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| Isobel Coleman |
In Rome, Italy, Deputy Administrator Isobel Coleman highlighted the urgent need to prioritize nutrition and address malnutrition as part of global food security efforts. Speaking ahead of the next Nutrition for Growth Summit in Paris, Coleman emphasized the multiple crises that have disrupted food security over the past five years, including the COVID-19 pandemic, climate disasters, and the ongoing war in Ukraine. These events have worsened global food insecurity and left millions without access to adequate nutrition.
Coleman pointed out that currently, more than 700 million people around the world are undernourished, lacking the necessary food for healthy living. Alarmingly, about 45 million children under the age of five suffer from acute malnutrition, with up to two million dying each year from this preventable condition.
The Deputy Administrator expressed the United States' ongoing commitment to fighting malnutrition in all its forms. She stressed the importance of making smarter, more strategic decisions in delivering nutrition aid to ensure it reaches as many children as possible. This includes utilizing the latest guidelines from the World Health Organization (WHO) on preventing and managing child wasting—a severe form of malnutrition.
The WHO guidelines, released last year, have provided a clear framework for improving efforts to combat malnutrition. These guidelines focus on better coordination between global organizations like the World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF to ensure that both moderately and severely malnourished children are properly cared for. They also stress the importance of prevention efforts to stop malnutrition before it starts, which is both cost-effective and humane.
Coleman emphasized the critical role that community health workers play in treating malnutrition at the local level. With proper training, these workers can provide care in children’s homes, reducing the need for expensive hospital stays. Additionally, the new guidelines help nutrition programs to be more flexible by adjusting the amount of therapeutic food provided as children recover, ensuring that the most vulnerable children receive the care they need.
USAID has been actively working to implement these new guidelines. Coleman noted that the agency has partnered with WFP and UNICEF to develop strategies for phasing in these recommendations, especially in humanitarian settings. Recently, USAID provided $100 million to both organizations to support their efforts in combating malnutrition.
As part of its broader efforts to improve nutrition programs, USAID is also focusing on making its programs more cost-effective. Coleman announced the agency's first-ever policy paper on cost-effectiveness, which aims to maximize the impact of every dollar spent. This commitment to evidence-based programming will ensure that USAID's efforts have the greatest possible effect on reducing malnutrition.
To further advance the understanding of malnutrition, Coleman revealed that USAID will host an evidence summit on child wasting in December. This summit will bring together researchers and nutrition experts to share the latest findings and identify areas where more research is needed.
In closing, Coleman expressed her gratitude to the leaders preparing for the 2025 Nutrition for Growth Summit in France. She reaffirmed the U.S. government's commitment to preventing and treating childhood malnutrition, emphasizing that the global community must continue to work together to address this critical issue. The upcoming summit will be an opportunity for nations and organizations to recommit to evidence-based actions that can save lives and improve the health of millions of children worldwide.
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