How Ireland is redefining the fight against global hunger (and what comes next)

Ireland’s commitment to ending hunger is a reflection of our own recent history, one that forged an uncompromising mandate in our ODA: Work with those who are hardest to reach, and who have been left furthest behind. Concern itself was born during a disastrous famine in Biafra, when several ordinary Irish citizens saw this crisis play out on TV and decided to take action.

Fast-forward four decades to the birth of CMAM (Community Management of Acute Malnutrition). What is now recognised as the gold standard for treating malnutrition began as a pilot programme, co-developed by Concern and with funding from Irish Aid. In its initial pilot run during a famine in Ethiopia, CMAM brought child mortality rates down from an average of 20-30% to just 4.5%. 

Since then, CMAM has grown from a self-contained programme to a cornerstone of countless larger and longer-term projects that pair nutrition support with emergency response, livelihoods, primary healthcare, and climate change. 

CMAM has saved millions of lives since it launched, but the fight against hunger is far from over. Especially in recent years, the escalation of conflicts, intensity of climate events, and the knock-on effects of COVID-19 have set progress back. With Ireland leading the Council of the European Union through the end of this year, however,  we have a unique and timely platform to move the needle forward once again. 

To take a closer look at what has changed since CMAM, Concern partnered with Ideas and Action for Public Good to evaluate Ireland’s ODA funding and the highlights of our national leadership on nutrition over the past 20 years. “The Best Ireland Can Be” shows how Irish influence is felt across programmes, partnerships, policy, research, and advocacy – and where we can do more. 

• Download our full report, "The Best Ireland Can Be"

Ireland has historically been one of the top funders for ODA programmes that centre nutrition. At the 2021 Nutrition for Growth Summit, we pledged €800 million in foreign assistance to support nutrition programmes over the next five years (an average of €160 million per year). We quickly surpassed that target, spending €193 million on nutrition in 2022 and €218 million in 2023. Our contributions in 2023 represented 17% of our total ODA spending for that year.  

Nutrition funding covers a range of programmes. Some are known as Basic Nutrition, which cover activities like:

• Infant and young child feeding support for parents and caregivers (including breastfeeding)
• Targeted feeding programmes
• Tracking and treating micronutrient deficiency 
• National nutrition monitoring

In 2023, on average, donor nations allocated roughly 0.5% of their bilateral ODA to these types of programmes. Ireland allocated nearly 4%. 

Beyond the basics, there are other forms of nutritional aid that are supported by ODA. Because of their efficiency, these are often referred to as High Impact programmes, and they include:

• Emergency and development food assistance
• Basic healthcare
• Food safety and quality
• School feeding programmes
• Food security policy and administrative management

In 2023, Ireland allocated more than €60 million to these programmes – a record high and nearly triple the investment they made in 2022. 

Today, however, we know that the most effective programmes to sustainably end hunger in the long-term are those that address two or more causes of hunger at the same time. 

Families need stable and sustainable livelihoods to afford food. Expecting mothers need trained medical support during their pregnancies. Farmers need to adapt to floods and droughts. Families living in conflict zones need protection and access to basic necessities. Communities need adequate water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure. 

This is another sector where Ireland is among the top investors. We know that ending hunger and improving nutrition depends on more than food distributions, nutritional screenings, and basic healthcare. Integrated programmes have become central to Irish foreign assistance, making for creative and dynamic solutions to some of the most pervasive challenges when it comes to nutrition. 

Ireland also invests more than our funds. Our experience in key agricultural sectors – such as dairy, potatoes, animal health, and soil fertility – has led to that expertise being shared in countries who still rely predominantly on farming and livestock to make a living. 

Hunger thrives where conflict and climate change collide. With conflict and famine still fresh in our historical memory, this is one of the reasons we tend to focus our support on the places with the greatest need. That’s true for Concern, as well as for Irish Aid. 

Over the past 20 years of Ireland’s ODA funding for nutrition:

• 68% has gone to fragile and conflict-affected regions (compared with 55% for other donor countries)
• 79% has gone to Africa (compared with 53% for other donor counties)
• 79% has gone to low-income/least-developed countries (compared with 49% for other donor countries)
• 73% has gone to low-income countries with high debt (compared with 42% for other donor countries)

In the same timeframe, nearly 75% of Ireland’s ODA for basic nutrition went to just 10 countries: Sierra Leone, Malawi, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Zambia, Liberia, South Sudan, Mozambique, Uganda, and Vietnam. Many of these countries are currently facing conflict or climate shocks – or both. The most effective programmes in these contexts are those that build resilience, improve local food systems, and support social protection services.  

When Concern goes into a country or community, we remain guided by local priorities and knowledge. Countries facing the highest levels of hunger and malnutrition generally have plans in place to reverse those trends, even if they don’t have the capacity to make those plans a reality. There are also local organisations and nonprofits working to do the same. 

One of the most important aspects of our work in-country is that we don’t go in with something completely new to replace the current plans and priorities. Our work is to support national plans and local priorities, working in partnership with governments, other NGOs, and communities to reach those who need assistance. That’s a hallmark of Ireland’s work in both the humanitarian and development sectors. 

Another important aspect of funding is the rise of multilateral aid – programmes that combine the resources of three or more governments to share funds, capacity, and expertise. It’s another example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts, and it reflects the truth that crises generally don’t stay within national borders.

Despite the strong economic case for investing in nutrition and proven methods that make the most out of foreign aid funds, it’s still challenging to create a global consensus. Governments are often reluctant to borrow funds for nutrition or agriculture, as the returns on investment can be difficult to demonstrate in the short-term, especially within a political cycle. 

Even in Ireland, where our contributions to nutrition are relatively strong in terms of percentage, the actual monetary amount remains small. Yes, part of this is because we are a relatively small economy. But there is more that we can also do. We have yet to meet our commitment of allocating 0.7% of our Gross National Income to ODA (a goal set by the UN). 

More broadly, ODA funding for all areas of work is under severe pressure. In the last year, many traditional donor nations have also scaled back development and aid budgets, even amid multiplying global crises. Crisis fatigue has left many programmes underfunded year-over-year, with civilians caught in conflict zones and natural disasters paying the ultimate price. 

Ireland has beaten this trend, investing even more in assistance than in previous years, but we need more governments to join us in this commitment. 

As Ireland leads the Council of the European Union through the end of this year, it holds a unique position of leverage. This presidency is a vital window to convince our fellow EU nations that nutrition is not a niche charity issue, but rather a foundational economic investment in global human capital and peace. 

Even as we work towards allocating more funds to ODA, we can encourage others to do the same. We have the opportunity to embed nutrition into the general discourse around foreign aid and development, and we have a strong track record when it comes to key areas of support like food systems, wasting, and nutrition. 

What’s more, we have a business and research sector in food and agriculture, which is well-placed to lead on ending hunger and delivering on food and nutrition security for all.

Zero Hunger will be the ultimate test of our food systems, and the integrated approach gives food systems greater resilience and sustainability. 

The good news is that ending global hunger isn’t an impossible task that requires an endless supply of emergency spending. We have proven models and we know that community-led care works. We know where the need is greatest, and what types of responses will be the best fit for different circumstances. The only remaining variable is whether international leadership has the political will to support those systems at scale.