Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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I am keenly aware of the food insecurity crisis in Madagascar, especially the dire situation in the south of the country where over 1.13 million people are facing acute food insecurity. This includes some 14,000 people facing famine-like conditions, and 500,000 children, aged 6 to 59 months suffering from acute malnutrition.

Ireland has so far provided €500,000 to the UN's World Food Programme in Madagascar for the provision of life-saving food for those most in need, in particular women and children. Ireland has also contributed €10 million in 2021 to the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund, which has in turn provided US$8 million to respond to the crisis in Madagascar in recent months.

My Department, through the Embassy of Ireland in Maputo and working closely with EU partners and with UN agencies, continues to monitor the situation, especially in light of the poor harvest and continuing drought.

Through our engagement at the upcoming Nutrition for Growth Summit in Japan, Ireland will continue to shine a light on the scourge of hunger and malnutrition, and advocate for collective action to prevent acute food insecurity such as Madagascar is currently experiencing.