The fight against malnutrition

Rwanda’s programme against malnutrition has won international recognition – it is being used to show that the global ambitious campaign against malnutrition and achieving zero hunger is possible.Supporters of the UN campaign dubbed Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement believe that preventing stunting is one of the single most cost-effective interventions in breaking the cycle of poverty.“Recent data from countries like Ethiopia, Rwanda, Peru and others show that we can reduce stunting with the right policies and programmes, the right investments and of course a commitment to action,” said Anthony Lake, Chairman of the SUN Movement Lead Group and Executive Director of UNICEF, at a meeting last week.A statement received by The New Times says that at the meeting with world leaders, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon highlights achievements in push for maternal and child nutrition while renewing call to achieve zero hunger.The meeting was attended by Heads of State, civil society and private sector representatives, and other government and UN officials. Participants at the high-level event announced progress in the fight against hunger and under-nutrition and ushered in new commitments.“I commend the achievements of the SUN Movement. Thirty countries have now put nutrition at the heart of their approach to development and more than 56 million stunted children have a better chance to grow more strong and healthy,” said the Secretary-General.“SUN is rallying governments, civil society, the private sector and international donors. Many of the countries who have joined the Movement have demonstrated that progress is possible, even in the face of economic, climatic and political challenges, he added.SUN is a global push for action to improve the nutrition of all—especially women and children. To date, campaign covers 30 countries that are dedicating their efforts to strengthening nutrition. These countries are home to 56 million children suffering from stunted growth due to chronic malnutrition, representing more than one-quarter of the world’s stunted children.Supporters of the Movement focus on implementing solutions that directly improve nutrition—such as support for breastfeeding or ensuring access to essential vitamins and minerals—as well as efforts that have a broader influence on nutrition, such as empowering women or improving farming practices to increase accessibility of nutrient-rich crops. To secure better nutrition for all who are at risk, the movement seeks to intensify action within countries so that all people benefit from well-run programmes. It encourages increased, integrated and responsible support from a broad range of partners. While 30 national governments have established the foundation for long-term commitments, local and international groups are also aligning their support. More than 100 organisations representing development agencies, the UN, civil society, the private sector and research institutions have endorsed the SUN road map, with additional countries and organisations expected to join in the near future. Recent Rwanda’s actions to scale up nutrition include one-cow per family initiative, commonly known as Girinka, the construction of vegetables gardens (Akarima k’igikoni), one cup of milk per child, and terracing to improve agricultural production.One-third of the world’s children are undernourished. The first 1000 days between the start of pregnancy and a child’s second birthday is a critical window of opportunity to prevent the irreversible and life-long damage caused by malnutrition, including stunting and impaired cognitive development. Multiplied across an entire nation, malnutrition can cost up to three percent of a country’s GDP. It is estimated that every dollar invested in nutrition in the first 1,000 days can yield 30 dollars in return.In April 2012, Secretary-General Ban appointed 27 global leaders to the SUN Lead Group to help the diverse efforts of SUN countries. The SUN Lead Group includes Heads of State, as well as representatives of development agencies, civil society, business and UN organizations that are providing strategic support to scale up nutrition. The Scaling Up Nutrition Movement is closely aligned with the ‘Zero Hunger Challenge’ launched by the Secretary-General in June of this year-which invites people to work for a future where everyone enjoys their right to food and all food systems are resilient. The Challenge has five elements: to end malnutrition in pregnancy and early childhood; to achieve 100 per cent access to adequate food all year round; to make all food systems sustainable; to double the productivity and income of smallholders, particularly women; and to achieve a zero waste or loss of food.

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The fight against malnutrition