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Our Children Cannot Wait: The Case for Child Survival and Nutrition Sovereignty
In this opinion piece, His Majesty King Letsie III of Lesotho, African Union Nutrition Champion, makes the case for child survival and nutrition sovereignty.
For the first time this century, child deaths from preventable causes are projected to rise. Global instability, economic pressure and shrinking development financing have created a perfect storm: without a change in course, an estimated 30 million children could die from preventable causes over the next five years, half of them from malnutrition.
Africa will bear the heaviest toll, with roughly 18 million of those deaths and at least 50 million children born too small or too soon. This crisis reflects not just a funding gap, but also the limits of aid dependency — and it offers a historic opportunity for country-led, sustainable solutions.