If Not Now, When? Centering Nutrition in the Pandemic Response and Recovery
In 2018, 5.3 million children died under the age of five, and almost half of these deaths can be attributed to undernutrition. The world is substantially off-track to meet nutrition goals, and the COVID-19 pandemic only exacerbates this issue. In a vicious cycle, shocks to nutrition will increase vulnerability to illnesses, which, in the long-term, reduce chances to escape poverty cycles and may halt economic growth.
Urgent and scaled-up action, including new and increased financial resources for nutrition, is essential and cannot wait. We must invest in evidence-based and measurable nutrition actions that we know are most cost-effective, save the most lives, and are most sustainable. If we don’t act now, then we miss a key opportunity to transform the lives of millions of children and women and set the world on a different track.