Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We continue to highlight the importance of the World Food Programme and support for it. It issued a terrifying warning, I believe, that an additional 47 million people could fall into the grip of acute hunger in 2022. That is from a pre-war baseline of 276 million people. That means that up to 323 million people could become acutely food-insecure in 2022. That is increasing for men, women, boys and girls. Many of Ireland's international humanitarian partners purchase their grain from Ukraine. The impact of price increases means that the World Food Programme, realistically, will be able to reach fewer people with lifesaving assistance within existing resources. Global humanitarian responses will become more expensive, or else we will reach fewer people, at a time when global insecurity and food hunger have been increasing. The United Nations Secretary-General has said the Russian invasion of Ukraine is holding a sword of Damocles over the global economy, especially for poorer and developing countries. Ireland shares those concerns. In December 2021 Ireland signed a three-year strategic partnership with the World Food Programme. That agreement commits Ireland to the provision of €75 million for the period up to 2024.

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