Irish Aid – responding to the global hunger crisis

1 billion people or just under one sixth of world’s population do not have enough to eat

The Minister of State for Overseas Development has announced that the eradication of hunger will become a cornerstone of the Irish Aid programme.  Ireland will take a leadership role internationally on the hunger issue.
Irish Aid has endorsed the three priority recommendations of the Government’s recent Hunger Task Force which are; increasing smallholder agricultural productivity in Africa; targeting maternal and infant under-nutrition and working to ensure that governments internationally fulfil their commitments to eradicate hunger.

At an event in Dublin on 21 January Minister Power announced the appointment of Kevin Farrell, formerly of the World Food programme (WFP), as Special Envoy for Hunger to oversee Ireland’s response to the global hunger crisis.  The appointment of an Envoy was one of the key recommendations of the Hunger Task Force.

As Hunger Envoy, Kevin Farrell will promote and assist efforts at national, regional and international levels to reduce hunger and food insecurity and meet the Millennium Development Goal to halve global hunger levels by 2015. 

Introducing the Special Envoy, Minister Power said:
“He has a well-deserved reputation, both nationally and internationally, with an established track record on hunger, particularly in Africa.  As Envoy he will be a strong voice for those denied the basic right to food. We will use Kevin’s enormous experience to drive forward the work of the Hunger Task Force report and to identify other initiatives to help tackle this scourge”.
Commenting on Irish Aid’s response to the Hunger Task Force Report, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheál Martin stated:
“It is a fundamental human right that people have enough food to eat and a sustainable livelihood.  The devastation caused by hunger and food insecurity is instinctively understood in Ireland, for historical reasons.  We have taken a lead in highlighting these issues internationally.  The steps announced today will ensure that the struggle against hunger is at the heart of our overseas aid programme and of our broader foreign policy objectives in the years to come”.

The 2006 White Paper on Irish Aid identified hunger and food security as fundamental elements of the global development challenge and included a commitment to establish a Hunger Task Force to identify the additional, appropriate and effective contributions that Ireland can make to international efforts to reduce global hunger.

The Task Force, which was established in 2007, comprised 15 members, including national and international experts and was chaired by the Former Minister for Agriculture and Food, Mr Joe Walsh.   The Task Force presented its report to the Taoiseach, Brian Cowen, at the United Nations in New York in September 2008 in the presence of the UN Secretary General, Mr Ban Ki Moon. The Government is working closely with the High-Level Task Force on the Global Food Crisis, which was established by the UN Secretary General last April.