Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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327. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent to which the possibility of world food shortages has engaged the international community at the highest level; his level of contribution in such instances; and the extent to which he has been able to influence policy in this area. [51981/22]

Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Globally, it is estimated that 828 million people were affected by hunger in 2021, an increase of 150 million on 2019. The food crisis has been accentuated by the COVID pandemic and, this year, by the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Ireland has been a long-standing champion of the fight to reduce global hunger and malnutrition. At the UN Food Systems and the Nutrition for Growth conferences in 2021, Ireland pledged €800 million over five years for nutrition programmes, and sustainable food systems transformation. In September this year, at the UN General Assembly, we committed a further €50 million over the next three years to tackle acute child malnutrition, in collaboration with USAID and UNICEF.

I saw for myself the extent of the food and nutrition crisis in the Horn of Africa, and the Government has now provided an additional €30 million in immediate humanitarian assistance to respond to the devastating situation across the region. This will bring Ireland's total assistance to the Horn of Africa to over €100 million in 2022.

Ireland will provide at least €75 million to the World Food Programme over the next three years, and will take up a seat on the Executive Board in 2023, in addition to our current membership of the Executive Board of the International Fund for Agricultural Development.

Ireland is playing a leading role within the EU on food and nutrition security and had a central role in discussions on resilient agri-food systems at the 2022 African Union-European Union Summit. At the UN Security Council, Ireland is continuing to lead through our work as informal focal point on conflict and hunger.