Press release
Minister McConalogue to lead international development mission to East Africa
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on
Last updated on
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, T.D. will lead an international development mission to Kenya, Ethiopia and South Sudan from 13 to 18 March.
The visit will underpin Ireland’s critical role as a leading donor to World Food Programme and continued engagement with the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). The Minister will visit various programmes which support humanitarian development with a focus on agriculture knowledge transfer and food system transformation. The international development mission will also involve key bilateral meetings with ministerial counterparts, and administrative representatives at national, regional and local levels.
Speaking ahead of the visit, Minister McConalogue stated:
“Ireland's commitment to tackling the escalating food security crisis remains steadfast. We have always shown great international leadership on these issues. Through strategic alliances with our UN agency partners and our policy of flexible funding, we are not just aiming to alleviate immediate hunger, but also working diligently towards the Sustainable Development Goal of achieving Zero Hunger by 2030.
The conflicts in this region together with climate shocks and economic turmoil have led to a sharp rise in the number of acutely food-insecure people struggling to get enough food to feed their families. I want to use my visit to East Africa to highlight the importance of our continued support to both the UN World Food Programme and UN Food and Agriculture Organisation.”
The Minister added:
“My Department’s funding is helping to support vulnerable communities tackle hunger and malnutrition by building more resilient food systems capable of feeding their families and communities.”
The international development mission will begin today in Kenya with a visit to the Kakuma Refugee Camp, Turkana, to see first-hand the humanitarian work of the World Food Programme. The Minister will tour the food commodities and food distribution locations, meeting with refugee representatives who comprise the Food Advisory Committee. He will also visit the self-reliance projects, including the horticultural farm and water harvesting structure used to counter climate change effects.
The Minster will then travel onto the Afar region in Eastern Ethiopia visiting Ireland’s NGO WFP delivery partner projects, including an enhanced resilience food system project designed to improve sustainable livelihoods through efficiency in irrigation and water usage.
The visit will conclude in South Sudan where the Minister will meet with Government counterparts, visit WFP Projects and engage with Irish supported NGOs working in the region.
As part of the St. Patricks’ Day programme, this visit will also focus on deepening bilateral connections with all three countries; on promoting Ireland’s values and interests; and on engaging with the Irish Diaspora.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is the lead on Ireland’s engagement with the World Food Programme (WFP) and has a seat on the Executive Board for 2023-2024. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is the world’s largest humanitarian organisation saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change. The Department also leads Ireland’s engagement with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
The Department, through a rolling series of three-year Strategic Partnership Agreements (SPAs), provides core funding to the WFP.
The Department of Foreign Affairs is also a significant donor to World Food Programme - in 2023 funding from DFA to WFP totalled €12.8 million.
Irish Aid and our Embassies in Ethiopia and Kenya continue to provide significant funding to countries in the Horn of Africa, to meet myriad development and humanitarian challenges. Total ODA funding to countries in the Horn (Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia, South Sudan, Eritrea, Kenya) amounted to €102.8 million in 2022.
WFP reached 160 million people in 2022, with a presence in over 120 countries and territories. WFP was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020 for its efforts to fight hunger and for its contribution to enabling conditions for peace in conflict-affected areas. It relies entirely on voluntary funding, with Governments being its principal donors. 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.