With governments, world leaders and even the pope set to converge on Rome for the Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2) (19-21 November 2014) will this be the week that decides nutrition policy?
Convening senior officials and leaders from 192 governments, ICN2 will bring heads of state and governments together to set a new policy framework to address global malnutrition and feed directly into the new Sustainable Development Goals. The conference follows the Scaling Up Nutrition (Sun) Global Gathering, also in Rome, at which Sun Movement countries, networks and Sun Lead Group participants will come together to reflect on progress on malnutrition, accelerate support in areas of identified need and contribute to the outcomes of ICN2 through shared country experiences and approaches to scaling up nutrition.
In the same week the Global Nutrition Report will be officially launched in Rome. The report is one outcome of the Nutrition for Growth summit in London in 2013. It will track worldwide progress in improving nutrition, identify barriers to change and find opportunities for action. The rationale is that while there is a lot of great information out there on nutrition it is too fragmented and there are some critical gaps. The GNR aims to fill them.
With this activity all taking place in a short time frame, the international community are calling this month Nutrition November. ICN2 is an historic opportunity for countries throughout the world to demonstrate greater commitment to ending malnutrition in all its forms. But, will it deliver the change the nutrition community needs to see?
Since the first ICN meeting more than 20 years ago there have not been significant shifts in the number of people considered hungry, which today stands at 805 million. Micronutrient deficiencies still affect over 2 billion people around the world, leaving 162 million children under-five stunted and causing 45% of all child deaths. Unlike 20 years ago, we are now grappling with an epidemic of overweight and obesity, which affects an estimated 1.4 billion people, bringing with it a dramatic rise in non-communicable diseases that low and middle income countries are ill-equipped to cope with.
Against the backdrop of conflict, infectious disease, population growth and shifts, rising obesity and climate change there is an urgent need to develop sustainable food systems that put people’s health and nutrition at the centre. For GAIN that amounts to a food system that increases generates and meets demand for nutritious food across the value chain; that increases agricultural yields and the nutritional quality of foods; and, that acts as an incubator for innovative ideas while recognising proven interventions that improve the nutritional value of food.
Evidence over the last decade – including from two Lancet series’ on maternal and child nutrition – has shown that we already know the most effective solutions to tackle the problem of global malnutrition in its many forms. These include exclusive breastfeeding up to 6 months and alongside, complementary feeding from 6 months to at least 2 years of age; the fortification of staple foods like flour, oil and rice with essential nutrients; and closer interaction between agriculture and nutrition. Greater investment in proven and scalable interventions which can fortify and complement people’s diets, where lacking in vital nutrients - including building on and renewing existing programmes, and committing new resources to establish programs is crucial.
GAIN’s executive director, Marc Van Ameringen, said:
“The food system won’t self-correct. We need more ambition, more innovation and more leadership to create a food system that delivers affordable, healthy diets to everyone in the world. It’s only by coming together to focus on the obstacles and opportunities that we will succeed in building a better food system.”
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