The High Level Meeting on "Recapturing Malnutrition Reduction" on 23-25/11/2009, has been organized jointly by the UN Standing Committee on Nutrition (SCN) and the European Community (EC) in Brussels.
Participants have reflected on ways and means to put nutrition higher on the agenda of both high burden and donor countries. A clear commitment for nutrition by both donor countries and high burden countries is needed in order to be translated into action through the preparation of basic guiding nutrition principles, as well as a roadmap for the development of country level action plans. The questions were raised on how it would be possible at global level to contribute to a real synergy between several actors and how to assure that Nutrition is well addressed within our partnership with Developing Countries.
During the two days of debates there have been shared experiences on governance and strategies on nutrition from many countries, reviewed the present global governance, and discussed common guiding principles and the conditions to scale up actions at global and national levels. For instance, Malawi's political commitment has led to the highest coverage of treatment of malnutrition and reduced mortality, in Laos iodized salt helped to decreased the impact of iodine deficiency and its devastating effects in cognitive capacities, the Cambodian government has dramatically increased the rates of exclusive breastfeeding and improved infant survival, Brazil and Peru benefited from conditional cash transfers, or Guatemala looks into the gender dimension of malnutrition.
The International Community, through the resolutions expressed at the UN General Assembly, the ECOSOC, the G8 and G20 and the recent World Summit on Food Security, is progressively recognising the priority that confronting malnutrition urgently deserves. The research evidence is clear on key interventions that if effectively scaled up can save millions of lives and have critical positive impacts on the economy and social cohesion and security of societies.
There is a need for effective multi-sectorial plans (with leads and responsible sectors for basic elements of nutrition preventive and treatment services), anchored in social protection policies and supported by the international community which ensures ownership and a continuum which integrates emergency action in longer term development plans.
Child and maternal under nutrition causes tremendous devastation in developing countries with far reaching and pervasive negative consequences beyond its terrible death toll. Hunger and malnutrition are in fact the number one risk to health worldwide – greater than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined [ECOSOC]. More than half of world population is reached by a form or another of malnutrition. One sixth of the world goes to bed hungry every day, and over one third of children in developing countries (up to half in many countries) have chronic malnutrition. Children without the minimum nutritional needs satisfied, will not be able to develop their potential, to benefit from education or employment opportunities, to contribute with hope, commitment and energy to their local communities, to their nations' progress and to the global community.
The response of the European Commission to the problem of malnutrition is presently addressed in several ways:
- Through the financing for development through mechanisms such as budget support (in line with the Paris commitments and the Accra Agenda for Action, in dialogue with partner countries) which can include specific indicators that priortize attention to malnutrition.
- The European Commission is resolved to help partner developing countries have stronger policies and capacities in their agricultural production so as to improve food security and increase rural incomes. Studies show that a 1% rise in per capita agricultural output led to a 1.6% rise in incomes of the poorest 20% of people. The European Commission plans to double its support to agriculture and rural development in ACP countries in the 10th EDF to reach € 1,2 billion and will be developing an EU policy on food security during 2010, at the moment undergoing online public consultation.
- The present increase in food prices, coupled with the effects of climate change, is already leading to increased severe malnutrition in some regions. Only 3% of the 20 million children with severe (life-threatening) malnutrition have access to nutrition rehabilitation. The European Commission already allocates a significant support through its emergency humanitarian and food assistance programme with approximately € 70 m per year to support direct nutrition care projects in emergency and post emergency settings.
- Health services and especially mother and child health programmes are fundamental to confront the prevention and management of malnutrition. This should be done by supporting countries capacities and predictable resources to set their health strategies and deliver comprehensive health services towards universal coverage. Such actions need to be coherent with other key EU policies included in the recent Council Conclusions on Policy Coherence for Development (trade, migration, food security, climate change and security). The EU is preparing an EU policy (The EU role in Global Health) for next year which is now in the process of online consultation
The participants to the meeting, representing 15 developing countries, 6 EU Member States, the relevant UN Agencies and a number of NGOs and academic institutions and researchers, agreed on the main principles that should guide a strengthened global leadership on nutrition : prioritizing the poor and most vulnerable groups, through a rights-based and participatory approach and by an integrated multi-sectorial strategy with accountability for results. The Standing Committee on Nutrition is challenged to enhance their leadership and coordinating role and clarify the division of labour with other UN related bodies such as the Committee on Food Security and the High Level Task Force on the high food prices.
