$700 million investment case first of its kind for a global nutrition organization

NEW YORK – At an event hosted at Canada’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations and attended by donor and implementing country ambassadors, Nutrition International today released its plan to mobilize $700 million through 2024 in the global fight against malnutrition. The investment case, the first of its kind for a global nutrition organization, will finance the scale-up of proven high-impact, low-cost nutrition interventions, particularly for women, adolescent girls and children.

At the event, the Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister for International Development and Minister for Women and Gender Equality, convened a discussion on the urgency for action on women and girls’ nutrition in the lead up to the Nutrition for Growth Summit in Japan in 2020, noting the need to accelerate progress towards the World Health Assembly targets due in 2025 and the Sustainable Development Goals due in 2030.

Malnutrition affects one out of three people worldwide and remains one of the most persistent, cross-cutting barriers to human development on the planet. Women and girls bear the heaviest burden with over 1 billion affected. This impacts their health, education, and employment, and is a major obstacle to their individual and societal potential.

Just as malnutrition causes insurmountable barriers to human progress, the right nutrition at the right time can open a world of opportunity. Well-nourished women are healthier and deliver healthier babies. Well-nourished children have stronger immune systems and improved brain development. Well-nourished adolescents are more likely to stay and learn in school, opening the possibility of better jobs, increasing their lifetime earnings and economic independence. Taken together, a well-nourished, healthy and educated population is the foundational pre-requisite for progress.

Quotes

“Nutrition International is a multilateral nutrition organization delivering impact on a global scale for those in need. We welcome this investment case because it is exactly the kind of costed, evidence-base plan we need if we are to achieve concrete progress towards the global goals. Through Nutrition International, Canada is ensuring that millions of people, particularly women and girls, have the nutrition they need to grow, to learn and to lead.”

• Maryam Monsef, Minister of International Development and Minister for Women and Gender Equality

“Nutrition International has created an audacious, first of its kind investment case designed to have a significant impact on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. While bold, the organization’s recognized leadership, technical expertise and global influence put its targets well within reach.”

• David de Ferranti, Nutrition International Board of Directors Chair and Founder, Results for Development

“Good nutrition is absolutely essential for a world free from poverty and injustice. An investment in Nutrition International is an investment in a child’s education, a community’s growth and the world’s future economic development.”

• Joanne Carter, Executive Director, RESULTS

“Nutrition International’s investment case presents an ambitious and achievable roadmap for accelerating SDG progress. It is built around a high-quality, technical approach that draws on concrete evidence of what works in nutrition and I am proud to have been a part of its development.”

• Robert E. Black, Director of and professor at the Institute for International Programs of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

“Nutrition International acts as a force multiplier for the development ecosystem. Working alongside governments as an expert ally, we combine deep technical expertise with a flexible approach, increasing impact without increasing complexity or cost. Leveraging our unique combination of capabilities, Nutrition International seeks to break silos in pursuit of a ‘no missed opportunities’ approach. We are focused on achieving the greatest good for the people we serve.”

• Joel Spicer, President and CEO of Nutrition International

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