagements, including a meeting between the Executive Director and members of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine.