Download Policy Brief: Child hunger - how the next UK government must show

March 2010
Child hunger: How the next UK government
must show global leadership
Policy brief
Hunger is destroying the lives and life chances of millions of
children across the world. It is holding back the development
prospects of some of the world’s poorest countries, including
fragile states, and undermining existing investments in areas like
education. Following the UK general election, there is a
tremendous opportunity for the next UK government to show
global leadership on child hunger and to spearhead concerted
global action.
The basic facts
One in three children in the developing world suffers from stunting (a form of
malnutrition that seriously impairs their physical and mental development). That’s
195 million children under the age of five.1 Ninety per cent of these children live in
36 poor countries, 80% in 20 countries and 50% in just eight countries.
Child and maternal malnutrition is the leading cause of children’s deaths. Over a third
of all child mortality – more than 3 million deaths each year – results from
malnutrition.
The economic and development costs
Malnourished children are more likely to get sick, less able to learn and likely to grow
up to become less productive as adults. It has been estimated that the direct cost of
child hunger and malnutrition is between $20 and $30 billion a year, and that losses
in GDP at the country level, arising from malnutrition and hence lower productivity,
can be as high as 6%.2
The economic benefits
Improved nutrition will significantly reduce rates of child mortality, lead to higher
educational attainment, and significantly increase productivity and economic growth.
What does it cost?
Investing in nutrition programmes is incredibly cost-effective and was confirmed as
the best development intervention by the Copenhagen Consensus in 2008 – the work
of eight distinguished economists, including five Nobel laureates. They showed that
providing vitamin A and zinc to 112 million children under the age of two in
developing countries would cost just $60 million per year, but would yield annual
benefits of more than $1 billion. This means that “each dollar spent on this
micronutrient programme would create benefits (better health, fewer deaths,
increased future earnings) worth more than $17.”3
Save the Children has estimated that a comprehensive child hunger package in eight
countries where 50% of the world’s stunted children live would cost around $8 billion
a year.4 Some of these resources would need to come from national governments,
others from donors and innovative sources of financing. Some of the billions already
pledged for social protection, health and agricultural investment also need to be
refocused on delivering improved nutrition for mothers and children.
We know what works
There is now broad consensus about the kind of programmes and interventions that
would drastically reduce child hunger. This requires a comprehensive approach that
addresses both the immediate and underlying causes of hunger and malnutrition. It
includes the provision of micronutrients like vitamin A and zinc (around 10% of child
deaths are attributable to these micronutrient deficiencies), ready-to-use therapeutic
foods for treating severe acute malnutrition, support for breastfeeding and
complementary feeding, hygiene promotion and cash transfers to the poorest families
to purchase a sufficiently diverse and nutritious diet.
Why now?
The global food crisis and its aftermath have pushed the issues of agriculture, food
security and nutrition higher up the political agenda. Last year was significant: the
proposal for the reform of the Committee on World Food Security was developed; the
L’Aquila initiative, championed by President Barack Obama, was a key outcome of
the G8 and should generate increased resources to combat food insecurity; and the
European Commission and United States embarked on the revision of their food
security strategies. In addition, some European governments – France, the UK, the
Netherlands, Ireland, Denmark and Spain – have been rethinking their strategies on
food security and nutrition.
The need for political leadership
But hunger and malnutrition have remained at the margin of most discussions and
policy developments. This has been highlighted by the President of the World Bank,
Robert Zoellick, who has referred to MDG 1 as the “forgotten MDG”. Greater political
leadership is needed on this issue, particularly around child hunger. Countries with
high levels of child malnutrition need leadership at the national level. Brazil, under
President Lula, has shown what is possible, with big reductions in child hunger. Other
countries should learn from this success.
Leadership is also needed globally. There are a range of UN and other international
agencies that address some aspects of child malnutrition, but none of them provide
the degree of leadership that is required. A longstanding UN body, the Standing
Committee on Nutrition (SCN), is weak, ineffective and lacks the capacity and
mandate to champion international action on child hunger. The SCN is being
reformed with the aim of regaining its legitimacy as UN institutional nutrition leader.
This welcome effort, as well as the recent appointment of a UN Secretary General
Special Representative on Food Security and Nutrition (David Nabarro),5 are positive
signs. But these actions will have limited impact without greater political leadership
and a genuine commitment from donors and high-burden countries6 to tackle child
hunger.
There is therefore a huge opportunity for global leadership on child hunger and
malnutrition, which the next UK government should seize. There is a strong case for
the creation of a new international body – a Global Council on Child Hunger – to
drive global attention and action on this issue.
Who should make up the Council?
A group of five or six high-level political leaders (including the UK Prime Minister) led
by an influential international figure would comprise the Global Council on Child
Hunger.
What should the Council do?
•
•
Focus on the achievement of the Millennium Development Goal on reducing
hunger and malnutrition in children (part of MDG1)
Use their influence to galvanise action including additional resources and policy
commitments on child hunger and malnutrition.
This initiative should be promoted by the next UK government at the EU, G8 and G20
summits in June, and at the UN Millennium Review Meeting in September. The UK
should also commit to finance the secretariat for the Global Hunger Council.
References
1
UNICEF (2009) Tracking Progress on Child and Maternal Nutrition: A survival and development priority
Global Framework for Action, Ending Child Hunger and Undernutrition Initiative, Initiating partners:
World Food Programme and UNICEF, United Nations Children’s Fund, New York, December 2006.
World Food Programme/Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean study found that in
2004 alone, the average cost of child undernutrition for the region was the equivalent of 6.4% GDP
3
http:www.copenhagenconsensus.com/Default.aspx?ID=953
4
Save the Children UK (2009) Hungry for Change: An eight-step, costed plan of action to tackle global
child hunger
5
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2009/sga1203.doc.htm
6
R. E. Black and all, Maternal and child undernutrition: global and regional exposures and health
consequences, The Lancet Series, Maternal and Child Undernutrition, January 2008
2