Nutrition Seminar: The European Commission's Action Plan on Nutrition – Ensuring Quality Implementation, 19^th-21^st of March 2018

"The European Commission needs to broaden the focus of its nutrition priorities beyond stunting and wasting, to consider all forms of malnutrition. The human and economic consequences of not doing so are severe: health and longevity are undermined; and the earning potential of individuals is diminished. Malnutrition costs nations an average of US $500 per citizen per year (or US$3.5 trillion globally)."

This is one key message which came out from the Seminar "The European Commission's Action Plan on Nutrition – Ensuring Quality Implementation" held in Brussels from the 19^th to the 21^st and organized by the European Commission, DEVCO C1- Rural development, Food security, Nutrition.

The seminar was a great occasion to exchange and engage in mutual learning among representatives from 39 countries from Africa, Asia, Central and South America, including 35 of the 42 EU nutrition focal countries. Alongside EU Delegation staff, were Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Focal Points from 16 countries; as well as EU Member States and technical experts from partner institutions. The seminar was opened by Neven Mimica, the EU Commissioner for Development and member of the SUN Lead Group, who lauded results already achieved but rallied for “zero malnutrition” by 2030 and inferred that putting a man on the moon cannot be harder than ending hunger and malnutrition!

The main purpose of the event was to take stock of lessons from the ongoing implementation of the EU’s Action Plan on Nutrition and ramp up future efforts in order to move closer to attaining SDG 2.2.

The effects of malnutrition are widely recognised and cries for attention to all forms of malnutrition, undernutrition[1] and overweight and obesity, are being heard and action is being taken.

Hunger and malnutrition still persist across the world and represent a major challenge to achieve lasting peace and prosperity. There will be no sustainable and inclusive development without proper nutrition.

Fully cognizant of this, the EU is sticking to its promise to invest EUR 3.5 billion by 2020 to combat undernutrition and to reduce by 7 million the number of children suffering from stunting by 2025.

What's next?

Paving a nutrition roadmap for the Commission's work in the upcoming years in particular for the next programming cycle (2020-2027) which will be informed by a mid-term review of the Action Plan on Nutrition which will be launched later this year.

You will find a summary of main messages and recommendations for future action in the attached outcome document of the seminar.

If you need more information on how the EU supports action to end all forms of malnutrition, do not hesitate to contact Madeleine Onclin, Head of DEVCO C1 Nutrition Sector, Madeleine.ONCLIN@ec.europa.eu

[1] Undernutrition includes : wasting, stunting, underweight, and deficiencies in vitamins and minerals