Concern chief executive Tom Arnold has been appointed to a high-level United Nations group aimed at tackling child hunger.
Mr Arnold joins former president Mary Robinson and 25 others - including heads of state and delegates from business and development agencies - on the lead group of the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement.
Initiated in 2010 the Sun Movement was created to enable sustained and demonstrable reductions in the number of people, especially children, affected by poor nutrition.
The movement focuses particularly on improving nutrition during the vulnerable period of 1,000 days between pregnancy and a child’s second birthday.
Speaking following his appointment by UN general secretary Ban Ki-Moon today, Mr Arnold said he was “honoured” to accept the invitation to join one of the “most positive and potentially most impactful developments in the fight against poverty over the past decade”.
“The fact that two Irish people have been invited to join the lead group should be seen as reflecting the acknowledged leadership role of Ireland in the fight against global hunger,” Mr Arnold added.
The group is chaired by the executive director of Unicef, Tony Lake.