Parliamentarians from 20 countries who participated in this year’s Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement Global Gathering in Nepal, jointly signed a pledge where they commit to taking action on nutrition.
The parliamentarians have committed to encouraging their respective governments to adopt a multi-sectoral approach to nutrition as well as ensuring adequate fund allocation to achieve national nutrition goals.
Secretary-General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Martin Chungong, recently appointed one of the 27 SUN global leaders, took the lead in signing the pledge. The pledge calls for strong and sustained political leadership, the right laws and policies, increased financial resources and coordinated action across all relevant sectors and stakeholders to end malnutrition.
It also stresses the importance of integrating nutrition into Universal Health Coverage, the subject of the most recent IPU parliamentary resolution at its 141st IPU Assembly in Belgrade, Serbia.
Malnutrition is responsible for more ill-health than any other factor. Globally, one out of three people suffer from some form of malnutrition, and it is the underlying cause for 45 percent of child deaths.
A child who is undernourished in its first two years suffers irreversible damage, both physical and cognitive. Hunger and malnutrition are exacerbated by climate change and conflict.
The SUN Global Gathering, which held in Kathmandu, Nepal, last November, brought together close to 30 parliamentarians, SUN Government Focal Points and representatives of civil society, donors, United Nations agencies, private sector partners, academia and media.
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