Press release
Minister Coveney has virtual meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister
From Department of Foreign Affairs
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Foreign Affairs
Published on
Last updated on
Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney TD, met virtually today with the recently appointed Foreign Minister of Japan, Mr. Yoshimasa Hayashi.
The Ministers affirmed their commitment to strengthening the excellent bilateral relations between Ireland and Japan. They also exchanged views on global security challenges.
Minister Coveney thanked Japan for hosting the Nutrition for Growth Summit in Tokyo on 7 and 8 December 2021. At the Summit, both Ireland and Japan announced significant and comprehensive pledges to tackle hunger and support nutrition globally. Ireland pledged €800 million over the next five years on nutrition programmes and interventions.
Speaking after the meeting, Minister Coveney said:
"I was very pleased to be able to congratulate Minister Hayashi on his recent appointment as the Foreign Minister of Japan. Ireland and Japan share a close and warm relationship with great potential for development, as well as shared values and global priorities.
"I updated the Minister on the development of Ireland House in Tokyo, a flagship build under the government’s Global Ireland programme which reflects our commitment to growing our ties with Japan.
"We also discussed key global challenges, including in the context of Ireland’s Security Council term. Ireland and Japan share a common approach and commitment to ending hunger and I thanked the Minister for Japan’s leadership in hosting this week’s successful Nutrition for Growth Summit."
Ireland House Tokyo will be the centre of Ireland’s presence in Japan, the third largest economy in the world. It will promote Ireland’s track record as a global centre of innovation and a great place to do business within the European Union. It will be a venue to learn about Ireland and will advertise Ireland as somewhere to study, do research and to visit. It will project all aspects of Irish culture, heritage and the arts, and will be the heartbeat of the Irish community in Japan.
Borne out of our historical memory of famine, the eradication of hunger and a particular focus on tackling undernutrition has been a cornerstone of Ireland’s development programme since its inception, and a key pillar of our foreign policy.
Since the launch of the Hunger Task Force in 2008, Ireland has become a committed clear global leader in this space with prominent political leadership and funding on the world stage.
At the Nutrition for Growth Summit, Ireland championed a focus on hunger and acute malnutrition, with our emphasis on the furthest behind first and support to assist other countries in developing a sustainable food systems approach.
155 million people in 55 countries faced acute hunger in the past year. This is an increase of 20 million, with conflict as the main reason, combined with climate change challenges and economic shocks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ireland’s pledges responded to this stark context and included two policy pledges and one financial pledge as follows:
Ireland pledges support for innovative programming approaches for the prevention and treatment of hunger, with a particular focus on tackling wasting for children aged 0-6 months. Zero hunger is the ultimate test of an effective sustainable food system. Wasting is the most visible form of malnutrition and carries the highest risk of death. Some 45 million children under the age of five currently suffer from wasting. This commitment positions Ireland to take a leadership role on the issue of wasting globally, backed up by programming targeted at small and nutritionally at-risk infants and children.
Ireland commits to providing technical and financial assistance to partner countries for the implementation of sustainable food systems pathways, emphasising nutrition and context specific approaches. We will do so by offering appropriate and realistic expertise and advice, as well as tools (from a range of partners) to bring about transformational systems change.
Ireland has developed its Food Strategy (Food Vision 2030) using a food systems and partnership approach. Ireland recognises many countries will need to draw on a partnership approach, as they pursue planning using a food systems approach. Each country embarking on its ‘food systems’ journey must take account of its history, natural resources, human and social capital, and the current level of development of its agri-food sector. A food systems strategy must take account of these national realities: there is no single blueprint or ‘one size fits all’. The Irish experience of developing ‘Food Vision 2030’ produced some important lessons and Ireland commits to sharing this experience broadly and to working with partner countries as they develop their own strategies.
Ireland pledges to spend €800 million over the next 5 years on nutrition programmes and interventions. Equating to €160 million a year, this will include funding to multilateral organisations, country based NGOs, recipient governments and international NGOs.