Dáil Contribution on Overseas Development Aid in light of Global Food Shortages
Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine with regard to the resultant and expected global food shortages and the impact on Ireland’s overseas development aid; and if he will make a statement on the matter
Transcript
Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh
The Minister referred to a crisis that is playing out in fast-forward or at least in real time on media, including social media. There is also a catastrophe playing out in slow motion arising from the Russian aggression in Ukraine. We know Ukraine alone provides the wheat supply for more than half of the world food programmes and there shall be major implications for people across the developing world as expected crop crises unfold on foot of the invasion. Have we any plans for our overseas development aid in this respect?
Deputy Colm Brophy
Given their important role in the world’s food system, together providing 12% of the world’s traded calories, global food security has been damaged by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The most immediate impact has been the significant increase in the prices of wheat, sunflower oil and fertiliser, which is already affecting food prices in import-dependent poorer countries.
With fertiliser prices increasing, food production prices will also increase, reducing farm incomes, just as climate stress and pre-existing conflicts are also complicating food production. Many countries where the Irish Aid programme is active, including but not exclusively Ethiopia, Syria, Lebanon, and Kenya, are particularly exposed to increasing food prices. With the World Food Programme’s humanitarian response also vulnerable to increased cereals prices, and also increasing transport costs, the situation of many of those at risk has deteriorated. The World Food Programme has reduced its rations to many of those dependent on its food distribution, and in Yemen, for example, 16.2 million people are food-insecure.
In addition to the Irish Aid humanitarian response to Ukraine, already exceeding €20 million in response to immediate needs, my Department will ensure that the whole of the aid programme is engaged in responding to the wider challenges arising from the food security issues arising from the invasion of Ukraine.
Irish Aid has a strong track record from which to build in response to this crisis, building from our global leadership on food systems, including at last year’s food systems summit and through our board membership of the International Fund for Agricultural Development, as well as mainstreaming food across our development programme and humanitarian responses. Ireland has pledged €800 million to nutrition work over the five years to 2026, including a three-year strategic partnership with the World Food Programme worth €75 million to provide food assistance to the world’s poorest people. In addition, Irish Aid will work with partner governments on the re-orientation of social protection programmes and to improve agricultural practices.#
Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh
The Minister of State rightly draws attention to the proud record Irish Aid has in regard to our overseas development aid programme. I know that we like to try to fund multiannual projects which is right and correct. However, exceptional measures will need to be taken for the forthcoming food shortages. We also need to look forward in respect of climate shocks, which are mentioned in the programme for Government. While we did not anticipate this level of military crisis, climate shocks are going to affect agriculture in developing countries even more than they will affect us here. We are going to have to take emergency measures to feed the world’s poorest. Unfortunately, as with all of these things, the worst effects of this crisis are going to be played out among the populations least able to afford them. We really need to be planning ahead and seeing what we can do as an admittedly small country to help in this matter.
Deputy Colm Brophy
The Deputy is quite right in his analysis. We are working with the World Food Programme. As a small country, our best involvement is through large international organisations. Under our commitment with the World Food Programme we have put in €75 million from 2022 to 2024, increasing support to it. The Deputy is right to highlight that in a number of countries where the World Food Programme is the primary source of food supply there are going to be issues later in the year. We are conscious of that. We are working on that. We are also working to ensure that our own aid programmes, while maintaining focus on Ukraine, continue to function within those countries. There is no question that there is a supply side issue from Ukraine and Russia to the World Food Programme. Even if that can be met there will be international price implications for World Food Programme purchasing. This needs to be a collective response and we are working on addressing it now.
Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh
That draws attention to the fact that we need to have a short-term and immediate response to this crisis in terms of getting food to the most vulnerable. However, we also need to have a long-term response to food sovereignty and food security in developing countries. There is a reference in the programme for Government to vulnerability to climate shocks. We know we are going to see it intensify and worsen. There is an important role for Ireland in long-term overseas development aid and helping countries develop their own food sovereignty and food independence, particularly countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Many of our partner countries are in sub-Saharan Africa. I hope we will see a scaling up of our initiatives from Irish Aid in that regard, particularly in supporting food systems and agriculture in developing countries.
Deputy Colm Brophy
I agree with the Deputy’s emphasis on the longer term approach, particularly in respect of climate financing and adaptation. We are absolutely certain that a set of programmes is needed that enable food production to take place in a more localised way and make it as independent of inputs like fertilisers as possible. Stability of food production in key areas is needed. That is part of Irish Aid’s ongoing commitment programme which we are continuing to strengthen. The immediate impact of what has happened in Ukraine highlights that these are really key things that need to be addressed. The Irish Aid programme is addressing them as we speak in terms of our approach to tackling that food security system.
