GLOBAL ACTION ON NUTRITION[1]

Draft Statement of Common Vision and Commitment

The battle against malnutrition is urgent and winnable. In the developing world, millions of children are undernourished with profound effects on the prosperity of nations. We are committed to working together to eliminate the scourge of malnutrition and ensure adequate nutrition for mothers and young children. Solutions exist that offer the highest possible returns to development, and there is a moral and economic imperative to engage global leaders to place nutrition high on the international political agenda.

We cannot achieve the Millennium Development Goals without global coordinated action on nutrition now.Renewed action is also essential to enhancing investments in food security and agricultural development; strengthening the fight against HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria; and stimulating increased productivity at the base of the economic pyramid.

We have the power to overcome this challenge by scaling up three strategic areas of intervention. These interventions are evidence-based and cost effective, and they can save the lives of up to 3.5 million children per year and protect millions more from permanent cognitive and physical damage.

GOAL: Ensure that mothers and young children have support for adequate nutrition so that all children can survive and grow to their full physical and intellectual potential.

SOLUTION: We must ensure that:

  • Mothers and young children have access to the right foods at the right time
  • Essential vitamins and minerals are available and consumed by mothers and young children
  • Parents/caregivers get the advice and support they need to feed their children in the best way possible

ACTION STEPS: Leaders must take action on food and nutrition security by:

  • Advocating for nutrition as a central priority of the 2010 G-8 meeting led by Canada and the 2010 EU presidency led by Spain
  • Advocating for the United States to ensure significantly increased funding for nutrition underU.S. efforts to scale up investments in food security and agricultural development
  • Securing $10.3 billion in annual financing from donors, developing country governments, and the private sector to scale up efforts to address malnutrition, especially among the youngest children and their mothers in the 36 countries that carry the heaviest burden ofmalnutrition
  • Working with countries to ensure that the key recommendations of the emerging Global Action Plan on Nutrition are incorporated into country development plans and international development initiatives related to all sectors and particularly in food security, health, and social protection

A COORDINATED APPROACH: Key leaders in the nutrition community are finalizing a Global Action Plan on nutrition. As such we agree to:

  • Act as one with coherent approaches and coordination at all levels, with particular emphasis on harmonization and large-scale action at the country level
  • Link approaches to improving nutrition with those to improve food security and family health, particularly for the most vulnerable women and children
  • Strengthen existing global- and national-level coordination mechanisms and agree on financing mechanisms for increased funding for nutrition

[1]September 2009 draft statement by international nutrition experts of the Global Action Plan (GAP) development partners group, which includes the nutrition leaders from BMGF, Bread for the World, CIDA, CGD, CORE, Cornell University, DFID, EC/EuropeAid, GAIN, Helen Keller International, MI, PATH, REACH, Save the Children-UK, Save the Children-USA, Tufts University, UNICEF, USAID, WFP, WHO, and the World Bank.In moving forward, the spirit of this effort aims to widen participation to include a broad range of partners across the public and private sectors, especially those in developing nations with the highest burdens of early childhood malnutrition.