The United Nations General Assembly today proclaimed a UN Decade of Action on Nutrition that will run from 2016 to 2025. FAO welcomed the decision, calling it a major step towards mobilising action around reducing hunger and improving nutrition around the world.
Today, nearly 800 million people remain chronically undernourished and over two billion people suffer from micronutrient deficiencies. Meanwhile some 159 million children under 5 years of age are stunted – meaning they are too short for their age. Approximately 50 million children in the same age bracket are wasted – meaning they have low weight for their height. Another 1.9 billion people are overweight — 600 million of these are obese. And prevalence of people who are overweight or obese is increasing in nearly all countries.
Today’s resolution recognises the need to eradicate hunger and prevent all forms of malnutrition worldwide. The Decade of Action on Nutrition will provide an umbrella for a wide group of actors to work together to address these and other pressing nutrition issues. Read more……