A week to put hunger back at the heart of global health issues

On the occasion of the World Health Assembly 77 (WHA77), Action against Hunger calls on the international community to commit to achieving the Zero Hunger Sustainable Development Goal.

WHA 77, “All for Health, Health for All”, is a crucial event for the integration of nutrition into global health policies, and an opportunity for governments and civil society organizations (CSOs) to address key issues such as Universal Health Coverage (UHC), nutritional security and gender equality.

Hunger and malnutrition are on the rise in many parts of the world, and major food crises are multiplying.

In West and Central Africa, for example, if nothing is done, the number of people suffering from acute food insecurity will rise from 38.1 million in March to 52 million between June and August 2024¹. Worldwide, 11 million people die every year from nutrition-related diseases. This problem disproportionately affects women and children, with 45% of deaths in children under five linked to undernutrition².

These figures, which are as alarming as they are often unheard, must be the powerful driving force behind a global mobilization to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger.

This is why the World Health Assembly 77 (WHA77) must sow the seeds of the progress and commitments to be made in 2025, both in the global nutrition targets due for renewal, and at the next Nutrition for Growth (N4G) summit to be held in France in March 2025.

But given the multidimensional and complex causes of hunger and malnutrition, the right to health and adequate food can only be achieved through a combination of short-term humanitarian action in emergency situations – including in “forgotten crises” such as the DRC, Chad, the Sahel region and South Sudan – and long-term transformation towards accessible and efficient health systems, universal social protection systems and sustainable, resilient agroecological food systems.

This WHA 77 is thus an opportunity to push States to formulate strong political and financial commitments and to collectively build a strategy aimed at eradicating hunger in the world, starting by integrating nutritional care into the CSU.

OUR ASKS

Action contre la Faim calls for health systems to be strengthened by increasing public funding, and thus including essential nutritional interventions in primary health care services, emphasizing the integration of Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) and Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) services in health facilities, and expanding access to treatment (such as ready-to-use therapeutic foods) and prevention, notably through complementary feeding and healthy diets.

WHAT IS COMPLEMENTARY FEEDING?

Complementary feeding, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), marks a key stage in a child’s development. It consists of introducing foods in addition to breast milk or infant formula when these no longer meet the nutritional needs of infants. This transition begins at six months and continues until the child is 23 months old, although breastfeeding may continue beyond that age. During this critical period, children begin to develop tastes and eating habits that lay the foundations for their future feeding patterns.

Optimal complementary feeding practices are crucial not only to ensure the child’s immediate growth and development, but also to prevent various forms of malnutrition, including wasting, stunting and micronutrient deficiencies.

GAPS IN COMPLEMENTARY FOOD PRACTICES

Despite WHO guidelines and recommendations, a significant gap remains in practice. UNICEF global databases (2022) reveal worrying trends: over 28% of children aged 6-8 months do not receive solid, semi-solid or soft foods. In addition, half of children aged 6 to 23 months do not receive the recommended minimum number of meals, and the diversity of their diets is seriously inadequate, with significant deficits in the consumption of nutrient-rich foods such as eggs, fish, meat, fruit and vegetables.

These gaps in complementary feeding practices contribute directly to high rates of malnutrition in children under five, posing a considerable challenge to public health systems worldwide.

ACTION CONTRE LA FAIM AT THE WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY

Action contre la Faim will be present at WHA 77 to ask for commitment from the international community to improve child health outcomes worldwide. Action contre la Faim and the Government of Pakistan are organizing a side event alongside the Government of Madagascar, the Government of Ethiopia, the World Food Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 

The participation of as many people as possible during this AMS 77 will contribute to the progress we are all waiting for to finally eradicate hunger.

[1]  Cadre harmonisé mars 2024

[2]  Tackling Malnutrition in a Changing World: A Call for Accountability and Action – Global Nutrition Report