The Government is to donate €2 million to the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) to support refugees in Chad.
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture and Food Trevor Sargent said the funding will be used to provide air transport for food to refugees in remote regions of Chad and in support of the overall humanitarian efforts in theregion.
"The provision of the €2 million is a direct response to the WFP's appeal for new donations to mount a major food assistance and logistics project aimed at feeding more than 230,000 refugees and 150,000 internally displaced persons in eastern Chad," he said.
The funding is in addition to the core funding of €8.5 million provided by the Department in May and brings total funding to €10.5 million this year.
WFP supplies monthly food rations to Sudanese refugees who have fled the conflict in neighbouring Darfur as well as native Chadians internally displaced by the troubles, Mr Sargent said.
"The UN Agency has also implemented programmes to help local host populations, under pressure from the influx of refugees and internally displaced persons, meet their food needs. This will involve the buying and shipping of 79,000 tonnes of food to eastern Chad by air and also using fleets of trucks travelling overland.
"Security and the current rainy season combine to confront humanitarian agencies in Chad with a particular challenging environment at the moment. Access is vital if relief organisations such as the WFP are to help those in need in a timely manner."
The Department of Agriculture and Food and Irish Aid in the Department of Foreign Affairs work together to support the work of WFP. Irish Aid responds to specific WFP emergency appeals and, to date this year has provided some €8.8 million to the fund.
In 2006, the WFP fed 88 million people in 78 countries. Ireland was the fourth highest per capita contributor to the programme last year and the 17 thhighest donor, according to the Department of Agriculture.