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Child being fed in Antananarivo, Madagascar

Nutrition for Development (N4D)

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Last Updated: 19 November 2024
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Nutrition Quick Tips Series

This series of quick tips on nutrition provides practical advice and guidance for staff in the European Commission and European Union (EU) delegations on how programming and support across multiple sectors can contribute to improved food security and nutrition outcomes.

Investing in nutrition enables socioeconomic growth and provides one of the best returns in global development. Every US $1 invested in nutrition can generate up to US $16 in returns[1]. With the right nutrition at critical points in life, children can grow and develop to their full potential. Being at the heart of the Sustainable Development goals, improved nutrition helps education and gender equality, reduces poverty, improves life opportunities and contributes to more prosperous societies.

Malnutrition can take different forms – undernutrition, including stunting and wasting, micronutrient deficiencies, and over-nutrition in the forms of overweight and obesity – often referred to as the ‘triple burden’ of malnutrition (Box 1). The drivers of malnutrition operate at several levels and across many sectors, so it is important to invest in a locally adapted, sustained, multi-sectoral and rights-based approach. Professionals working in agriculture and rural development, social protection, education, health, and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) should be aware of these drivers and have the advice and ‘know-how’ to design, adapt and implement approaches that favour improved nutrition outcomes.

The nutrition webinar and Quick Tips series aim to provide accessible, practical guidance or ‘tips’ on how to mainstream nutrition into different sectors at both policy and programme level, thereby strengthening the contribution of EU international cooperation and development policy to sustainable development.

The nutrition Quick Tips cover the following subjects:

The Quick Tips references case studies that are presented in more detail in the annex of the 6th Progress Report on the Action Plan on Nutrition and Projects That Work for Improved Nutrition.

For more information please contact intpa-f3@ec.europa.eu

 

Box 1: Triple burden of malnutrition

Globally in 2020, 149.2 million children under 5 suffered from stunting; 45.4 million children under 5 were affected by wasting, of whom 13.6 million were severely wasted.

Concurrently, 38.9 million children under 5 are overweight globally, an increase of nearly 6 million since 2000.

Over 40% of all men and women (2.2 billion people) are now overweight or obese, while 29.9% of women aged 15-49 years suffered from anaemia in 2019.

[1] Hoddinott, J., The economics of reducing malnutrition in sub-Saharan Africa. Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition Working Paper 2016.