The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon today (Tuesday, December 30) said Ireland's commitment to the UN World Food Programme (WFP) for 2026 will total €35 million.

Minister Heydon has also confirmed international development assistance funding to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of €4.34 million for 2025.

According to the 2025 State of Food Insecurity and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) global hunger remains at "crisis levels" with an estimated 670 million people hungry and more than two billion unable to afford a healthy diet.

The report also outlined that global food markets have faced persistent pressures in recent years, with food price inflation emerging as a major concern since 2021.

Food prices rose throughout 2023 and 2024 which also pushed up the average cost of a healthy diet globally.

Minister Heydon said Ireland stands with communities and its multilateral partners WFP and FAO, to ensure that funding "supports local agri-food systems, nutrition, and resilience".

"Agriculture remains central to achieving the shared goal of ending hunger and malnutrition. 

"Food insecurity remains well above pre-pandemic levels, particularly in fragile and conflict-affected contexts," he added.

Food

According to Minister Heydon Ireland’s funding support to WFP and FAO delivers "life-saving assistance, while strengthening sustainable food systems where the need is greatest.”

The executive director of the UN World Food Programme, Cindy McCain, has acknowledged Ireland's continued support and commitment to the programme.

"These increased contributions will bolster our ability to deliver lifesaving aid to the millions threatened by starvation due to conflict, extreme weather and economic instability".

She said that as Ireland prepares for the presidency of the EU Council in 2026, their joint collaboration is "more important than ever to ensure that support for effective humanitarian assistance remains high on the global agenda in the coming year.”