The last big pledges of the day are still expected, here in UNILEVER house in the heart of London.
The World Bank and the EC are ‘big beasts’ in the development world but even they cannot fill the funding needs identified to combat undernutrition. According to the Lancet, around $9.5 billion is needed annually to role out a package of ten proven interventions. Will those funds be forthcoming?
The EU development commissioner, Andris Piebalgs, said: “I find it incomprehensible that in an era of technological revolution, some 870 million people are still going hungry and malnutrition is responsible for over three million child deaths annually. We have the means to stop this tragedy. What is lacking is the political will and determination to do so.”
We have also heard today short interventions from heads of state from Africa, including Ivory Coast, Malawi, Uganda and Tanzania. They all identified stunting as one of the most  prevalent nutritional challenges in developing nations.
Everyone in the room is now waiting to hear if the UK, Bill Gates, or foundations such as CIFF, will make significant pledges. Time is going on – will we leave the building still waiting for details?