This report was produced through funding provided by UK International Development from the UK government and produced by Nutrition Action for Systemic Change (NASC). The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the UK Government.
Nutrition Action for Systemic Change (NASC) is a Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) international development programme. NASC contributes to preventing and reducing malnutrition in all its forms with a particular focus on tackling undernutrition and improving diets of women, girls and children. NASC aims to strengthen nutrition policy and accountability at the country and the global level (so that health, food and other systems more effectively integrate nutrition objectives), increase the amount of public finance mobilised for delivering nutrition services, and make sustainable, healthy diets more affordable and accessible. The programme combines technical assistance, grants, diplomatic and policy campaigns to strengthen the efforts of governments, private sector, civil society, and international partners to address systemic barriers on nutrition, in particular barriers faced by women, girls and children in low-income households.
Executive summary
There remains a global food and nutrition crisis, worsened by conflict, economic turmoil, climate change, and biodiversity loss. Despite global efforts, one in three people are still affected by malnutrition. More than 40% of the world’s population cannot afford a healthy diet, and 582 million people are projected to be chronically undernourished by 2030 (FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO, 2024).
The UK continues to play a prominent role in supporting global efforts to address malnutrition, and at the 2025 Nutrition for Growth (N4G) summit, the UK launched the Global Compact on Nutrition Integration. The Compact invites signatories to embed nutrition objectives into wider policies and programmes. This will help to leverage support to end malnutrition (SDG2.2). 85 governments and organisations have joined the Compact so far.
Following the 2025 summit in Paris, FCDO made three commitments: 1) to increase the integration of nutrition objectives across FCDO’s ODA portfolio up to 2030, 2) to champion the Global Compact on Nutrition Integration, and 3) to develop a results target and report results annually. Appropriate progress reporting for these 2025 commitments will be included in future editions of the Accounting FCDO’s Progress Against its Nutrition Pledges report. These 2025 pledges reflect the UK Government’s decision to reduce ODA expenditure from 0.5% to 0.3% of Gross National Income (GNI) by 2027 and supersede the 2021 N4G pledges.
The UK previously made three commitments at the 2021 N4G summit in Tokyo, as well as the additional nutrition programming pledge made in 2023 in response to the 2023 ICAI review (Independent Commission on Aid Impact, 2023) into UK ODA investments in agriculture. In November 2020, prior to the 2021 N4G summit, there was an overall reduction of the UK’s ODA budget from 0.7% to 0.5% of Gross National Income (GNI). In February 2025 it was announced that there would be a further, phased reduction in the UK’s ODA budget from 0.5% to 0.3% of GNI by 2027. This report details FCDO progress for the 2023 calendar year against the 2021/22 pledges, providing an independent analysis and assessment utilising the latest available data. The overarching purpose of this report is to promote transparency and accountability regarding FCDO’s annual progress towards delivering on its nutrition pledges.