Ireland has announced total international development and humanitarian funding of €39.44 million to address escalating global hunger and food insecurity, with significant allocations to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and the UN World Food Programme. The funding includes €4.34 million for FAO activities in 2025 and the forthcoming payment of Ireland’s €35 million commitment to WFP for 2026, reinforcing Ireland’s long-standing engagement with multilateral food security partners.
The announcement comes against the backdrop of persistently high global hunger levels. According to the 2025 State of Food Insecurity and Nutrition in the World report, more than 670 million people remain undernourished globally, while over two billion cannot afford a healthy diet. Hunger continues to be driven by conflict, climate shocks, and economic pressures, with food insecurity particularly acute in fragile and conflict-affected settings.
Ireland’s funding is designed to respond to both immediate humanitarian needs and longer-term structural challenges. Support to WFP will help deliver life-saving food assistance to populations facing starvation due to conflict, extreme weather, and economic instability, while also contributing to climate-related hunger responses, sustained assistance in regions such as the Horn of Africa, and emergency operations including the Syrian response. Flexible, unearmarked funding will further strengthen WFP’s ability to respond rapidly to emerging crises.
Funding to FAO in 2025 combines Ireland’s annual subscription with targeted project support aimed at restoring food production, strengthening rights-based approaches to food security, and building resilient agri-food systems. FAO-supported initiatives include emergency recovery of agricultural livelihoods following natural disasters, efforts to protect the right to food in conflict and protracted crisis contexts, and programmes that enhance climate resilience, gender equality, and income generation in vulnerable regions.
Together, these investments underscore Ireland’s commitment to tackling hunger through practical, targeted interventions that support both emergency relief and sustainable development. Delivered within the framework of Ireland’s international development policy, “A Better World,” and coordinated across government departments, the funding aims to strengthen local food systems, protect livelihoods, and contribute to the global goal of ending hunger and malnutrition.
