Startling findings released today by the Lancet underscore the urgent need for the UK government to show leadership at the June 8 Nutrition For Growth high-level meeting and pledge at least £149 million per year for 5 years towards ending undernutrition.
Startling findings released today by the Lancet underscore the urgent need for the UK government to show leadership at the June 8 Nutrition For Growth high-level meeting and pledge at least £149 million per year for 5 years towards ending undernutrition.
New findings released today by the Lancet show undernutrition is responsible for almost half of all child deaths – that’s 3.1 million children’s lives lost every year. Yet the fight against the leading killer of children only receives 0.4% of the world’s overseas development assistance.
Starting right here in London, the world now has an opportunity to end this neglect.
On Saturday June 8, the UK government, along with Brazil and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, will convene decision makers, industry leaders, and private foundations at the Nutrition For Growth meeting to accelerate global progress on nutrition just ahead of the G8 Summit.
“The UK government can be commended for igniting action on nutrition by hosting this event,” said Aaron Oxley, Executive Director of RESULTS UK. “A multi-year commitment, along with sustained political leadership and accountability, is necessary to ensure momentum on nutrition reverberates across generations.” The UK is already the top European donor to nutrition specific interventions in Europe; this event provides an opportunity galvanize tangible support from other donors and organizations.
Ensuring scale-up of interventions against undernutrition are properly funded is within our reach. The Lancet findings estimate that after taking key countries’ own investments into account, £1.9 – £2.6 billion ($3.0 – $4.0 billion) per year would be needed to ensure access to the most effective nutrition specific interventions. This is a similar amount to the combined annual advertising budget of Coca-Cola and McDonalds.
There is strong evidence that ending undernutrition is critical in breaking the cycle of poverty. Nutrition specific interventions during the first 1,000 days from the start of a woman’s pregnancy until her child’s second birthday will save lives and prevent irreversible physical and cognitive damage that would otherwise stunt a child’s potential. New evidence also finds the in order to impact this “window of opportunity” a mother must be well nourished when she becomes pregnant, meaning we must also focus on ensuring adolescent girls and young women have access to adequate nutrition.
Countries that have high levels of undernutrition in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East have already committed to scaling up their nutrition programs. With support from the UK and other donors, and with the latest evidence from the Lancet, there has never been a better time to turn plans into action and stop the scourge of undernutrition.
RESULTS UK is an international NGO that uses advocacy and campaigning to bring about the end of extreme poverty. We do that by recruiting, training and inspiring hundreds of volunteers around the world to speak up and call for change. We call on the governments of wealthy nations to spend more money on overseas aid, to spend the money they spend more effectively and efficiently and to ensure that anything they support reaches the poorest and most vulnerable people all the time.
As a small organisation we pick the issues we work on very carefully in order to ensure we have the greatest impact in the lives of the world’s poorest people. Currently we are campaigning on: education, global health, child survival and nutrition