President right to focus on global hunger

"We are now witnessing the worst effects of climate change in real time, and it is those who have contributed the least who are suffering the most" - Jane-Ann McKenna

In Sally Hayden’s piece in the Irish Times on Wednesday 25th January, “President says global food production model ‘fundamentally flawed’, President Higgins rightly points out that in the Horn of Africa today, ‘Humanitarian response is urgent, essential but it is not sufficient’. It is estimated that one person is dying of hunger every 36 seconds in the region, and with the imminent rainy season due to fail once again, Ireland’s immediate humanitarian support will be vital.

We are now witnessing the worst effects of climate change in real time, and it is those who have contributed the least who are suffering the most. For communities across the African continent, increasing their resilience to climate change and other shocks is paramount. To bring about this resilience, transformative change based on the concept of sovereignty, including land, seed and food sovereignty is needed, as identified in President Higgins speech.

We must allow space to discuss this collectively and to agree on pathways as to how we achieve this. Dóchas, together with our members of over 50 international development and humanitarian organisations, stand ready to proactively engage in those discussions and ensure we are allowing communities to thrive and not just merely survive from crisis to crisis.