Ms Jane-Ann McKenna:

I thank the Vice Chairman and the committee for the invitation to meet it today to continue our engagement with it on the global food crisis, in particular on the situation facing millions in the Horn of Africa. By now, members have already have heard the calls to action to avert catastrophe. It is not an exaggeration to say that the catastrophe has already arrived and a rapid escalation of humanitarian aid into areas facing famine is needed. While I am reading this statement,12 more people will have died in east Africa due to lack of food and related complications.

Since May of this year, estimates of the number of people across the world who will experience crisis levels of hunger in 2022 has risen from 181 million people in 41 countries to 345 million. The G7 says 323 million people are on the brink of starvation. The global hunger index released last week confirmed that hunger levels are reaching catastrophic proportions, with 44 countries suffering with serious or alarming levels of hunger. There is no doubt but that the numbers will increase, given the millions displaced and lives up-ended in another recent climate crisis in Pakistan. That we are experiencing an unprecedented global emergency is undisputed.

I am joined today in person by Réiseal Ní Chéilleachair of Concern Worldwide and Colm Byrne of Trócaire. I am very pleased to also be joined by Paul Healy, Trócaire's country director for Somalia,and Dominic Crowley, Concern Worldwide's emergency director, who is also speaking to us from the region.

Before I hand over to my colleagues, I will give a short update of what has changed since we last met the committee in June. Back then, we said that one person was dying from hunger every 48 seconds in the Horn of Africa. Now it is estimated that one person is dying every 36 seconds. Back then, we knew there was a possibility the next rainy season due to start this month would fail. Now we know for sure that this has happened, leaving communities facing into a fifth consecutive season of failed rains. This is an historic situation by any accounts. Back then, we warned that despite our help, hundreds of thousands of children would die for lack of food and adequate nutrition. Now we are seeing children dying daily, many of whom have arrived too weak and too ill to health centres after long arduous journeys with their families.

That anyone anywhere is dying of hunger in 2022 is unacceptable. That any child would spend its first years knowing nothing but hunger should shock us all into action. In recent months, both the Irish people and the Irish Government have acted. The recent visit by the Minister of State, Deputy Brophy, to Kenya and Ireland’s announcement that it would allocate an additional €30 million to the situation in the Horn of Africa for 2022 are to be particularly welcomed, as is the announcement of increased funding for overseas development aid in budget 2023. On that, I thank the committee for its support and engagement with us and with the Government. As with all funding, we ask that the release of such funding be expedited or more lives will be lost unnecessarily. It is vital that Ireland continues to show solidarity with those who are living through the worst drought in 40 years.

COP 27, which takes place in two weeks' time, presents an opportunity to accelerate our global ambition to tackle the climate emergency and to place climate justice and human rights at the heart of climate action.

Climate security is now a critical issue that requires new thinking and new solutions. No country in the G20 is decarbonising quickly enough to maintain a safe climate and that is putting more lives and livelihoods at risk, in particular in countries such as Somalia that have done little to contribute to the problem.

A critical issue for the communities with whom we work is that of loss and damage. Countries in the global south are experiencing massive losses and damages from climate change impacts and have the least financial and technical resources to cope. This is diverting much-needed public finance for sustainable development into dealing with the crises and is pushing countries further into debt. It is a matter of climate justice that richer countries including Ireland contribute to and support the development of this third pillar of finance under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, UNFCCC.

We are asking all the committee members here today, as well as all Oireachtas Members, to support our call to action to Ireland, that is, to release flexible multi-year funding to meet the current humanitarian needs and that those funds reach as many NGOs and local organisations as possible who are the front-line responders; to continue to grow Ireland’s budget in line with our commitment to spending 0.7% of GNI on official development assistance, ODA, by 2030; and to advocate at the UN Security Council and in relevant international forums for accountability for those who seek to use starvation as a weapon of war. We ask Ireland to support the scale up of investment in social protection programmes and sustainable livelihoods to protect and strengthen hard-won development gains. Last, we ask Ireland to support the establishment of a loss and damage finance facility at COP 27 and to follow the lead of other countries such as Denmark, and to commit initial loss and damage finance, as a sign of leadership on the issue.

We need political action and leadership to prevent this catastrophe from getting worse. Each day of delay exacerbates human suffering, increases the scale of the crisis and raises the cost of the response. I will now hand over to Mr. Paul Healy who will speak about the reality on the ground in Somalia. He will be followed by Mr. Dominic Crowley, after which my colleagues and I would welcome input from members and will answer any questions they may have.