InterAction Members Pledge $750 million for Nutrition
At the international nutrition summit in London on June 8, 30 members of InterAction pledged $750 million in private funds to programs working to improve nutrition. Lindsay Coates, the executive vice president of InterAction, announced the commitment at the “Nutrition for Growth” event.
“We are here, all of us are here, because we are offended and we are moved to action. Malnutrition as the biggest single contributor to child mortality is offensive to all of us; it’s wrong,” said Coates in her opening remarks.
Malnutrition is a leading cause of mortality in children under 5 and new research has found that inadequate nourishment can lead to “brain stunting” in a child- a phenomenon that hinders the brains capacity to grow and develop due to a lack of nutrition.
Contributing members seek to reduce stunting by at least 20 million by 2020 by promoting breastfeeding, good nutritional practices and providing micronutrients and therapeutic feeding.
Furthermore, the five-year pledge will ally with the 1,000 Days Partnership, an organization that centers on the critical need for proper nutrition during the 1,000-day window between conception and a child’s second birthday.
“No government money is included in our pledge, but we hope it will encourage governments to commit more resources to leverage NGOs’ private spendings so that children, no matter where they’re born, can live to reach their full potential,” said Coates. “This morning it’s been very exciting to see the growth and enthusiasm of government participation.”
Governments, foundations, businesses and NGOs came together on June 8 to collectively committed $19 billion to be spent between now and 2020 on nutritional programs. The U.S. government alone pledged close to $10 billion, and the U.K. government $1 billion. Notable nongovernment donations included $800 million from the Gates Foundation and $700 million from the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation.
Impressive numbers notwithstanding, Coates stressed that simply promising support would not be enough; rather it would take a sustained commitment and continual government participation to effectively combat global malnutrition.
“If world leaders are serious on following through with commitments to reduce childhood stunting by at least 20 billion by 2020, there must be a more concerted effort to bolster this funding,” said Coates.
The pledge by InterAction members came just before the meeting of the G8 in Northern Ireland on June 17-18.
Stunting and malnutrition is everyone’s concern, for no child should or die simply because of where he or she was born, Coates noted on June 8. Instead, the global communities – governments and organizations alike – should work in tandem to find and implement solutions.
“As US-based NGOs working in every corner of the globe, InterAction members are united in our mission to break the cycle of poverty and to empower communities,” Coates said. “We must work with others in new ways, but it is all because we believe that beginning with good nutrition is an excellent place to start.”
By Sarah Siguenza
