NEW YORK, 5 May 2021,  , – ", Distinguished guests, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen. "On behalf of UNICEF, I extend thanks to the Global Network on Food Crisis for bringing us together to launch the report and to have this important conversation. "As the world grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, we need to keep the spotlight on the scale and magnitude of the many crises that…

NEW YORK, 4 May 2021,  , – , "Deputy Secretary-General. Honoured guests. Ladies and gentlemen. And a special greeting to the young people who have joined us.       "This event is a chance to think boldly and collectively about how to strengthen food systems in the future. And to hear from young people themselves. They have the biggest stake in the future. We need their ideas…, "Too often, food systems put profit over purpose. This places the most nutritious food, out of reach for many households. Families are forced to turn to heavily marketed, unhealthy alternatives. These may be cheaper and more available. But they also lead to poor nutritional outcomes, threatening children’s development, growth and — in the worst cases — survival itself. "We also need to take into account these systems’ impact on our…, "We need to improve the quality of what children eat, . This includes mandatory standards for children’s food, public policies that promote healthy food, and supply-chain interventions to fortify staple foods for young children., "We need to improve the quality of children’s food environments – where they live, learn, eat, and meet, . This includes ending marketing of unhealthy food that targets children, serving better food in schools, and labelling foods with accurate information that children and families can understand., "We need to improve feeding practices — especially in early childhood, . This includes supporting breastfeeding and helping parents and children alike make better food choices for themselves and for the planet.  "And we need to find ways to, minimize the environmental damage of food systems and reduce their carbon footprin, t. "At every step, we need to, listen to the voices of children and young people — just like you, . You have some of the best and brightest ideas about how we can change food systems for the better. "And so, to all of the young people here today: lend us your ideas, energies and insights. "Help us shape better food systems in every country. And let’s find new ways to deliver good nutrition — and a healthier planet — for every country, every…

Despite progress in the past two decades, one third of children under 5 are malnourished – stunted, wasted or overweight – while two thirds are at risk of malnutrition and hidden hunger because of the poor quality of their diets. At the centre of this challenge is a broken food system that fails to provide children with the diets they need to grow…, The Food Systems Summit 2021, In September 2021, the UN Secretary-General will host the UN Food Systems Summit to increase understanding of the problems with current food systems, and set a course to radically transform them. The summit is a critical moment to, listen to the voices of children and young people, . Not only does their future depend on a radical overhaul of our food systems, but they also have some of the best and brightest ideas about how these systems can better serve people and our planet. That is why UNICEF co-hosted a global youth dialogue on 4 May and is running 20 national Youth Dialogues ahead of the summit. You, too, can have your…, What are food systems?, Food systems are the public policy decisions; the national and global systems and supply chains; and the individuals and groups – public and private – that influence what we eat. They are important for two key reasons: What we eat – our diets – is one of the biggest drivers of health and well-being. This is especially the case for children. Good…, Why do food systems need reform?, A staggering one third of all children are not growing up well because of malnutrition, . Food systems are a major driver of this., Too often driven by profit over purpose, decisions about what food is produced and how that food is processed, packaged, and promoted undermine the quality of what children eat, . The most nutritious food is often expensive, putting it out of reach for many households, while unhealthy alternatives are readily available and heavily marketed., Conflict, climate change, environmental crises and emergencies are also making food systems fragile, . As a result, millions of children do not have safe and regular access to nutritious food to the extent that famine – which should be consigned to history – looms again., Food systems are threatening the health of our planet, . Industrial food production contributes a third of greenhouse gas emissions globally, and its heavy use of fresh water, fertilizers, and pesticides has an immense ecological impact. This creates a vicious cycle of environmental degradation that further harms children’s access to safe, healthy and nutritious food. By better understanding the…, Making change happen, Action on food systems can transform this situation – progress is possible. For example, over the past two decades, the number of undernourished children has fallen by one-third. We know we can continue this progress through collective action to:, Improve the quality of what children eat, . This includes mandatory quality standards for children’s food, public policies that promote healthy diets, and supply-chain interventions to fortify staple foods for young children., Improve the quality of children’s food environments – where they live, learn and eat, . This includes ending unhealthy food marketing that targets children, serving better food in schools, and improving food labeling., Improve feeding practices – especially in early childhood, . This includes protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding and encouraging healthy food practices through health, education and social protection systems. It is also vital that action is taken to minimize the environmental damage of food systems and to reduce their carbon footprint. This has a critical role to play on the road to COP 26 –…, Find out more

SANA’A/ADEN/ROME/NEW YORK/GENEVA, 12 February 2021, - Nearly 2.3 million children under the age of five in Yemen are projected to suffer from acute malnutrition in 2021, four United Nations agencies warned today. Of these, 400,000 are expected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition and could die if they do not receive urgent treatment. The new figures, from the latest Integrated Food Security…

Overweight and obesity are a growing threat to children’s well-being globally, largely driven by a trap of unhealthy and highly processed foods combined with a lack of physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Almost 40 million under-fives around the world have overweight, equivalent to nearly 6 per cent of this age group. Among children aged 5…, UNICEF’s Programme Guidance on the Prevention of Overweight and Obesity in Children and Adolescents, provides strategic guidance to countries on how to adapt the programming and country support work to respond to the changing face of malnutrition, including  a focus on regulatory actions to improving children’s food environments. This publication is currently available in English and Spanish., UNICEF’s Prevention of Overweight and Obesity in Children and Adolescents Advocacy Strategy and Guidance, is an invaluable tool to help UNICEF offices and partners translate global guidance and recommendations into strong and effective advocacy work on this important issue. It is a new tool that can inform work by UNICEF and others at the country, regional, and global level. Options Available options Advocacy Guidance Programming Guidance Programming…

The UNICEF Nutrition Strategy 2020 – 2030: Nutrition, for Every Child outlines UNICEF’s strategic intent to support national governments and partners in upholding children’s right to nutrition, and ending malnutrition in all its forms over the next decade. Today, at least one in three children is not growing well because of malnutrition. New…

Bangkok, Thailand, 20 January 2021,  – The economic impact of COVID-19 on the world’s most populous region is threatening to further undermine efforts to improve diets and nutrition of nearly two billion people in Asia and the Pacific who were already unable to afford healthy diets prior to the pandemic, says a new report published today by four specialized agencies of the United…, Making nutritious foods affordable and accessible, More than 350 million people in the Asia and the Pacific were undernourished in 2019, or roughly half of the global total. Across the region, an estimated 74.5 million children under 5 years of age were stunted (too short for their age) and 31.5 million suffered from wasting (too thin for height). The majority of these children live in Southern…, Improving maternal and child diets requires strengthening vital systems, Nutrition is vitally important throughout a person’s life. The impact of a poor diet is most severe in the first 1000 days, from pregnancy to when a child reaches the age of 2. Young children, especially when they start eating their “first foods” at 6 months, have high nutritional requirements to grow well and every bite counts. Mainstreaming…, Bringing everyone to the table, Food systems play a critical role in achieving food and nutrition security for all. A sustainable and nutrition-sensitive food system is essential to produce diverse and nutritious foods for healthy diets. Improved efficiency and productivity of value chains can reduce the costs of essential foods to make them more affordable. These actions are…, The report, ‘ Asia and the Pacific Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition 2020 : Maternal and Child Diets at the Heart of Improving Nutrition ’ launched today in Bangkok, is jointly published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the United Nations Children’s Fund,  the World Food Programme and the World Health…, For further information, contact:, Allan Dow , FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific Pravaran Mahat , UNICEF South Asia Regional Office Shima Islam , UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office Kun Li , WFP Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific Olivia Lawe-Davies WHO Western Pacific Regional Office Shamila Sharma WHO South-East Asia Regional Office   Children eating…

NEW YORK, 14 December 2020,  — "Distinguished partners, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of everyone at UNICEF, I extend my thanks to the Government of Canada and the Government of Bangladesh for bringing us together today; and to the Government of Japan for launching the Nutrition for Growth Year of Action, which sets in motion a year-long effort to mobilize…, Our first commitment is an organizational and programmatic commitment to accelerate nutrition results at scale, . These days we are launching the UNICEF, Nutrition Strategy 2020-2030, , which will guide UNICEF nutrition programming in the final decade towards 2030. The strategy outlines our goal to protect and promote, diets, ,, services, and, practices, that support good nutrition for all children, adolescents and women – in both development and humanitarian contexts. "We will roll out its implementation in, more than 130 countries, and will reach, at least 500 million children, adolescents and women, with policies and programs that support the delivery of nutritious and safe diets, essential nutrition services, and positive nutrition practices to prevent malnutrition in all its forms through early childhood, middle childhood and adolescence. "Aligned with UNICEF’s Gender Action Plan, I commit to make UNICEF’s nutrition programming both gender…, Our second commitment is a financial commitment to ensure adequate financial resources to deliver on UNICEF’s ambition for nutrition, . In line with our Nutrition Strategy 2020-2030, Nutrition will remain an organizational priority for UNICEF in our Strategic Plan 2022-2025, both in development and humanitarian action. "UNICEF will secure an, annual investment, of at least, US$ 700 million, in nutrition programs for children, adolescents and women – in each year of UNICEF’s forthcoming Strategic Plan (2022-25). "In addition to our financial resources, to support increased allocation of domestic financing for maternal and child nutrition, UNICEF commits to providing technical support to at least 20 national governments each year to…, Our third commitment is to accelerate global efforts for the prevention, early detection, and treatment of child wasting., As part of the agenda on the Global Action Plan on Child Wasting, UNICEF will lead efforts to support national governments to scale up proven solutions to prevent child wasting and provide treatment for all wasted children. To do so, we will support 15 countries across Africa, Asia and the Americas to scaling up a set of essential nutrition…

SANA’A/ADEN/ROME/NEW YORK, 3 December 2020, – The window to prevent famine in Yemen is narrowing as new figures reveal record highs of acute food insecurity in the country, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF warned today. New Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis for Yemen indicates that…

NEW YORK, 27 JULY 2020, – An additional 6.7 million children under the age of five could suffer from wasting – and therefore become dangerously undernourished – in 2020 as a result of the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, UNICEF warned today. According to an analysis published in The Lancet , 80 per cent of these children would be from sub-Saharan Africa…, Safeguarding access to nutritious, safe and affordable diets, as a cornerstone of the response to COVID-19 by protecting food producers, processors and retailers; discouraging trade bans; and designating food markets as essential services;  , Investing decisively in support for maternal and child nutrition, by protecting breastfeeding, preventing the inappropriate marketing of infant formula, and securing children and women’s access to nutritious and diverse foods;, Re-activating and scaling up services for the early detection and treatment of child wasting, while expanding other life-protecting nutrition services;, Maintaining the provision of nutritious and safe school meals, by reaching vulnerable children through home delivery, take-home rations, cash or vouchers when schools are closed; and, Expanding social protection to safeguard access to nutritious diets, and essential services among the poorest and most affected households, including access to fortified foods. UNICEF’s Reimagine campaign aims to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic from becoming a lasting crisis for children, especially the most vulnerable children. Through the campaign, UNICEF is issuing an urgent appeal to parents, governments, the…, Respond., We must act now to stop the disease from spreading, help the sick, and protect first responders on the frontlines risking their own lives to save others., Recover., Even when the pandemic slows, each country will have to continue to work to mitigate the knock-on effects on children, and address the damage inflicted. Communities will also have to work together, and across borders to rebuild and prevent a return of the disease., Reimagine., If we have learned anything from COVID-19, it’s that our systems and policies must protect people, all the time, not just in the event of a crisis. As the world recovers from the pandemic, now is the time to lay the groundwork for building back better. “We cannot allow children to be the overlooked victims of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Fore. “We…, Download photos, broll and, the commentaries here:, https://weshare.unicef.org/Package/2AM408P24Q9D, Comment, pieces in The Lancet are written by experts in the field, and represent their own views, rather than necessarily the views of The Lancet or any Lancet specialty journal. Comment was externally peer-reviewed., About the Analysis, The analysis is based on research efforts by the Standing Together for Nutrition consortium. They link three approaches to model the combined economic and health systems impacts from COVID19 on malnutrition and mortality: MIRAGRODEP’s macroeconomic projections of impacts on per capita gross national income (GNI)8; microeconomic estimates of how…, About the Reimagine Campaign, In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, UNICEF has launched, Reimagine, — an urgent appeal to governments, the public, donors and the private sector to support UNICEF’s efforts to respond, recover and reimagine a world currently besieged by COVID-19. Together, we can prevent this pandemic from becoming a lasting crisis for children—especially the most vulnerable—and, Reimagine, a fairer world for every child. Learn about the #Reimagine campaign here: www.unicef.org/reimagine Join us: https://www.unicef.org/coronavirus/covid-19/donate Malnourished child in Mali UNICEF/UNI287192/Dicko Aissata Kanitao, 6 months, eats ready-to-use therapeutic food at her home in Mopti, central Mali. Aissata suffered from acute malnutrition…