Celebrating 30 years of impact.
Nutrition International's 30th anniversary is an opportunity to take stock of how far we've come, the difference we’ve made and our ongoing role in building a brighter future.
From a small Canadian initiative to a global nutrition organization.
In 1990, world leaders attending the World Summit for Children, co-chaired by Canada, set the goal of eliminating micronutrient deficiencies. In 1992, the Micronutrient Initiative was established by Canada to address micronutrient malnutrition and help deliver on this global pledge. From these modest beginnings as a specialized Canadian initiative, we’ve grown to become a global nutrition organization with world-class technical expertise, industry-leading cost-effectiveness, and global influence. To reflect this shift, in 2017, the Micronutrient Initiative became Nutrition International.
Nutrition International serves as a force multiplier across the development ecosystem, using our unique combination of capabilities to help countries overcome barriers to scaling up nutrition, domestic resource mobilization as well as local government capacity and ownership.
We work at the nexus point of evidence, capability, and action – using evidence-driven planning, supported by long-term technical assistance, coupled with stable, predictable financing to deliver sustainable impact at scale.
Since 1992, we have evolved and grown, but in all that time our purpose has remained unchanged: we exist to do the greatest good for the people we serve.
As we embark on our 30th year, we face many complex challenges – but there is also real opportunity. We will continue to look for the most effective ways to overcome these challenges, and build a better world.
From the President
Looking Forward
Nutrition International's President and CEO Joel C. Spicer shares his thoughts about Nutrition International's history, and how the organization plans to continue to step up and do even more for an unstable world.
Explore our interactive timeline.
In 1990, leaders attending the World Summit for Children, co-chaired by Canada, set the goal of eliminating micronutrient deficiencies. In 1992, the Micronutrient Initiative is established in Canada’s International Development Research Centre as a secretariat designed to address micronutrient malnutrition and help deliver on this global pledge.
The Micronutrient Initiative opens its first regional office in Asia, located in New Delhi, India. One year later, national program officers are assigned to Bangladesh and Nepal.
Beginning in 1994, the Government of Canada supports the Micronutrient Initiative to improve vitamin A intake for pre-school children, notably via distribution through National Immunization Day campaigns being rolled out across Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Through the Micronutrient Initiative, Canada further invests in the Global Alliance for Vitamin A (GAVA) ― a network the Micronutrient Initiative establishes with UNICEF, WHO and others to accelerate progress towards the UN goal of eradicating vitamin A deficiency by 2000. Nutrition International has been the host of GAVA since 2005.
In 2001, the Micronutrient Initiative sets up shop as an independent organization ― on its way to becoming one of the largest “made in Canada” global not-for-profit organizations.
The Micronutrient Initiative opens its first regional office in Africa, located in Johannesburg, South Africa.
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