Sri Mulyani is the Managing Director of the World Bank, and coming from Indonesia she has seen the damage that undernutrition does in developing countries. She spoke forcefully about the importance of empowerment of women. Evidence shows that women who have better education, and are able to participate in their communities, feed their children better and are less likely to see undernourished children in their families and villages.
The big pledge from the World Bank is that they will raise their spending on maternal and early childhood nutrition programmes from $230m last year to $600 next year.
What has been the response from Civil Society so far to the pledges made? “It’s great to see so many strong pledges – not just from donors but from countries where hungry children live” said Aaron Oxley of RESULTS. “Local political commitment, as Brazil has shown us, is critical. What will be key is to ensure all these pledges are turned into action and results. Everyone must be accountable for their commitments and report back regularly if we’re going to make real progress on hunger and malnutrition.”
