This is the case made in Why Nutrition is Foundational to Development, which United Against Malnutrition & Hunger (UAMH) has produced in partnership with the Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition and will be shared with Parliamentarians.
Its timing is salient. Nutrition has huge geopolitical significance; hunger and malnutrition, and its accompanying poverty, is fuelling social unrest and conflict and, in some cases, driving outward migration. The huge progress made in previous decades by the UK and its international partners contributed to a decline in global hunger, which has slid into reverse. Today 783 million of the world’s citizens face hunger, robbing people of their lives and potential.
This is devastating, not just for those individuals, but for us all. Without access to that fundamental human right – the right to food – the just and secure world we strive towards will remain beyond reach.
It is a point made by Professor Sandy Thomas, Director of the Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition, who says: “Access to good nutrition is key to unlocking progress towards shared global values and goals. Our evidence-based brief explains why accessible, safe, high-quality diets are foundational to achieving equality, security, and economic development for all.”
Global malnutrition and hunger are arguably the starkest expressions of inequality, with a deprivation of nutrition impairing mental and physical development in childhood and productivity in later life. Yet malnutrition is treatable with cost-effective and simple interventions, and preventable with long-term action to address its root causes, such as poverty, inequality, and climate change. Our brief provides readers with a clear guide explaining nutrition’s role in early childhood development, health, gender, education, food systems, climate change, and conflict.
Despite its importance in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), global nutrition is dramatically underfunded. In 2021 the UK Government cut its funding for nutrition in the UK foreign aid budget by more than 60%, and malnutrition receives less than 1% of Official Development Assistance (ODA) globally.
As UAMH CEO Jonny Oates explains: “Today 783 million people are facing hunger, fuelled by conflict and climate change, with women and children suffering the most.”
The authors argue that malnutrition and hunger should be restored as a UK international priority and suggest specific recommendations to support nutrition in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). These include integrating nutrition services within national health systems; breaking the cycle between food systems and environmental degradation; prioritising the nutrition of women and girls; and increasing financing for long-term nutrition programmes to build resilience.
We hope MPs of all parties will press for these recommendations. As Sir John Beddington, Chair of the Global Panel, and member of UAMH’s General Leadership Council, says: “Recent catastrophic events have seen an erosion of the nutrition status of huge numbers of people in LMICs. This has led to excess deaths, morbidity, and significant deterioration of the economic health of those countries. Investment in better nutrition produces significant gains in human health and economic benefits. It is vital that resources are put to researching these issues and identifying sustainable solutions.”
Read our briefing here.
For a downloadable copy and the references that informed the brief visit the Resources page of our website here.
