Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 July 2022
966. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the actions that Ireland will be taking from now until September to address famine and food insecurity in the Horn of Africa; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40671/22]
View answerThe Horn of Africa is in the midst of a rapidly deteriorating food security crisis, with the impact of a long drought compounded by the strains on global grain and fertiliser supplies resulting from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
My Department, through the Irish Aid programme, has responded with over €50 million in direct humanitarian support to drought-affected Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia since 2021, as part of an overall humanitarian contribution of €74.3 million to countries in the Horn. Further assistance is under active consideration. This support is channelled through partners providing life-saving assistance to those who most in need it. My Department also investing in anticipatory action, mitigating the impact of future shocks.
These interventions complement the €12 million my Department has provided over the past year in development funding to communities across the region, including in partnership with Irish NGOs. This funding is helping tackle the underlying causes of food insecurity and to build community resilience.
In addition, communities in the Horn are being supported through Ireland’s contributions to multilateral humanitarian action, such as the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), which reacts immediately to crises as they happen. Ireland is the eighth largest contributor to CERF, providing €11.5 million in 2022. Since 2021, the CERF has allocated over $228 million for emergency relief across the region.
Ireland consistently advocates for increased international support to the Horn of Africa, including in our work on hunger and conflict, and on climate, at the UN Security Council, together with leadership on a number of other Security Council agenda items relating to the wider political issues affecting the Horn.
On 20 June, the EU Foreign Affairs Council approved conclusions on the Team Europe response to global food insecurity, including an endorsement of the Team Europe pledge of €1 billion in support of the Sahel and Lake Chad regions, as well as a €600 million pledge in support of the Horn of Africa.
On 7 July, Minister Coveney met with UN Deputy Secretary General (DSG) Amina Mohammed in New York to discuss the situation in the Horn of Africa.
