REPORTS FROM THE AGENCIES
International Food Policy Research Institute. 2014. Washington, DC: Global Nutrition Report 2014: Actions and Accountability to Accelerate the World’s Progress on Nutrition.
been relatively quickly reduced in Brazil, Bangladesh, and the Indian state of Maharashtra. Another asks if there may be a better way to track nutrition spending, and several address malnutrition (especially among minority groups) in the United States. A multitude of user-friendly figures and tables provide a wealth of resources for researchers and public health workers alike.
Key Messages and Recommendations
Shelley McGuire Washington State University School of Biological Sciences, Pullman, WA
Genesis of Report Malnutrition affects nearly every country in the world, and, although substantial resources are continuously funneled into its prevention and alleviation, most countries are far from reaching international goals in this regard. One reason for slow progress is lack of coordinated effort to track and report global efforts and outcomes aimed at reducing malnutrition. In response to the unacceptable rate of progress, 96 signatories that participated in the 2013 Nutrition for Growth Summit in London agreed to support the creation of a comprehensive report on global nutrition. This report was projected to be annual and written by a group of independent, international experts. Development and publication of the first edition of this report, the Global Nutrition Report 2014, was funded by both private foundations (e.g., the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) and governmental entities (e.g., the government of Canada) and published by the International Food Policy Research Institute in November 2014. Its content is briefly described here.
Overview of Content The report consists of 10 chapters that detail a wide spectrum of related topics such as documenting the overlapping nature of under- and overnutrition in many regions, quantifying individual and societal benefits of improved nutrition across the life cycle, enumerating and describing instances of success and rates of progress, and prioritizing investments needed to improve nutrition data on a global scale. Six appendixes provide excellent compilations of previously available and new data related to country- and region-specific malnutrition rates, progress toward meeting international targets, spending levels, and accountability matrixes. In addition, most chapters contain topical “panels” that provide thoughtprovoking narratives that describe both exceptional challenges and noteworthy successes in terms of interventions. For instance, three such panels address how child stunting has 278
For some, the most useful outcomes of the Report, which the authors describe as an “intervention against malnutrition,” may be the key messages and recommendations described in Chapter 10. It is noteworthy that the target audience of the Report is meant to be nutrition “champions” and their current and potential allies–in other words, people and organizations who can effectively partner to accelerate improvements in global nutrition. The aim of these messages and recommendations is to provide talking points that could lead to more robust policies, programs, research, and advocacy associated with nutrition. Importantly, they are to be tailored appropriately according to the local, regional, national, or international context. Message 1: People with good nutrition are key to sustainable development. Recommendations for this message include continuing to promote nutrition within the United Nation’s proposed Sustainable Development Goals and to find ways that identify and advocate for nutrition-related indicators and targets across all of the goals–not just the one explicitly related to nutrition. Message 2: We need to commit to improving nutrition faster and build this goal into the Sustainable Development Goal targets for 2030. Holding an open consultative process to establish a consensus on nutrition targets for the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals is suggested. Message 3: The world is currently not on a course to meet the global nutrition targets set by the World Health Assembly, but many countries are making good progress in the target indicators. The working group urges research to examine how progress has (and has not) been achieved and what bottlenecks appear most significant to inform and inspire related efforts in regions where success has been less forthcoming. Message 4: Dealing with different, overlapping forms of malnutrition is the “new normal.” More and more, countries must deal simultaneously with nutrient deficiencies and chronic positive energy balance (obesity). As such, all involved parties must be aware of the complex nutritional, financial, and political risks that exist when the extremes of the nutritional status continuum are considered in isolation of each other.
ã2015 American Society for Nutrition. Adv. Nutr. 6: 278–279, 2015; doi:10.3945/an.115.008599.
Message 5: We need to extend coverage of nutritionspecific programs to more of the people who need them. Recommended actions include placing a greater emphasis on implementation research and a scaling up of coverage in ways that promote international comparisons. Message 6: A greater share of investments to improve the underlying determinants of nutrition should be designed to have a larger impact on nutritional outcomes. The working group suggests that, as difficult as it may be to accomplish, nutrition investors need to continue with their efforts to assess nutrition-sensitive spending. Message 7: More must be done to hold countries, donors, and agencies accountable for meeting their commitments to improve nutrition. For instance, the Joint Child Malnutrition Monitoring group of UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank is urged to establish rules for determining whether countries are (or are not) on course for meeting global goals related to reducing low birth weight and supporting exclusive breastfeeding. Message 8: Tracking spending on nutrition is currently challenging, making it difficult to hold responsible parties accountable. Countries, international agencies, and large
civil society organizations and companies are encouraged to undertake financial tracking exercises to make spending on nutrition more transparent and accessible. Message 9: Nutrition needs a data revolution. As such, nutrition investors should be prepared to invest in capacity to conduct consistent and comparable national nutrition surveys on a frequent basis. Message 10: National nutrition champions need to be recognized, supported, and expanded in number. The authors of the report recommend investment in nutrition leadership programs and filling frontline vacancies of nutrition practitioners.
For More Information A free on-line version of this report can be found at http:// globalnutritionreport.org/. Information about the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals can be accessed at https:// sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgsproposal. Details and reports from the 2013 Nutrition for Growth conference can be accessed at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-to-hosthigh-level-meeting-on-global-nutrition-and-growth.
McGuire 279
International Food Policy Research Institute. 2014. Washington, DC: Global Nutrition Report 2014: Actions and Accountability to Accelerate the World’s Progress on Nutrition.
been relatively quickly reduced in Brazil, Bangladesh, and the Indian state of Maharashtra. Another asks if there may be a better way to track nutrition spending, and several address malnutrition (especially among minority groups) in the United States. A multitude of user-friendly figures and tables provide a wealth of resources for researchers and public health workers alike.
Key Messages and Recommendations
Shelley McGuire Washington State University School of Biological Sciences, Pullman, WA
Genesis of Report Malnutrition affects nearly every country in the world, and, although substantial resources are continuously funneled into its prevention and alleviation, most countries are far from reaching international goals in this regard. One reason for slow progress is lack of coordinated effort to track and report global efforts and outcomes aimed at reducing malnutrition. In response to the unacceptable rate of progress, 96 signatories that participated in the 2013 Nutrition for Growth Summit in London agreed to support the creation of a comprehensive report on global nutrition. This report was projected to be annual and written by a group of independent, international experts. Development and publication of the first edition of this report, the Global Nutrition Report 2014, was funded by both private foundations (e.g., the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) and governmental entities (e.g., the government of Canada) and published by the International Food Policy Research Institute in November 2014. Its content is briefly described here.
Overview of Content The report consists of 10 chapters that detail a wide spectrum of related topics such as documenting the overlapping nature of under- and overnutrition in many regions, quantifying individual and societal benefits of improved nutrition across the life cycle, enumerating and describing instances of success and rates of progress, and prioritizing investments needed to improve nutrition data on a global scale. Six appendixes provide excellent compilations of previously available and new data related to country- and region-specific malnutrition rates, progress toward meeting international targets, spending levels, and accountability matrixes. In addition, most chapters contain topical “panels” that provide thoughtprovoking narratives that describe both exceptional challenges and noteworthy successes in terms of interventions. For instance, three such panels address how child stunting has 278
For some, the most useful outcomes of the Report, which the authors describe as an “intervention against malnutrition,” may be the key messages and recommendations described in Chapter 10. It is noteworthy that the target audience of the Report is meant to be nutrition “champions” and their current and potential allies–in other words, people and organizations who can effectively partner to accelerate improvements in global nutrition. The aim of these messages and recommendations is to provide talking points that could lead to more robust policies, programs, research, and advocacy associated with nutrition. Importantly, they are to be tailored appropriately according to the local, regional, national, or international context. Message 1: People with good nutrition are key to sustainable development. Recommendations for this message include continuing to promote nutrition within the United Nation’s proposed Sustainable Development Goals and to find ways that identify and advocate for nutrition-related indicators and targets across all of the goals–not just the one explicitly related to nutrition. Message 2: We need to commit to improving nutrition faster and build this goal into the Sustainable Development Goal targets for 2030. Holding an open consultative process to establish a consensus on nutrition targets for the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals is suggested. Message 3: The world is currently not on a course to meet the global nutrition targets set by the World Health Assembly, but many countries are making good progress in the target indicators. The working group urges research to examine how progress has (and has not) been achieved and what bottlenecks appear most significant to inform and inspire related efforts in regions where success has been less forthcoming. Message 4: Dealing with different, overlapping forms of malnutrition is the “new normal.” More and more, countries must deal simultaneously with nutrient deficiencies and chronic positive energy balance (obesity). As such, all involved parties must be aware of the complex nutritional, financial, and political risks that exist when the extremes of the nutritional status continuum are considered in isolation of each other.
ã2015 American Society for Nutrition. Adv. Nutr. 6: 278–279, 2015; doi:10.3945/an.115.008599.
Message 5: We need to extend coverage of nutritionspecific programs to more of the people who need them. Recommended actions include placing a greater emphasis on implementation research and a scaling up of coverage in ways that promote international comparisons. Message 6: A greater share of investments to improve the underlying determinants of nutrition should be designed to have a larger impact on nutritional outcomes. The working group suggests that, as difficult as it may be to accomplish, nutrition investors need to continue with their efforts to assess nutrition-sensitive spending. Message 7: More must be done to hold countries, donors, and agencies accountable for meeting their commitments to improve nutrition. For instance, the Joint Child Malnutrition Monitoring group of UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank is urged to establish rules for determining whether countries are (or are not) on course for meeting global goals related to reducing low birth weight and supporting exclusive breastfeeding. Message 8: Tracking spending on nutrition is currently challenging, making it difficult to hold responsible parties accountable. Countries, international agencies, and large
civil society organizations and companies are encouraged to undertake financial tracking exercises to make spending on nutrition more transparent and accessible. Message 9: Nutrition needs a data revolution. As such, nutrition investors should be prepared to invest in capacity to conduct consistent and comparable national nutrition surveys on a frequent basis. Message 10: National nutrition champions need to be recognized, supported, and expanded in number. The authors of the report recommend investment in nutrition leadership programs and filling frontline vacancies of nutrition practitioners.
For More Information A free on-line version of this report can be found at http:// globalnutritionreport.org/. Information about the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals can be accessed at https:// sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgsproposal. Details and reports from the 2013 Nutrition for Growth conference can be accessed at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-to-hosthigh-level-meeting-on-global-nutrition-and-growth.
McGuire 279
