Good nutrition for all is a human right that also plays a critical role in realising other human rights. Yet the world is largely way off-track when it comes to meeting global nutrition targets.
Now new research shows that the countries most affected by child undernutrition experienced US $309.8 billion in trade-related illicit financial flows (IFFs) in 2024.
This report argues that more must be done to tackle the revenue losses associated with these and other IFFs. Doing so would increase the capabilities of Global South governments to invest in nutrition and health programmes.
Malnutrition is both a moral failing and politically myopic.
The failure to tackle the problem of child undernutrition in the Global South is killing children and wrecking the futures of those who do not perish. Further, every US $1 invested in overcoming undernutrition yields a return of US $23. Fully scaling up interventions to combat child undernutrition would generate an estimated US $2.4 trillion in economic benefits in the period 2025-34.
And, as this report highlights, the UK Government is particularly well placed to tackle IFFs, and therefore must do much more if it is to be considered serious in its commitment towards global development and achieving the 2030 SDGs.