T\u00e1naiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence, Miche\u00e1l Martin T.D., has pledged that Ireland will provide at least \u20ac284 million this year in support for food, agriculture and nutrition programmes around the world.\u00a0<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
<\/u>\u00a0<\/u><\/p>\n
This funding includes a number of new pledges\u00a0announced\u00a0by the T\u00e1naiste today while speaking at a major food systems event in New York on the eve of the SDG Summit. The new pledges are:<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
<\/u>\u00a0<\/u><\/p>\n
<\/u>\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/u>\u20ac4.2 million to support the UN\u2019s Food Systems Hub, managed by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), over three years.\u00a0<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
<\/u>\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/u>\u20ac2.5 million to support a new Women\u2019s Economic Empowerment initiative in partnership with IFAD (the International Fund for Agricultural Development) and the Irish League of Credit Unions.<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
<\/u>\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/u>\u20ac2 million to the \u2018Grain from Ukraine\u2019 initiative announced by President\u00a0Zelenskyy\u00a0to help counter the impact of the war in Ukraine on developing countries and the irresponsible suspension of the Black Grain Sea Initiative.\u00a0<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
<\/u>\u00a0<\/u><\/p>\n
The T\u00e1naiste said:\u00a0<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
\u201cIreland is a world leader in tackling hunger. Our history of famine has ensured that ending hunger is one of the core priorities at the heart of our international engagement. This year, Ireland will provide at least \u20ac284 million in support for food, agriculture and nutrition around the world.<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
<\/u>\u00a0<\/u><\/p>\n
\u201cEnding hunger is one of the top aims of the Sustainable Development Goals. Seven years after Ireland co-facilitated agreement on the SDGs, we will play a leading role this week at the SDG Summit in New York. This Summit is a crucial moment to take stock of progress against the SDG targets and create real momentum to deliver these important goals.<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
<\/u>\u00a0<\/u><\/p>\n
\u201cIreland believes that transformation of food systems must be at the heart of our work to reinvigorate the SDGs. Hunger is again increasing globally. We are in a global food and nutrition crisis, one that is characterised by more frequent shocks. Russia\u2019s illegal war in Ukraine has added an additional dimension of uncertainty and volatility.<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
<\/u>\u00a0<\/u><\/p>\n
\u201cBuilding resilience must become an urgent core strategy. This is easy to say but much harder to do. But we need to step up and build capacity across food, health, education, economic and governance systems.<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
<\/u>\u00a0<\/u><\/p>\n
\u201cPeace is a pre-requisite for the development of communities and countries. Ireland has learned this through our own long search for a historic and lasting peace. We are now enjoying the fruits of that peace, even if the political process remains fragile. Worldwide, conflict and violence always disrupt food production and supply and lead to displacement and increased vulnerability.\u201d<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
<\/u>\u00a0<\/u><\/p>\n
<\/u>\u00a0<\/u><\/p>\n
Tackling hunger is one of the key priority areas of Irish Aid, the Government\u2019s overseas development assistance programme. The \u20ac284 million Ireland will spend this year includes a range of partnerships with international partners through Irish Aid.\u00a0<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
<\/u>\u00a0<\/u><\/p>\n
It includes\u00a0delivery on the pledge of\u00a0\u20ac50 million, spent over three years, to combat child wasting in cooperation with USAID and UNICEF. This pledge was made at the UN General Assembly in 2022 and has been delivered on by Ireland.\u00a0<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
<\/u>\u00a0<\/u><\/p>\n
It also includes\u00a0a new joint programme, in cooperation with USAID,\u00a0in Malawi with smallholder farmers and the private sector to support food systems transformation. Ireland will invest at least \u20ac42 million in this programme over the next four years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
T\u00e1naiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence, Miche\u00e1l Martin T.D., has pledged that Ireland will provide at least \u20ac284 million this year in support for food, agriculture and nutrition programmes around the world.\u00a0 \u00a0 This funding includes a number of new pledges\u00a0announced\u00a0by the T\u00e1naiste today while speaking at a major food systems event…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":684,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news","category-3","description-off"],"yoast_head":"\n