This year is an important one for our advocacy together on nutrition. 2021 is the Nutrition for Growth (N4G) year of action, with the N4G Summit coming up in December – a chance for countries to make new financial commitments to ensure that programmes tackling malnutrition continue to be funded for the period 2022-25. But so far, the UK hasn’t taken much action! Nutrition is an essential part of a healthy and productive life and is vital to a child’s growth and development. Earlier this year, RESULTS campaigners called for effective nutrition programmes, and from your replies, we learned that that the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is actively working on improving the way its programmes are designed to tackle malnutrition. But more concrete commitments and action are needed.
Since the vote to cut UK aid in July, we’re seeing disproportionate cuts to nutrition services and programmes at a time when malnutrition is growing because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, in the run-up to the N4G Summit, we need to reiterate the importance of nutrition and call for a funding commitment from the Government.
This month, please write to or meet your MP to ask them to urge the Government to commit to reaching at least 50 million women and children with nutrition programmes by 2025.
Check out the attached materials and take action!
The Action Sheet gives you all the information you need to understand the issue, and why now is such an important time for countries including the UK to work together to tackle malnutrition. We’ve also included links to resources to help you think about how to write to or arrange a meeting with your MP.
Background Sheet 1 contains brief ‘talking points’ to explain the issue to your MP in just a few words, plus a glossary to unpack some of the technical terms that are used.
Background Sheet 2 contains some real-world examples of the support that nutrition programmes can provide, and also gives ideas for taking action on nutrition on World Food Day on 16 October – plenty of time to design your own social media project!
Image: Action Against Hunger. Mohamed enjoying his ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) as part of his malnutrition treatment in Mogadishu, Somalia.