Written answers

Tuesday, 6 July 2010

Department of Foreign Affairs

Hunger Eradication

10:00 am

Photo of Liz McManusLiz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 82: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the relative roles of the Committee on World Food Security and the World Bank within the proposed global partnership for agriculture, food security and nutrition. [29666/10]

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The eradication of global hunger is a key component of Ireland's foreign policy and a cornerstone of our development programme. We recognise that strengthening international coordination and enhancing global governance for agriculture, food and nutrition security through a global partnership among development partners, which builds on existing institutions and fosters effective partnerships among key stakeholders, is fundamental to addressing world hunger. We also recognise the central role that the United Nations' Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) and its Committee on Food Security play in the shared objective of increasing agricultural productivity and providing food and nutrition security for the world's rapidly growing population.

A reform process is underway at FAO in order to enhance its authority and capacity to effectively and rapidly respond to the challenge of world hunger. While the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has primary responsibility for Ireland's engagement with the FAO and its reform process, I expect that the Committee on Food Security will become the main global forum for discussion on global food and nutrition security issues. Its revitalised role will ensure greater policy convergence including through the development of international strategies and voluntary guidelines on food security and nutrition based on best practices and lessons learned from countries which have managed to make progress in reducing hunger.

The new Committee is also now the most inclusive food security forum, ensuring that all relevant voices are heard in the policy debate on food and agriculture. Its participation has been expanded to include a wide range of organisations working in the food security and nutrition areas from UN agencies and international financial institutions, to civil society and non-governmental organisations, and international agricultural research institutions.

As noted by the Deputy, the World Bank also has a key role to play in the area of agriculture, food security and nutrition. Ireland, acting through the Department of Finance which has lead responsibility, and my own Department, supports the World Bank's activities and operations aimed at increasing agricultural productivity in developing countries and improving nutrition outcomes in the households of the world's most poor and vulnerable people.

Ireland supports the World Bank's International Development Association, one of its development institutions which aims to reduce poverty and improve living standards with a focus on the world's poorest and most food insecure nations. We also support the Bank's International Finance Corporation and its private sector development work, which includes assisting developing countries to enhance the role of agribusiness and improve access to markets for farmers.

We support the World Bank's Global Food Crisis Response Programme established in 2008 to provide rapid financing to poor countries hard hit by rising food prices. We support the Bank's continued investment in agricultural development through its various programmes in developing countries, which is estimated at some $8 billion this year. These programmes focus on increasing agricultural productivity, and improving farmers' access to markets. We supported the establishment last year of a new Agriculture Finance Support Facility to increase farmers' access to financial services, such as credit and insurance.

Just last week, Ireland contributed €500,000 to the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme, a new trust fund managed by the World Bank to scale up support to help poor countries improve food security through increased agricultural production.

Our support to the World Bank's agricultural interventions, and for a more effective and coherent Food and Agricultural Organisation and Committee on Food Security, are fully in line with the recommendations of the Government's 2008 Hunger Task Force.

We are committed to giving effect to the recommendations of Hunger Task Force and continue to work on the three priority areas identified in its Report, namely: increasing smallholder agricultural productivity in Africa; targeting under-nutrition, especially maternal and infant; and promoting governance and leadership action on tackling global hunger. We are making good progress in implementing the recommendations of the Report across the Irish Aid programme, the overseas development assistance programme channelled and delivered through my Department.

The Government will continue to ensure that Ireland plays its role in all efforts to eradicate the scourge of global hunger and to meet our clear international target, the hunger target of the first Millennium Development Goal, to halve the number of hungry by 2015. Ireland's Special Envoy on Hunger, Kevin Farrell, will report on the progress that we and our partners are making towards the end of this year.

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