Despite efforts to stem malnutrition, children across Africa remain deeply impacted, says the Global Nutrition Report launched this week in Abidjan.
The report says Africa is the only region where absolute numbers are rising, due to population growth.
It finds urgent, integrated response needed for world to meet any of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
The report found there is a critical need for better data on nutrition – many countries do not have enough data to track the nutrition targets they signed up to and to identify who we are leaving behind.
At least 10 million children in Africa are now classified as overweight, out of 41 million world over.
Up to 59 million children on the continent are stunted—too short for their age due to lack of nutrients and suffering irreversible damage to brain capacity.
African economies lose between 1.9 and 16.5% of gross domestic product annually to undernutrition, due to increased mortality, absenteeism, and chronic illnesses and associated costs, and lost productivity.
Some 14 million children are wasted—too thin for their height.
Almost every country in the world now faces a serious nutrition-related challenge, whether stemming from undernutrition, obesity, or non-communicable diseases.
That’s the message leaders heard this week at the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Global Gathering in central Abidjan.
The gathering brings together high-profile global leaders, 60 countries and 700 participants to discuss how to tackle malnutrition
“The problem of malnutrition, be it undernutrition or obesity, is an alarming public health problem and real global concern. Malnutrition is at the heart of the problem of fighting extreme poverty, and an important dimension of social and human development,” said Daniel Kablan Duncan, Vice-President of Côte d’Ivoire.
“I salute the international community for making nutrition a global priority and helping every citizen to live with dignity and reach their full potential.”
Gerda Verburg, the Coordinator of the SUN Movement said, “While progress has been made on undernutrition, we need to do more. Côte d’Ivoire is one member country of the SUN Movement which has stepped up and is investing in ending malnutrition. By hosting this important forum, they are sending a clear message – good nutrition is integral to achieving all the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and every country must make it a priority to ensure their people, nations and this planet thrives.”
Growing evidence suggest undernutrition in earlier life increases the risk of obesity and cardiovascular disease in later life.
“The Global Nutrition Report shows that we cannot treat different nutritional issues as separate problems, they are intimately connected and can be traced to inequalities everywhere in the world,” said Anthony Lake, Executive Director of UNICEF.
“It’s crucial that we break down this siloed approach which is impeding progress alongside recognizing the role of all other development sectors in driving change.”
The Global Nutrition Report 2017 calls for nutrition to be placed at the heart of efforts to end poverty, fight disease, raise educational standards, reduce inequality and tackle climate change.
“The world can’t afford not to act on nutrition or we risk putting the brakes on human development as a whole,” said Jessica Fanzo, Co-Chair of the Global Nutrition Report’s Independent Expert Group.
“We will not achieve any of the Global Goals for Sustainable Development (SDGs) by the 2030 deadline unless there is a critical step change in our response to malnutrition in all its forms.
The report found there is a critical need for better data on nutrition – many countries do not have enough data to track the nutrition targets they signed up to and to identify who we are leaving behind.
