Liam Quaide (Cork East, Social Democrats)
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178. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his plans to increase funding for international food and nutrition programmes given the United States administration’s recent spending cuts to its humanitarian programmes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10493/25]

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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The Government remains firmly committed to Ireland’s international development assistance programme and its overriding priority, to reach the furthest behind first.

Ireland has been a leader in the global effort to tackle food insecurity and malnutrition, and will continue to be. This includes our policy engagement through the United Nations and the European Union. It also includes ongoing support to international development and humanitarian organisations, and our Child Wasting Initiative, which aims to prevent and address the scandal of acute child malnutrition, especially in Africa.

Ireland has worked with the US Administration and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on several global and country programmes that support sustainable development and humanitarian response, including in the areas of food and nutrition.

Since the U.S. announcement by Executive Order of a 90-day pause for all US foreign assistance programmes, the Department of Foreign Affairs has been following closely the continuing reports and announcements in relation to USAID. We will continue to work closely with our counterparts across the European Union, with international partners, multilateral organisations such as the United Nations, and in our collective effort to overcome global poverty and inequality and to advance sustainable development.In recent years, we have collaborated with USAID on a joint programme in Malawi, focused on food systems transformation and crop diversification. With the implementing partners of this programme, we are working to ensure that planned and Irish-funded activities on climate-resilient agriculture and crop development can continue without disruption.In 2024 the then Tánaiste, and the head of USAID, announced plans for a joint programme of work in Zambia, focused on sustainable food systems and nutrition. Ireland’s planned investments in Zambia will not be affected, and we will continue our work on youth and women’s empowerment, food security and nutrition in conjunction with the Zambian Government and other partners.It would clearly not be viable for Ireland to make up any shortfall resulting from a shortfall in USAID funding, or other donor funding. However, we will continue to consult with our development and humanitarian partners as the situation evolves, and to provide support that is both predictable and flexible. This will help partners to adapt as well as possible to rapidly changing contexts. In all countries where Ireland provides international development assistance, we will remain in close contact with the governments and partners on development and humanitarian challenges and on our collective response.